Notre Dame wins St. Francis 7-on-7 football tournament

The Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks football team concluded its summer passing schedule in impressive fashion Friday, winning the seventh annual St. Francis 7-on-7 tournament with a 28-26 victory over Royal of Simi Valley in the championship game at Friedman Field.

Notre Dame, which knocked off former Mission League rival and tournament host St. Francis 27-12 in the semifinals after a 35-7 quarterfinal triumph over Pasadena Poly, won its second tournament of the summer -- including a victory at an event in Pasadena -- and captured the championship at St. Francis for the second time in three years.

Royal turned in a strong performance, going undefeated in pool play, then defeating La Canada 25-9 in the quarterfinals before cruising to a 41-24 semifinal win over Valencia -- which won had a pair of tournaments earlier in the summer -- in which the Highlanders led by 32 at one point.

St. Francis, which went 1-2 in pool play, advanced to the semifinals with a 19-18 quarterfinal victory over Moorpark. The Golden Knights reached the final of last year's event, losing to Alemany, which didn't compete in this summer's tournament.