The Blossom Valley Athletic League shapes up as an interesting alignment, chalk full of new coaches and teams with high hopes for the 2014 season.
This season Sobrato -- winless in 2013 -- moves down to the Santa Teresa division from the tougher Mt. Hamilton. Taking Sobrato's place is Leigh, which went 5-2 in league last year.
Pioneer looks like the favorite to repeat in the Mt. Hamilton after going 6-1 a season ago. But the Mustangs will receive stiff competition from Piedmont Hills, Willow Glen, Oak Grove and possibly Santa Teresa.
The Mt. Hamilton has one new coach in Steve Papin, who has moved from Gunderson to take over at Independence.
Handicapping the race, Pioneer coach Eric Perry said: "Piedmont Hills is always good. Oak Grove has been young the past few years and Santa Teresa has a good quarterback.(Coach) Nick Alfano is taking over the offense at Santa Teresa so they'll be running the triple option."
Offered Piedmont Hills coach Matt Kiesle: "I think the consensus is Pioneer -- they'll be pretty good. But I think Oak Grove and Willow Glen with (Hakeem) Mays are going to be good, too."
Said Santa Teresa's Alfano: "The big three are Pioneer, Oak Grove and Piedmont Hills. Then throw a blanket over the rest of us and we'll all be right there after the first three."
Lincoln, second place a year ago at 6-1, appears to be the team to beat in the Santa Teresa. But last year's champ, Live Oak, is still around and Westmont under new coach Mark Kaanapu, could make things interesting.
New BVAL-Santa Teresa coaches are Ernie Mendoza at Evergreen Valley, Eric Luescher (Silver Creek), Rene Asencio (Gunderson) and David Ashkinaz (San Jose).
"It's going to be a challenge," Live Oak Mike Gemo said. "Westmont has a new coach and then you have Kevin Collins at Lincoln and he's one of the best coaches around and really knows how to get those kids ready to play. Then there's Eric (Luescher) at Silver Creek and Sobrato. It's a tough league and nobody is going to run away with it."
Last year's West Valley champ Andrew Hill also has a new mentor in Javier Guevara. Guevara was hired late and the Falcons may have lost some players in the interim. Teams to watch in the West Valley besides Hill are Branham, James Lick and Prospect. Overfelt's numbers are up and it has some size, so the Royals could be a team to watch, as well.
New West Valley coaches besides Guevara are Victor Avelar at Mt. Pleasant and Carlos Maningo at Overfelt.
Second-year Del Mar coach Bryan Beacraft represents the hopes of many West Valley coaches who hope to reach .500 and maybe even make the playoffs.
Said Beacraft of the Dons: "The positive is most of the team returns and we have a three-game streak going into this season and the good vibe that goes along with it. We'll try to build on what we did last year and move into the top half of the league and then go from there."
MOUNT HAMILTON (A)
PIONEER (7-4, 6-1): Pioneer nabbed the league title last season with a dramatic victory against Piedmont Hills in the regular-season finale. The Mustangs return 11 starters and have players from a 7-3 JV team coming up.
Top players are junior wide receiver/safety Louie Coulombe, senior two-way lineman Branden Keding (6-2, 280), senior quarterback Zach Silva (5-11, 185), defensive end/tight end Ares Johnson (6-2, 190), two-way lineman Jeremiah Burnham (6-2, 190) and inside linbacker Eddie Smith.
Pioneer, despite having all those starters back, will be looking for a go-to running back.
The Mustangs yielded 24.1 points per game last season, but that includes losses to powers Serra (59-7) and Terra Nova (56-15). They open the 2014 season with a tough one at Valley Christian on Sept. 5.
"We wanted to play one of the privates to get the kids acclimated," Pioneer coach Eric Perry said. "When we played Serra last season (opening round of playoffs) we hadn't seen that kind of size and talent."
PIEDMONT HILLS (8-4, 5-2): The Pirates came close to a league title last season, falling by one point to Pioneer in the league finale.
They return 13 starters and had a JV team last season that went 7-2-1, but will miss throwing and running QB Anthony McBride who is now at Menlo College on a football scholarship.
