By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

ORLANDO — While a chance to visit Walt Disney World and work with established NFL superstars is enough to make any trip worthwhile, the East St. John Wildcats aren’t ones to be satisfied without making their mark.

For the second straight summer, the ESJ football team did that in 7-on-7 competition, taking a third place finish overall at the Drew Brees Passing Academy 7-on-7 tournament.

East St. John finished fourth at the event in 2013. This year, the Wildcats lost just two games in Orlando, a six-point loss to eventual champion Cocoa Beach in the semifinals and a four-point loss in pool play. 

25 teams from around the country competed at the event. 

“For what Drew Brees did for us last year, paying our way and helping us out with our weight room, we wanted to go make him proud,” East St. John coach Phillip Banko said. “And we wanted to make ourselves proud. We feel like we did that.”

There were plenty of big performances over the course of the two-day tournament. Wildcats passer Xavier Lewis tossed four touchdowns in a win over Colonial High, following up on an opening game six touchdown pass performance against Palm Beach Central. Dontrell Allen and Jarrod Jackson each had two touchdown receptions in the latter win. Amani Martin, Shayhan Williams and Jonathan Stewart each intercepted passes in pool play, which saw ESJ go 3-1. 

East St. John lost its championship hopes when Cocoa Beach avenged a pool play loss to ESJ, winning a tight 13-7 game. ESJ bounced back to win two games and wrap up third place at the event. 

“We all wanted to win the championship, obviously,” Banko said. “We had our chances (against Cocoa Beach). They’ve got a good team with a good quarterback and linebacker … both of them are headed to Florida State. They just made a couple more plays. We had a good weekend of play though, with a lot of intense reps against some of the best athletes in the whole country.”

Banko also spoke about the first day of the three-day Orlando stay, which involved skills competitions and a chance for players to work with established NFL stars like Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Philadelphia and former New Orleans running back Darren Sproles and New England cornerback Darrelle Revis.

And, of course, Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

“You cherish the chance to do something like that,” Banko said. 

In the skills competition, a number of Wildcats shined, including running back Nigel Anderson, Lewis, and wide receivers Jarrod and Jaren Jackson. 

Brightest of all was ESJ cornerback Dontrell Allen, whose 40-yard dash time of 4.35 not only bested all other defensive backs but all players running at the event, cementing him as the fastest overall player at the Brees camp.

Banko said the event was not only a nice on-field boon for his team, but that the camaraderie fostered by the Orlando stay was invaluable.

“You get to spend time with one another not only on the field but then at an amusement park … you eat and have fun together for all three days and you get to know a different side of everyone,” Banko said. 

“I think that our togetherness and camaraderie reached a zenith there.”