Each week, we take a look back at the most interesting talking points involving teams from the Sac-Joaquin Section.
Jesuit rolls to sixth straight win
As quiet as it’s kept, Marlon Blanton, the dean of all disciples of legendary De La Salle Coach Bob Ladouceur, is not working in the Bay Area but out in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section at Jesuit of Carmichael.
It wasn’t the 56-13 shellacking of Sacramento Sheldon that piqued the interest of the Prep2Prep caravan to make the trip to the banks of the American River, it was the opportunity to see a Jesuit game and come full circle in watching the students/followers/believers in Lad’s way of coaching and teaching that got us to make the 225-mile round trip. We had seen the other four pupils of Lad in action recently, but not Blanton in almost 10 years.
When the boys came out for warm-ups and drills, and the seniors took charge with coaches still in the locker room discussing strategy, it was like taking a page from a scene at De La Salle that didn’t get into the movie but one I’ve witnessed for over two decades. At Jesuit like De La Salle the kids don’t need the coaches to tell them what to do to start warm-ups and drills.
“The kids taking responsibility, that’s a big one in any form of education,” said Blanton, the first of five former De La Salle players that starred under Ladouceur to become a high school head coach.
Blanton was first, Vic Galli at Pittsburg was second, Patrick Walsh at Serra-San Mateo was next, then came Eric Billeci at California-San Ramon, and finally Justin Alumbaugh when he took over for Lad last year to lead Sparta.
As for Blanton, after leaving De La Salle as the head JV coach in 1997 he landed at St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) as head coach where between two years in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and 11 years in the CIF North Coast Section he won four league titles and made two section title game appearances with the Bruins.
When Jesuit decided to try to rebuild a program that was struggling below .500 for a few years and called on Blanton, he took on the task.
His first year in 2012 the team went 5-5 and was at least .500 for the first time in four years. Last season the Marauders were 9-4 and as the No. 12 seed made it all the way to the CIF-SJS Division I semifinals before losing 42-35 to eventual champion Folsom.
This year the boys from Carmichael got their lunch money stolen in a 63-0 shellacking by De La Salle at Memorial Stadium on the Cal campus to open the season. However since then they’ve won six straight after disposing of Sheldon, including an exciting 42-38 win over Elk Grove two weeks ago at the Friday Night Lights marquee Friday night game at Levi’s Stadium.
“We’ve still got a long way to go to be a consistent force in the league and the section,” Blanton told Prep2Prep.
The Marauders are loaded with talent but the key is the running of junior Beau Bisharat. Despite being 6-foot-2 and 215-pounds, Bisharat can accelerate and his 4.64 40 speed is pretty good for a big kid. He showed it all when on the game’s third play he busted loose for an 83-yard touchdown run.
Bisharat also scored the next two times he touched the ball and despite playing lees than two quarters on offense he still managed six carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
On defense as a linebacker/safety he played a little longer and had eight tackles. So far in seven games this season Bisharat has 1,098 yards and 19 TDs rushing despite getting yanked early in several games.
“He’s a tough kid,” remarked Blanton about Bisharat, who was named the running backs MVP at the NFTC East Bay Camp this past summer.
Five other players really impressed the caravan.
Senior 6-foot-2, 190-pound quarterback Cole Brownholtz has good footwork and throws a nice catchable ball – and he can run as well. Brownholtz was 7-of-8 for 153 yards and two TDs plus he bootlegged one 59 yards for a score.
Kori Collons, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound tight end/defensive end that runs a 4.7 40 looked solid on offense and defense. He has several mid-major offers including San Jose, San Diego State and Fresno State, Colorado State, Hawaii, New Mexico and Wyoming; however, with a 3.7 GPA and an 1,870 SAT he could have other doors opening.
Senior Isaiah Bailey, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound wide receiver/linebacker, looks like he can play somewhere at the next level. He corralled a pass from Brownholtz and scooted 51 yards to paydirt.
Another player that looked like someone can use his size and blocking and tackling abilities was 6-foot-6, 290-pound Josh Leatherby.
Backup quarterback and starting 6-foot-4, 221-pound middle linebacker Isaac Lessard looked like a man amongst boys tackling on defense.