Standouts include senior quarterback/defensive back Aaron Tillak, junior quarterback Joe Romero, senior receiver Isaiah Stewart, senior linebacker/offensive lineman Danny Garcia, senior running back/free safety Joel De Guzman and running back/outside linebacker Francis Ebalo.
Tillak can do many different things for the Pirates and if he splits out wide, Romero can get him the ball. If not, Tillak can throw and run, a la McBride.
To close the gap between the Pirates and defending champ Pioneer, Piedmont Hills will have to mature quickly at the skill positions.
The Pirates have an interesting non-league opener, at Homestead on Sept. 12. They also host Bellarmine on Sept. 19.
WILLOW GLEN (6-6, 3-4): The Rams were a mercurial team in 2013, upsetting Leland 35-17, but suffering tough losses to Oak Grove (24-21), Saratoga (40-37) and Independence (18-15).
The Rams averaged 28.9 ppg. last season, but had some off days in giving up 42 points against Aptos, 38 vs. Pioneer and 40 to Saratoga. Willow Glen lost all three games.
The good news for Ram fans is that running back/quarterback Hakeem Mays (2,129 yards, 25 touchdowns last season) is back. He'll be a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators, whether lined up as a running back or in the wildcat formation which Willow Glen used toward the end of last season.
Other players to watch for the Rams are these seniors: quarterback/linebacker Josh Landers, offensive lineman/linebacker Joe Kaufusi, running back/defensive back Isaiah Wils and two-way lineman Alex Herrera.
The Rams have tasted success recently, tying for first place in the Santa Teresa in 2010 and also winning the CCS Division II title that season.
Willow Glen gets a rematch with host Saratoga on Sept. 12 and follows that Sept. 19 with a tough home game against Palma.
OAK GROVE (5-6, 4-3): The Eagles had a tough season in 2013, but return 12 starters.
Players to watch include senior receiver/cornerback Tahjil Johnson, junior linebacker Anu Tuiono, two-way senior lineman Deshawn Hodge and junior running back/linebacker Rashaan Fontenette.
The most difficult Eagle to replace will be graduated running back Calvin Tipton.
Oak Grove doesn't lack for speed or size, but the skill positions could be a concern.
The Eagles, with nine league titles and two section titles since 2000, have a proud history. Their non-league schedule is particularly tough, as the Eagles open at St. Francis on Sept. 5 and then host Valley Christian Sept. 12, followed by a home game Sept. 26 against San Benito.
SANTA TERESA (3-7, 1-6): The Saints struggled to a seventh-place finish last season but return 11 starters.
Players to watch include senior two-way lineman Nick Amaral, receiver/defensive back Corey Garcia and senior quarterback/linebacker Manny Aguilar, senior fullback/linebacker Almir Hamilcevic, senior running back/cornerback Pierre Gates and senior running back Richard Rodriguez.
That experience will have to carry the Saints as their JV team went just 3-7 last season.
Aguilar is big enough and thick enough as a quarterback to have played some linebacker last season. On offense, he can sling it.
Defense was a big issue in 2013, with the Saints yielding an average of 28 points per game.
Santa Teresa opens its season on Sept. 5 at Andrew Hill.
LELAND (7-4, 5-2): The Chargers came up just a little short last season in their quest for a Mt. Hamilton title.
This season its gets an influx of talent from a 6-4 JV team but returns only two starters from last year's varsity, with quarterback Matt McLaughlin (soon to play baseball at Kansas) being a notable loss.
Leland's top returnee is senior two-way lineman Tae Kim (6-4, 230). Other players to watch include senior quarterback/receiver Kevin Cance, senior quarterback/running back/linebacker Jun Bang, fullback/linebacker Kenny Liu, senior fullback/linebacker Chuck Culberson and senior two-way lineman Andrew Tran.
The Chargers will need to be more consistent this season. They had huge wins against Pioneer (33-28) and Piedmont Hills (37-14) in 2013, but fell to Willow Glen (35-17) and Independence (37-31).
