Damien beat Ayala in the championship game of Saturday’s Ayala Tournament.

“We looked okay,” Damien coach Greg Gano said of the win. “We did some good things. But it doesn’t mean anything. We have to see if we can compete and this means we can compete a little bit. But I know we’ve got some skill kids who can do good things.”

Gano later went on to call receiver Josh Savage the best receiver in the Valley. He also singled out quarterback Gage Pucci, cornerback Jonathan Lyles and brothers Nick and Alex Sherwood for having strong performances.

For Ayala, it was another good showing after the Bulldogs did damage in the conso bracket of the Bonita Air Assault last week.

Aram’s take: I said in a previous All-Encompassing SGV(N) Top 25 that Damien could wind up being the No. 1 team in the SGV(N) by the time summer was said and done. Saturday’s showing, albeit against not the strongest overall field in the world, is a step in that direction. I’m hearing from all places about how loaded Damien is this season.