“He’s a dude. He makes us go. We don’t go without Isaac,” Blanton said.
Where Jesuit (6-1, 4-0 Delta Valley Conference) needs to go is back to the victory circle this week against a talented host Franklin-Elk Grove team the caravan saw in a blowout win at Casa Grande-Petaluma.
After that Jesuit has what could be the season’s biggest test other then De La Salle when it faces Cal-Hi Sports state No. 10 Grant of Sacramento. The Marauders and Pacers are tied at 4-0 for first place in the Delta Valley Conference.
Grant escapes
Speaking of Grant, the Sacramento Bee No. 2 ranked Pacers (7-0, 4-0) came out sluggish despite a huge size and speed advantage. After falling behind 15-14 at halftime, they got real busy in the final two quarters to post a 54-29 victory over a very good Bee No. 9 Monterey Trail-Elk Grove team whose only previous loss was 30-8 to Franklin.
It took some time for the Grant line, which averages over 300-pounds, to wear down Monterrey trail but it eventually happened. When it did it opened up things for Grants running game, and specifically Deshawn Collins, who rushed for 233 yards and five TDs, including four in the second half. Mike Green added two more second-half rushing touchdowns.
Rocklin still rocking
The boys in Rocklin looked so good even without injured star quarterback Max O’Rourke in a 35-7 victory over host and Bee No. 13 Woodcreek-Roseville that the Thunder now graces the newly released Cal-Hi Sports Top 25 after checking in with the No. 24 spot.
That stay may be brief as up next is Folsom (7-0, 3-0 Sierra Foothill League) and with or without O’Rourke, Sacramento Bee No. 3 Rocklin (7-0, 3-0) was a long shot against the Bee’s top-ranked Bulldogs in the fight for first place in the Sierra Foothill League.
Sierra and Inderkum in Bowl Game mix
To say Sierra is in the CIF NorCal Division II Bowl Game mix would be a bit of an understatement after the Timberwolves 31-20 win over Oakdale in what some felt was the biggest win in school history.
Sierra (7-0, 4-0 Valley Oak League) started the week at No. 6 in the Cal-Hi Sports NorCal D3 Bowl rankings and Oakdale was in the fourth spot. Clayton Valley (Concord) is No. 1 and Los Gatos No. 2 with Concord No. 3 and defending D2 NorCal champion Enterprise-Redding in the fifth spot. At No. 7 is Inderkum-Sacramento.
Sierra already has a league win over defending CIF Division IV Bowl Game champion Central Catholic and its only tough remaining game heading into the CIF-SJS Division III playoffs is Manteca.
Clayton Valley and Concord play this week and both are in the CIF North Coast Section Division II playoffs, meaning one or both of them will be eventually out of the picture.
Enterprise probably won’t be tested in the CIF Northern Section playoffs and its only loss is to a large school Vacaville team ranked No. 4 in the Sac-Joaquin Section by MaxPreps compared to the No. 10 ranking of Sierra.
“Enterprise is still a factor but the winner of the Sac-Joaquin Division III playoffs will have to get strong consideration if Clayton Valley wins in the NCS,” said Cal-Hi sports editor Mark Tennis, whose Bowl Game rankings are one of the criteria used by the commissioners in choosing the teams for the Regional Bowl Games.
Inderkum (7-1, 4-0 Tri-County Conference) did its part by posting a solid 30-15 win over Yuba City River Valley in a battle for first place in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Austin Thurman rushed for two touchdown and Larry Hardy and Ivan Prevost each added TD runs for the victorious Tigers.
It will be interesting to see how Tennis shuffles the pecking order with the Oakdale loss, and then next week again assuming Clayton Valley turns back Concord.
Sierra takes on cross-town East Union and Inderkum has a bye before hosting Rio Linda in what will be anything but a cakewalk.
Coaching milestone at Escalon
Last week we reported that Escalon head coach Mark Loureiro tied the legendary Max Miller for the most career coaching wins in CIF-SJS history.
It only took Loureiro one week as the boys gave Coach win No. 262 when they held off Hilmar 41-34.
The Cougars are 5-2 and now 2-0 in the Trans Valley League but the 2010 CIF Division III Bowl Game champions are a real long shot to be a factor in this year’s bowl race.
