With the East Bay Athletic League expanding to nine teams for football this season, Prep2Prep is breaking our league summer notebooks into two pieces. This first notebook focuses on the schools within the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
Grizzlies must answer questions in the backfield
The biggest question mark for California heading into the season is who will be starting under center come week one, in the absence of last year's starter, Jack Gerlach, who threw for over 1,000 yards last season. The quarterback competition consists of seniors Danny Romero and Nathan Vecchio, and junior R.J. Wright. Romero was the team's backup last season, when he threw for 76 yards and a touchdown. Despite that experience, head coach Eric Billeci is reluctant to name any favorite or front runner, and plans on letting things play out for another month.
In the backfield, California has to replace last year's leading rusher, Justin Locklear, who ran for almost 900 yards. Billeci expects speedster Carlos Gomez, who rushed for 283 yards last season, to step right in and carry most of the load. The Grizzlies were very fortunate to retain all of their top receiving threats from a year ago, with seniors Cameron Norfleet, Brandon Perrilliat, and Trevor Leathley leading the way, to go along with junior Roman Sahagun. Overall, Billeci anticipates a much more dynamic and versatile attack on offense than the program has seen in quite a few years.
On the defensive side of the ball, California will have to make up for the loss of Malek Alatasi and Nick Friedel up front and Ryan Shell in the secondary. The team possesses a very talented linebacker corps, led by seniors Christian Toetuu, a third-year varsity starter, and Pavin Virdee, last year's leading tackler. Toetuu brings both on-field tangibles and off-field intangibles to the table for the Grizzlies, with excellent tackling and invaluable leadership skills as a team captain.
Mustangs have high expectations
Monte Vista is arguably the favorite to win the EBAL in 2016, on the strength of several Division I commits returning for their senior year.
Jake Haener, entering his third season leading the offense, has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in both the EBAL and the NCS over the last two years. The Washington commit threw for over 3,000 yards and 35 touchdowns last season. In the backfield, senior running back Shane Perry, who finished with nine touchdowns and almost 400 yards in a backup role last year, will get the bulk of the carries. Division I recruit Corey Luciano will anchor a formidable offensive line for Monte Vista.
One of the primary concerns for the Mustangs and head coach Craig Bergman is finding weapons for Haener to work with, as the team's top five receivers from last year have since graduated. Senior tight end Eric Krommenhoek is poised to make a great impact and provide stability in the passing game. At six-foot-six, the USC commit figures to be a nightmare matchup for opposing defensive backs.
Wildcats excited for new opportunity
Dougherty Valley is one of two new schools, along with Dublin, joining the EBAL in 2016. The Wildcats are coming off their best season ever, which included a 6-4 regular season record and their second trip to the NCS playoffs.
Despite a blowout loss to Pittsburg in the first round, the team continued to gain more experience that will serve them well in the near future.
The biggest concern for Dougherty Valley is whether they are ready to make the transition to the EBAL, and go up against very talented teams which they’ve never seen before. Head coach Nick Tisa is confident that his team is up to the challenge and has a chance to succeed, for a couple of different reasons.
For starters, Tisa has an extensive history in the league, both as a player and coach for several years at California. He has a solid understanding of what to expect from his division rivals on a weekly basis. In addition, his team has battled powerhouse opponents such as Campolindo and Miramonte in the DFAL for several years. Overall, the Wildcats could not be more excited to take on this transition, and they believe that they truly belong in an elite league such as the EBAL.
Wolves looking for bounce-back season
San Ramon Valley is coming off a rough season in 2015, by the Wolves' well-established standards of success, finishing 3-7 with a young team last year. This year, they will benefit from the experience that was gained by quite a few younger players on offense.
Junior Clark Baker is the favorite to take over at quarterback, as he started five games last year and threw for nearly 450 yards. Junior running back Daniel Medley, the team’s second leading rusher a year ago, will carry the load in the backfield. Senior Jack Viani will be the primary playmaker in the passing game. He was the team’s number one wide receiver last season, finishing with 25 catches and over 400 receiving yards.
On defense, the Wolves have the tough task of replacing a number of very talented seniors that were lost to graduation, such as linebacker Nick Kane and defensive tackle Jake Javier, the Cal Poly commit who is currently paralyzed and fighting to regain movement following his June 9 diving accident.
Senior Luke Garratt is a player to watch at outside linebacker, who could emerge as a leader on defense. He showcased impressive tackling and good instincts last season.
