Wide receivers are catch of the day in Modesto JC Passing Tournament

Nick Trujillo took a chance, pitching a ball into the corner of the south end zone.

And why not?

That patch of grass, worn from use and scorched by the summer sun, had been so kind to quarterbacks Saturday morning at the Modesto Junior College Passing Tournament.

The Beyer quarterback’s throw was on the money, the type of bold, confident strike one would expect from a third-year starter. Wide receiver Michael Qarqat gloved the ball as he spun toward the sideline, stamping his feet inbounds.

Touchdown, Patriots.

The ninth annual MJC Passing Tournament invited 15 schools from throughout the Stanislaus District, testing each team’s ability to complete the pass and defend it.

For the second consecutive year, no one was better on both sides of the ball than Downey, the three-time defending Modesto Metro Conference champion.

The Knights advanced out of pool play unscathed, then squeezed out a 21-18 victory over crosstown rival Beyer in the final moments of their 20-minute semifinal.

Downey, still searching for its starting quarterback, kept its crown with a 20-12 triumph over Los Banos, the reigning Western Athletic Conference champion.

“It’s all about competition for us,” Downey coach Jeremy Plaa said. “We’re still trying to evaluate, but we also want to win.

“This is the one passing tournament all summer that we say, ‘OK, this one is a Friday night atmosphere. We have to win this one. No matter what else you do on Saturday morning, you should wake up with butterflies in your stomach because this one matters.’ We’re still trying to develop and evaluate, but we wanted to come out and put our best foot forward.”

While quarterbacks controlled the tempo, a talented cast of wide receivers captured the imagination and commandeered the spotlight.

If 2013 was the year of the running back in the Stanislaus District and 2014 saw a rise in quarterbacks, this fall may belong to the pass-catching gazelles downfield.

Here’s a look at the top wideouts from Saturday’s tournament:

▪  Calvin Grover, Downey: This big-bodied junior isn’t a household name yet, but it won’t take long. Grover plays the toughest of the wide receiver positions in Downey’s pass-happy offense – the “A receiver,” better defined as …

“Our all-everything receiver,” Plaa said. “He’ll do everything. Sometimes he’ll be in the backfield. Sometimes he’ll be our tight end. Sometimes he’ll be split out wide.”

At 6-foot-3, Grover gives the Knights a can’t-miss target in the middle of the field, which should help ease the program’s transition to a new quarterback. Whoever it may be.

On Saturday, junior Brett Neves separated himself in the months-long battle with senior Tyler Lehikainen. Neves and Grover established an early rapport, hooking up for a touchdown and a pivotal fourth-down conversion in a runaway victory over MMC rival Gregori.

“(Grover) is learning to use his body effectively,” Plaa said. “The thing I’ve noticed about Calvin is, at our first tournament at Fresno State, he was going after the jump balls tentative. At this tournament, you could see it in his eyes: ‘That ball is mine.’ Nobody was going to take it away from him.”

▪  Austin Miller, East Union: The Lancers are just 6-34 under fifth-year coach Willie Herrera, but they’re making noise on the summer circuit.

East Union showed well in Davis and Lake Tahoe, then shocked defending Valley Oak League champion Sierra 33-32 on Saturday during pool play.

Quarterback Jack Weaver beat the Timberwolves with a last-second throw to Miller in the same corner Qarqat found points. Weaver went back to Miller for the deciding conversion.

“We’re best friends,” Miller said of his chemistry with Weaver. “We hang out on the field and off, so we just know where each other will be.”

Miller remained stoic, even as his teammates celebrated their victory over a crosstown rival. The kid has great hands – and perspective.

“Nothing is set until we put on the pads and beat them on a Friday night,” said Miller, an all-VOL first-team selection after racking up 821 yards and nine touchdowns on 45 catches last fall. “This feels good, but I’m not satisfied.”

▪  Daniel Wyatt, Sierra: The Timberwolves got a new voice in the huddle (junior Mark Vicente) and on the sideline (offensive play caller Ryan Teicheira), but two dynamic talents suggest the offense will be as potent as it was in 2014.

Mark Paule returns to the backfield after a record-setting 2,000-yard season, but the intriguing piece is Wyatt (20 catches, 287 yards and four TDs last fall), a second-year wide receiver.

The senior ascends to the top of the depth chart with the graduation of Hunter Johnson. Wyatt lacks Johnson’s size (6-foot-4), but he’s explosive in space.

Wyatt helped carry the Sierra boys basketball team to its first Sac-Joaquin Section championship last season as a razzle-dazzle point guard. His shiftiness and speed translate to the field.

Just ask Gregori. Wyatt burned the Jaguars on three consecutive plays, separating from his defender with hard cuts and head fakes, then culminated the drive with a touchdown catch over the middle.

▪  David Walker, Los Banos: Walker landing on this list is no surprise. The son of a Los Banos football legend of the same name, Walker was an all-conference selection last fall. He’s also caught in a tug-of-war between Fresno State and Sacramento State, both of which are high on the 6-foot-3 specimen.

That buzz was created as a slot receiver, where coach Dustin Caropreso showcased Walker on sweeps and bubble screens.

This fall, Caropreso will split Walker wide to better utilize his strong genetic makeup. Walker runs a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, and with a basketball player’s build, he’s the prohibitive favorite on every jump ball.

Walker had acrobatic touchdown grabs against Livingston and Downey, then showed his maturity by cheering on teammates late in the Tigers’ routs.

“When you got a guy that’s 6-3 and runs a 4.6, you have to try to take advantage of that,” said Caropreso, who has reshaped his offense around Walker and returning quarterback Adam Herrera, a dual threat. “We want to force teams to double-team him, opening up stuff for some of the other guys.”

This story was originally published July 11, 2015 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Wide receivers are catch of the day in Modesto JC Passing Tournament."