"It's going to have to be a collective effort," Leland coach Jake Shaughnessy said. "We'll have some two-way players and two guys are going to share the quarterback position and we're just going to have to find a way to win collectively."
Leland has a head-knocker to start the season, opening Sept. 6 at Sacred Heart Prep.
INDEPENDENCE (5-6, 4-3): Scoring was not a problem last season as the 76ers averaged 24.7 ppg. But Independence also yielded 28 ppg.
The Sixers were still a scary team to face last season, defeating league contenders Leland (37-31) and Willow Glen (18-15).
Independence will have to plug some holes on defense after last season giving up 42 points to Clayton Valley, 62 to San Benito and 41 to Pioneer -- all in losses.
Standouts for the 76ers will be two-way lineman Emery Ancheta, quarterback Joseph Tinoco (613 yards passing last season, five TDs) receiver Christian Jones (11 catches, 238 ayrds, two TDs) and defenders Ancheta, Mark Yuriar and Jones.
Independence opens against visiting Santa Clara on Sept. 5.
LEIGH (8-3, 5-2): The Longhorns move up from the Santa Teresa this season after a third-place finish last season.
They showed some vulnerability to teams with strong running games last season, losing to Willow Glen (42-14), Live Oak (20-19) and Lincoln (19-14).
Players to watch include running backs Austin Valentine and Anthony Chavez, receiver Greg Le (25 catches, 365 yards, eight TDs) and defenders Dylan Wahl and Jon Hagen.
The Longhorn schedule should be favorable, with opponents managing just a combined record of 50-64 last season. Leigh opens on Sept. 5 against visiting Branham.
SANTA TERESA (B)
LIVE OAK (9-2, 7-0): Live Oak will need to muster enough offense to at least partially compensate for the loss of record-setting graduated running back Trevor Bearden, now at Butte College.
It returns 12 starters and has players from a 4-6 JV team coming up.
Players to watch on offense are senior linemen Billy Bennett (6-1, 255) and Anthony Ditta, senior receiver Cole Campi, junior running back Paul Lomanto, junior lineman Ryan Quadros, senior receiver Brandon Source and sophomore running back Jacob Ryder.
On defense, Live Oak returns senior defensive lineman Morgan Smith, senior defensive back Chris Armstrong, junior middle linebacker Ryan Quadros and defensive back Source.
The Acorns open at Christopher on Sept. 5.
WESTMONT (6-4, 4-3): The Warriors with a new coach in former Watsonville assistant Mark Kaanapu will try to improve on last season's fourth-place finish.
Westmont had a nice win against Monta Vista (29-22) last season but suffered close losses to Live Oak (21-14), Leigh (25-20) and Lincoln-San Jose (28-27). It will need to win the close ones to contend.
Top players are returning all-league junior running back/defensive end Jacob Good, junior quarterback A.J. Mintz, senior running back Dominic Frazier and senior receiver/defensive back Danny Especiale.
LINCOLN (6-4, 6-1): The Lions finished second in league last season, losing a close game to Live Oak in what amounted to a league title game.
Lincoln returns 10 starters from that runner-up team and have talent from a 6-4 JV team coming up.
Players to watch include junior running back Esteban Mosqueda, senior running back/defensive back Jacob Hoekstra, senior defensive back Nate Azure, senior offensive lineman/inside linebacker Isaac Stoll and senior offensive lineman/defensive lineman Ramon Guzman.
The Lions' biggest victory last season was probably against Leigh (19-14). It opens on Sept. 12 against visiting Santa Teresa.
GUNDERSON (2-8, 2-5): The Grizzlies, also under a new coach, will try to improve on a sixth-place finish.
There's optimism after a tough schedule last season that included losses to formidable Burlingame (42-12), Pioneer (42-0), Live Oak (35-14), Leigh (30-12) and Lincoln (51-14).
Senior running back/quarterback DeJon Packer is a multi-talented player who can throw, receive or carry the ball. Other standouts include junior running back Jake Spencer, receivers Chris Sager and Noah Munoz and defenders Eugene Dankwa, Isaiah Bernardo, Anthony Herrera, Luis Godinez and Noah Munoz.
