It is safe to say that the 2016 season at Tennyson High School was an aberration under coach Terry Smith.
Since Smith took over the program in 2003, the Lancers steadily improved, and in 2010, earned their first-ever North Coast Section playoff berth. Back-to-back WACC-Shoreline titles in 2012 and 2013 earned the program a bump to the Foothill Division, but success continued. In 2015, Tennyson won a playoff game for the first time in school history.
Last year, with a young group of players, the Lancers struggled to a 1-9 record, but one coach in particular, running backs coach Braxston Banks, never lost faith in the team and its direction.
“Braxston was always real positive, had high hopes for this team, and predicted great things for this group in 2017,” Smith said. “The kids knew him from the time they were in junior high, all the way through high school. He was one of the most outgoing, sincere people you could ever hope to meet.”
A picture of health and enthusiasm around the program, Banks passed away tragically of a heart attack on March 8. He left behind three children, and the legacy of both his athletic career and recent years giving back to his community.
The former Notre Dame running back, who played at Tennyson and Moreau Catholic in high school, won a national championship playing for Lou Holtz, and was on the field with players such as Tony Rice, Tim Brown, and Ricky Watters. Last Friday, Moreau Catholic honored his memory prior to the Mariners’ season-opening game against St. Patrick-St. Vincent. On Friday, September 15, Tennyson will celebrate his life by inviting all who knew him to walk from the end zone to midfield in his memory, prior to the Lancers’ game against Lowell, at Sunset Field.
“We want every student, teacher, coach, player, teammate, classmate, family member, and anyone else who was positively affected by Braxston to be in attendance and participate,” Smith said. “We want to make this a truly special evening.”
Banks, who worked as a substitute teacher in the Hayward Unified School District, joined Smith’s staff for the 2016 season. The two hung out together on a daily basis, on and off the field.
“His death has hit us hard,” Smith added. “He was part of my inner circle, and it’s hard to be out there without him this year. He taught us to approach life with a big smile and a positive attitude. There is still a hole in our hearts, a daily reminder of an empty space in our circle.”
The Lancers have dedicated this season to Banks, wearing a 39 on every helmet, and they got that dedication going on the right foot last Friday night, beating cross-town rival Hayward, 12-10, in the final game that the two teams will play against each other at Sunset Field. By next season, each school will have its own new home field.
“I know Braxston is up there smiling ear to ear after that win,” Smith said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I believe our ability to compete is back.”
As for the game itself, the Tennyson defense played tough all night, led by Alex Lopeti, who had two tackles for a loss and a sack. Quincy Bass and Joe Mello each added interceptions, while defensive ends Dominic Diaz and Daniel Latu did a great job containing the edge of the line.
Bass scored the team’s first touchdown, on a jet sweep, and sophomore quarterback Mustafa Nassirruddin tip-toed down the sideline for the eventual game-winning score, late in the third quarter. Hayward later drove deep into Lancer territory, with a 1st-and-10 at the Tennyson 12-yard line, but the defense held. The Lancers also won the turnover battle, creating four of them, while coughing it up just once.
“Our kids were excited,” Smith said. “Everyone predicted they would beat us, but our strength and conditioning coach, Ruben Coronado, had these guys ready, and they were flying around and hitting. It’s a great win for us.”
The Lancers are back at it this Friday at College Park, who opened with a win over Pinole Valley. They will be carrying the memory of Braxston Banks with them.
The streak discussion
The longest regular season winning streak among NCS teams continued Friday night, as Freedom defeated Turlock, 34-16, extending its streak to 14 games. The Falcons face Windsor this week.
Meanwhile, the longest losing streak ended, as Elsie Allen snapped a 36-game skid with a 26-9 win over St. Vincent. The Lobos look to make it two in a row this week, facing a Millennium-Tracy team which lost 42-0 in its opener.
Las Lomas went 0-10 last season, but quickly put one in the win column this year, beating Dougherty Valley, 35-14.
Early playoff impact
Yes, it is way too early to project any sort of playoff seedings. But history does tell us that some of these early games will have an impact on seeding down the road. Most notable in that category was San Leandro’s win over Foothill.
Last season saw the same result, and at the end of the year, the result triggered a straight line of seeding in the Division I bracket, with San Leandro one spot ahead of Foothill and one spot below the Heritage team that beat Liberty, who beat San Leandro last year. Got it?
Another result which fit into this category was the Cloverdale win over Berean Christian. Both teams are in Division V.
On record pace
Liberty senior receiver Zane Hinojosa set a new program record for yards in a season last year, with 795. While that is impressive enough, he started the 2017 campaign with a 12-catch, 228-yard performance. It’s fair to say he might be able to threaten his own school record this year.