The battle between Torres and Rees has still yet to be decided.

By Maddy PUMILIA

The school calendar may read summer, but the Crescenta Valley Falcons football team can be found on the field, either practicing or competing in passing games in preparation for the upcoming season. And the pressing question in the preseason is who will be named the number one quarterback come fall.

Zac Wilkerson, Crescenta Valley’s quarterback last season, has graduated. Two players, Joe Torres and Ben Rees, have been vying for the No. 1 spot. Head Coach Paul Schilling says there are pros to each guy.

“Ben has a really strong arm and is a good runner,” Schilling said. “And Joe is really smart and has been pinpoint accuracy.”

Schilling said he is not leaning toward either player right now. adding that he wouldn’t make any decision like that until after the third game.

“I think they are both pretty evenly-matched right now,” said wide receiver/safety Jack Lutynski. “They are both getting in the same amount of reps. Personally, I think Ben’s got a little edge. He can scramble around. Joe makes better reads, I’d say. But other than that, they are both evenly-matched. They both get me the ball pretty evenly.”

Lutynski, who is expected to be the lead wide receiver, is currently injured, nursing a torn quadriceps, but will be back when the team gets into pads.

“[Both quarterbacks] look pretty good right now,” said wide receiver/safety Chad Eggertson. “They’re young, but they look a little bit more mature each day, They are both pretty even right now. Both are really cool guys and both are great to play with.”

Torres and Rees have been friends for a couple years.

“We both make each other better every day,” said Torres. “We both give each other compliments and advice … we are both pretty equal.” Torres said he didn’t know if he would be the starter and that it was “right up in the air.”

The team has played about 50 games in passing tournaments. They just finished in the semifinals at the Claremont tournament on Saturday. They went 4-1, losing to Claremont.

“We played great,” Schilling said. CV beat Muir, a rival in the Pacific League.

“We really improved,” Schilling said. “Each week we’ve gotten better.”

Saturday was their last tournament. The Falcons’ three-week football break starts  Friday. When they return in August, it will be all about conditioning. There will be practices that Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is the first day they will wear their gear.

On Aug. 23, the Falcons have their first scrimmage against Monrovia. Crescenta Valley’s first regular season game is against the Santa Paula Cardinals on Aug. 31. The Falcons beat Santa Paula last year 40-32.

“They don’t have a lot of big kids,” Schilling said of the Cardinals. “But they’re kind of small, quick guys. We’ll see. They lost a lot of seniors.”

Santa Paula’s season starts a week before, which is good for CV because CV can watch video of that game. On the other hand, Santa Paula will face the Falcons with a game already under their belts.

The Falcons lost running back Marro Lee last year and his replacement, William Wang, also put up a lot of yards last year.

“It feels good to be back,” Wang said. “We have a very good chance of winning league and we will most definitely have a good playoff run.”