By Pete Borello
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Local football teams enter season with something to prove
Every one of the area’s high school football teams approaches the upcoming season with a chip on its shoulder pads.
All five squads - each featuring Los Altos and/or Los Altos Hills residents - will have something to prove when they take the field for their respective season openers next week.
Los Altos High School is eager to prove it has righted the wrongs that led to last year’s winless campaign. Mountain View High School is out to prove it can win without two of the best players in school history. St. Francis High School wants to prove the dynasty has not fallen. Homestead High School wants to prove it should be playing in the upper division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. And Gunn High School is desperate to prove it’s worthy of remaining in that upper division.
As the old adage (sort of) goes: the proof will be in the playing.
Here is how the teams shape up for the 2002 season:
Los Altos High
League: SCVAL El Camino Division.
Coach: Ken Green, third year.
Last season: Seventh in division at 0-6; 0-9 overall.
Key returners: RB/DB Royce Hurd; QB Shawn Girouard; RB/DB Peter Hahn; OL/DL Will Sigua; LB Ben Driscoll; OL/LB Nicar Bocalan; OL/DL Charlie McGillis.
Top newcomers: QB Donnie Ecker; LB/RB Ryan Sherbino.
Outlook: To avoid another disastrous season, Green said the Eagles will need to do something they didn’t do last year - work as a team. So far, so good. The coach praised the way his players have refocused their efforts and readjusted their attitudes. Early-season games against upper-division teams Gunn and Milpitas may put this resolve to the test. Look for Los Altos to ground it out on offense, with the shifty Hurd getting most of the carries and Hahn seeing plenty of action as well. Girouard and Ecker remain in a tight battle for the QB job. Green said the Eagles have shored up the defensive problems that plagued them last year and hopes Sherbino, whom he described as “our strongest hitter,” will give the unit a boost.
Coach’s quote: “We’re downplaying this year; our goal is to win a game. We’ll start with small goals and go from there.”
Season opener: 3:15 p.m., Sept. 12, hosting Gunn.
Mountain View High
League: SCVAL El Camino Division.
Coach: Dan Navarro, 16th year.
Last season: Division champion at 5-1; 8-3 overall. Lost to Pioneer in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs.
Key returners: QB Sean Manson; FB/DB Guillermo Moreira; WR/DB Jonathan Lam; OG/LB Shonte Jiz de Ortega; TE/DE Daniel Croom; WR/DB Jeff Eckenhoff; LB/OG Tristan Shuman; TE Brad Read.
Top newcomers: RB/FS Tariq Bright; RB Kalani Bounos; RB/DB Max Davidson; LB Adrian Orozco; WR/DB Cody Hines (if eligible).
Outlook: With 1,100-yard rushers Trevor Hooper and Jordan Nelson playing in the Pac-10, it won’t be easy for the Spartans to repeat last year’s success. The team still has pinpoint passer Manson, a Division I college prospect. But the 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior can’t thrive without blocking and receiving, two areas Navarro is concerned about. The lightweight offensive line returns just one starter, and Navarro said his receivers tend to drop balls in crucial situations. Hines, whom the coach calls “an excellent athlete,” could emerge as the top receiving threat if he can clear up an eligibility issue pertaining to his transfer from St. Francis. The quick, sure-handed Bright, a transfer from Los Altos, teams with Moreira in the backfield. Mountain View’s defensive strength is at linebacker, where three-year starters Jiz de Ortega, Shuman and Moreira roam.
Coach’s quote: “We have potential, but I don’t know if it’s realistic (to be considered title contenders). Everything has to fall into place, and we’ll need a lot of luck.”
Season opener: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 13, vs. Willow Glen at PAL Stadium (San Jose).
St. Francis High
League: West Catholic Athletic League.
Coach: Mike Mitchell, seventh year.
Last season: Tied for third in league at 3-2; 4-7 overall. Lost to Los Gatos in first round of the CCS Division III playoffs.