Gunderson opens on Sept. 5 against visiting Fremont-Sunnyvale.
SOBRATO (0-10, 0-7): There is nowhere to go but up for the Bulldogs after last season's winless season.
Sobrato catches a break as it moves from the A League (Mt. Hamilton) to the B (Santa Teresa).
The easier schedule should benefit a team that faced squads with an overall slate of 62-48 last season.
Most of Sobrato's losses were of the blowout variety, but it did keep it reasonably close in some games -- Leland (24-6), Live Oak (27-19) and Santa Teresa (18-13) -- efforts which bode well for this season.
The Bulldogs open the season on Sept. 5 at Christopher.
EVERGREEN VALLEY (1-9, 1-6): The Cougars are hoping for improvement after a season in which they were outscored by an average of 25.1 ppg. Their defense was porous, yielding 37.3 ppg.
Evergreen Valley's lone victory came against San Jose, 16-13.
The Cougars face a stern test in the first game, taking on visiting Homestead on Sept. 5.
SILVER CREEK (3-7, 3-4): The Raiders finished fifth last season with their only wins coming against Gunderson (33-26), Evergreen Valley (32-7) and San Jose (28-7).
Defense was an issue last season as Silver Creek yielded an average of 31.2 ppg.
The Raiders have a good chance to start well, hosting Overfelt on Sept. 12, traveling to James Lick on Sept. 19 and hosting Independence on Sept. 26, followed by Sobrato on Oct. 3. A 2-2 split in those four games would be encouraging for still another program with a new coach.
SAN JOSE (0-10, 0-7): The Bulldogs had a tumultuous season in 2013, plagued by a loss of players for various reasons, tragedy, on-field setbacks and finally the firing of its coach after the season.
It will look for inspired play from running back Kyle Alves and two-way linemen Fabian Castillo and Salvador Ramos. Castillo also does the placekicking.
San Jose yielded a whopping 40.5 ppg last season. It does have some success in recent years to point to, having won a West Valley title in 2012.
The Bulldogs open with a tough Sept. 5 matchup when it hosts Mills and then travels to The King's Academy on Sept. 12.
WEST VALLEY (C)
ANDREW HILL (8-3, 7-0): Javier Guevara heads a varsity program for the first time in taking over the Falcons, who went unbeaten in league last season.
Guevara has nine starters returning. Players to watch include senior halfback/linebacker Sherman Smith, senior quarterback/middle linebacker Jose Jasso (5-9, 230) and junior two-way lineman Hilario Zuniga (6-1, 265).
Hill averaged an impressive 36.5 ppg last season and beat teams by an average of 17.3 points. Its playoff loss was no disgrace, as the Falcons fell to section runners-up St. Francis 41-6.
The Falcons open against visiting Santa Teresa on Sept. 5.
BRANHAM (6-4, 6-1): The Bruins had a stellar season in 2013, finishing second in league. They return 12 starters.
Branham is excited about three-year starter Ray Ellis (6-4, 260), a two-way lineman. Ellis was the league's Defensive Lineman of the Year last season.
Other players to watch include wide receiver/free safety Sean McPherson (last season's league DB of the year), quarterback Luke Morin and running back/linebacker Elijah Davis (6-1, 180) who is fast and packs a wallop.
Depth will be an issue, with Branham suiting up 30-35 players per game, but perhaps missing some players to start the season due to academic ineligibility.
The Bruins missed the playoffs in 2013 and enter the season with a five-game winning streak. It will try to keep the skein going when it opens the season Sept. 5 at Leigh.
DEL MAR (3-7, 3-4): The Dons are in their second season under coach Bryan Beacraft and hope to have more players available on a weekly basis than last season when not everyone was academically eligible.
A big positive is that 15 starters return. Also, the JV team last season went 5-4-1.
Players to watch include junior tailback/defensive back Aaron Crouch, senior fullback/linebacker Jack Tuatoo, junior two-way lineman Francisco Barron (5-11, 280), senior quarterback Robert Collins and senior offensive lineman/linebacker Tyler Hattix (6-3, 225).
