Spring ball

WASILLA — It was a brisk afternoon on Thursday.

The outdoor air was cool enough to be a reminder that the Mat-Su Valley was deeply rooted in the winter season just a short time ago. The area sports fields were brown and muddy, at least those that didn’t still have a crusty layer of snow.

But inside the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, the conditions were nearly perfect.

The turf, albeit fake and not real grass, was green and giving.

The air was a comfortable room temperature.

And the only sign of a breeze came from winds of sprints or the bit of extra hot air propelled by some game-time chatter.

For a few hours on Thursday afternoon, a group of local prep football players had the chance to escape the mediocre conditions outdoors and try to shake off some of the winter rust during the annual spring passing tournament hosted by the Palmer High football program.

“It’s a great way for the high school kids to find out what kind of shape they’re in,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said as he was keeping score during one of the round-robin games.

Christiansen first organized the event three years ago, mainly to give the returning high school players a chance to run a few routes and catch a few passes without having to battle the outdoor elements.

The temperatures were moderate on Thursday, but Christiansen said the first time PHS hosted the event at the Wasilla Sports Complex in 2006, it was below zero outside.

Unlike flag football or the 7-on-7 format of indoor football, Christiansen’s set up has a specific focus.

It’s just passing, catching and defending the pass.

There are seven players on the field at a time, and each scrimmage uses only about 30 yards of turf. On the offensive side of the ball there is a quarterback and three receivers, and the defense only has three players.

Once the ball is snapped, the quarterback has just four seconds to make the throw.

“That’s more than enough time. The only one that usually has four seconds to throw is Tom Brady,” Christiansen jokes, referring to the New England Patriots quarterback.

Points are awarded on every play. Completions of 10 or more yards are worth a point; it’s worth two points if the ball is caught between the 10-yard-line and the 20. If the ball is caught beyond the 30, it’s worth three points.

As soon as the ball is either caught or dropped, the play is whistled dead.

The defense also has a chance to rack up the scoring. All incomplete passes are worth a point for the defense and an interception is worth three.

If the quarterback takes longer than four seconds to let go of the ball, it’s called a sack and the defense is awarded two.

Receivers and the defensive players can also be tagged with an interference call. If that happens, it’s two points to the opposite team.

But overall, Christiansen said, the play was pretty clean.

The informal tournament included six teams with players representing Palmer, Colony and Wasilla. There were even a few Burchell High School kids who signed up to play, Christiansen said, even though Burchell doesn’t have its own prep football program.

“They wanted to play,” he said.

The six teams played a round-robin tourney before the top four teams were separated into two pools. Two teams were paired in a third-place game, and the top two squads played for a championship with a gift certificate for pizza on the line.

But even those who didn’t have the chance to win a few slices of their favorite Italian pie enjoyed the opportunity to toss the pigskin around.

“It was fun,” Palmer freshman A.J. Corbin, who was on a team made up by PHS underclassmen, said. “Fast-paced.”

Corbin, who plans to fight for the top quarterback job on the Palmer junior varsity in the fall, said other than some time in the gym, there’s not much of a chance to throw the football around otherwise.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.