Key returners: QB Kyle Spraker; FB/LB Will Taufoou; DT/OL Mike Manoukian; OT/DT Sione Umufuke; DE/TE J.P. Bellotti; RB Daniel Descalso; DL/OL Tony Sackman; DE/TE Travis Martin; G/DL Justin Lauro; OT Mike Gawley; C/T David Nava; DT/TE Matt Richards.
Top newcomers: WR/TE/DE Andrew Smythe; LB/RB Brandon Burns; RB/SS Justin Sieber.
Outlook: If the 13-time CCS champion Lancers post a winning record after back-to-back losing seasons, they will have earned it. Their non-league schedule is as brutal as ever - with national power De La Salle again on the slate - and the WCAL is tougher with the addition of Valley Christian. The Lancers do return 30 players, 12 of them starters, and Mitchell said they’re hungry “to get back to where we were before.” Spraker, who started 10 games last year, guides a run-oriented offense featuring the bruising Taufoou (5-10, 240) and the speedy Descalso. They should have plenty of room to run behind a line that returns three starters; both tight ends are back, too. The defensive front seven - anchored by mammoth Umufuke (6-2, 300) and two-time all-leaguer Manoukian - is solid, but Mitchell has concerns about his untested secondary.
Coach’s quote: “Our depth will help us, but a lot depends on how we do in the preseason against some very physical and athletic teams.”
Season opener: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 13, hosting Oak Grove.
Homestead High
League: SCVAL El Camino Division.
Coach: Charlie Bostic, second year.
Last season: Third in division at 4-2; 5-5 overall.
Key returners: RB/DB Will Falls; WR/DB Garren Strong; QB Craig Maynard; LB/RB Ramont Thomas; WB/DB Brian McGee; OL/LB Tyler Jordan.
Top newcomers: OT Mike Van Orden; DB Robert Scott; LB/TE Jay Smith.
Outlook: The Mustangs don’t like playing in the El Camino Division, they really don’t. But their hopes of returning to the De Anza Division after a two-year hiatus likely hinge on winning the El Camino title. Homestead certainly has enough experience and talent to make a run at it. The team returns 25 players, including two of the division’s best: Falls (the Mustangs’ leading rusher in ‘01) and Strong (the El Camino’s reigning offensive MVP). Bostic also is excited about athletic QB Maynard, who has shown good command of the Wing T offense. The defense is spearheaded by all-league linebacker Thomas, who doubles as a running back. The coach said this team is faster and more athletic than last year’s edition but lacks depth on defense. That’s why staying healthy - especially through a difficult preseason schedule - will be crucial.
Coach’s quote: “We play the toughest schedule in the (division), hands down, but we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think we could play with those teams.”
Season opener: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 14, hosting Palo Alto at Fremont High (Sunnyvale).
Gunn High
League: SCVAL De Anza Division.
Coach: Sam Picture, first year.
Last season: Seventh in division at 0-6; 2-8 overall.
Key returners: WR/DB Phil Ghilarducci; FB/LB Keith Schuman; QB Doug Campbell; WB Sam Doniach; OG/DT Aaron Juratovac; C/DT Ian Cole; OT/DT Paul Bonini; CB Brandon Gordon.
Top newcomers: OT/DT Adam Juratovac; WR/P Tom Blake; LB Nate Urbassik; WR Hansen Perkins.
Outlook: A new coach means new hope for the Titans, who received a rude welcome to the De Anza Division last year. Picture said the team’s top priority is maintaining its upper-division status, which probably would require staying out of the cellar. Although the coach concedes Gunn lacks stars, it does have depth. Its best player may be Ghilarducci, a two-time all-leaguer. The improving Campbell leads an offense Picture describes as “the Wing T with a lot of run and shoot in it.” Schuman will get the bulk of the carries, and the sure-handed Doniach should get plenty of touches as well. The line is solid, as supersized sophomore Adam Juratovac (6-3, 300) joins a unit featuring all-leaguers Aaron Juratovac, Cole and Bonini. Underclassmen Gordon and Urbassik are players to watch on defense.
Coach’s quote: “The only thing I can guarantee is that we’ll do better than last year. I’m not going to say we’ll win the league championship, but it definitely looks good for this year.”
Season opener: 3:15 p.m., Sept. 12, at Los Altos.
