New Canaan football hosts 32 teams in annual Grip It and Rip It passing tournament in July

It’s football in July.

New Canaan will host the 17th annual Grip It and Rip It 7-on-7 passing tournament on July 12-13, with 32 teams in action, including 24 Connecticut schools from seven conferences represented.

The field also features 12 CIAC playoff teams, five state finalists, and two state champions in Staples (Class LL) and host New Canaan (Class L).

The FCIAC, SCC, SWC, CCC, ECC, NVL, and Pequot all have teams on the initial schedule, which also features eight out-of-state teams.

Among the Connecticut teams in action are four who have first-year head coaches: Ridgefield (James Reed), Weston (Dave Drais), Fairfield Warde (Christian Parisi) and Bethel (Nick Tarantino).

The two-day tournament will begin with pool play on July 12, with an afternoon session starting at 1 p.m., and an evening session starting at 4:30 p.m. Games will be held at New Canaan High School's Dunning Field and the Water Tower Turf field next to the tennis courts.

The results of pool play will then be used to seed a double elimination tournament on July 13.

Teams are guaranteed a minimum of six games, according to the Grip It and Rip It website.

Here’s a look at the participating teams.

• FCIAC: Darien, Fairfield Ludlowe, Fairfield Warde, Greenwich, McMahon, New Canaan, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Stamford, Staples, Trumbull, Westhill, Wilton
• SCC: Fairfield Prep, Jonathan Law, West Haven
• SWC: Bethel, Newtown, Weston
• CCC: New Britain, Windsor
• ECC: New London
• NVL: Woodland
• Pequot: Granby/Canton
• Out-of-state: Cardinal Hayes, John Jay CR, John Jay EF, Harrison, Rye, Shenendowa, Stepinac, White Plains