Del Mar has an abundance of speed and seasoned players, but once again depth could be a problem as Beacraft said 4-5 players might be sidelined due to grades to start the season.
The Dons run a pro-style offense and like to run the ball. Collins threw for over 1,000 yards last year despite not always having all his weapons around him.
Del Mar enters the season with a three-game winning streak and opens the season at Mountain View on Sept. 5.
JAMES LICK (5-5, 4-3): The Comets had a break-even campaign last season and have some promising players, but also must plug some holes.
Last year's junior all-league quarterback, Darreck McNary, is no longer enrolled, so sophomore Zeke Viramontes (5-11, 200) takes over. Coach Paul Gonzales said Viramontes "throws well."
A key target for Viramontes will be senior tight end/linebacker Joseph Garcia. Other players to watch for are senior slot receiver/safety Matt Dual, junior receiver/cornerback Neptale Ramirez, senior two-way lineman Robert Rios (6-0, 215) and junior cornerback Johnny Covarrubias.
Lick gave up about 23 points per game last season and scored about the same.
Only tough losses against Lynbrook (14-12) and Cupertino (17-15) prevented the Comets from managing a seven-win season. Lick ended 2013 with a 36-12 victory against Yerba Buena.
The Comets open the season on Sept. 12 with a rematch against host Cupertino.
MT. PLEASANT (3-7, 1-6): The Cardinals are still another team that finished a few games under .500 and begin the season with a new coach.
The Cardinal defense had some holes last season, yielding 32.6 ppg. They suffered one-sided losses to Andrew Hill (38-3), Prospect (48-14), James Lick (49-14) and Del Mar (55-20).
The Cardinals do have a recent history of success, having tied for first in 2010 after winning an outright title in 2009.
Players to watch for 2014 include senior running back Chris Ilio and senior defensive end Jonathan Vasquez.
Mt. Pleasant opens the season Sept. 5 at Lynbrook, followed by home games against Evergreen Valley (Sept. 19) and Harker (Sept. 26).
PROSPECT (5-5, 5-2): Optimism reigns at Prospect where the Panthers not only have 11 starters back, but players rising from a 10-0 JV team.
Players to watch include two-way lineman Justin Lynn (6-0, 230), junior tight end/linebacker Sam Adams, receiver Tarik Avdagic, running back/defensive end D'Markus Jones and running back/linebacker Raiden Sainz.
Prospect lacks experience in the skill positions, but is athletic and should be better on defense after yielding 22.4 ppg last season.
The Panthers open at home against Cupertino on Sept. 5.
OVERFELT (2-8, 2-5): Carlo Maningo has taken over the program and has had a good turnout with some 80 players between varsity and JV. The Royals will be trying to eclipse a sixth-place finish from a year ago.
Defense was a problem last season as the Royals yielded 25.8 ppg. Overfelt lost its games by an average of 10.2 ppg, with its victories coming against Mt. Pleasant (27-21) and Yerba Buena (37-26).
Players to watch for Overfelt include senior two-way lineman Fernando Villanueva, senior fullback Jose Esparza, senior tight end/linebacker Alex Puentes, junior free safety Andrew Isaia, senior quarterback/receiver Alex Tirado, junior lineman Vincent Togai (5-11, 250) and junior two-way lineman Paulo Iulio (6-0, 280).
"Alex (Tirado) is a baseball player so he can sling the ball around a little," Overfelt coach Maningo said.
Iulio could be the best of the bunch after attending some college camps during the summer and impressing onlookers, Maningo said.
The Royals open at Harker on Sept. 5.
YERBA BUENA (0-10, 0-7): The Aztec Warriors went winless last season and it's uncertain how much help they'll get from a 2-9 JV team coming up. But they do have 10 returning starters.
Players to watch include Jesus Madrigal, Jorge Mota and Ken Trang.
Yerba Buena should have some backs who can make people miss but overall depth could be an issue.
Another question mark is defense, with last season's team yielding an average of 37.7 ppg.
Yerba Buena opens at Carlmont on Sept. 5.
