With a full slate of games to open the first week of the high school football season in the North Coast Section, we have split our top games feature into intra-sectional and inter-sectional previews. This segment focuses on the top games to start the year between NCS schools and schools outside the section.
De La Salle vs Trinity (Euless, TX) at Newsom Stadium, Saturday, 8 pm: The top game across the nation has to be at the top of our list. And as Mitch Stephens tweeted out, there will no secrets between these two programs, as all 14 games from last year plus last week’s scrimmages were exchanged over hudl.
Of course, one could watch any De La Salle film from this century and come away with a good sense of what the Spartans are going to do schematically. The system does not change from year to year, as the players are groomed into a scheme which the coaches know intimately and can teach from the most basic detail to the most complex adjustment.
This year, the Spartans have the benefit of returning seven offensive linemen, including Boss Tagaloa and Damon Wiley, plus tight ends Devin Asiasi and Joe Vranesh. They look to pave the way for Antoine Custer and Andrew Hernandez, along with a healthy Joey Sweeney. Jonathan Harvey is a threat in the passing game along with Asiasi.
Trinity, meanwhile, boasts a program regarded to be in the top 10 in the state of Texas, and will bring its 75-man roster to challenge De La Salle. Running back Ja’Ron Wilson is a top threat offensively for the Trojans, while defensive tackle Chris Daniels is a four-star recruit who will be tasked with slowing down the Spartans’ lethal veer option attack.
“(Trinity) is an extremely physical, aggressive, and well-coached team,” said De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh. “We will have to be physical and extremely disciplined in order to succeed.”
This is the first of many high-profile tests for the top-ranked Spartans in the 2015 campaign.
Clayton Valley at Folsom, Friday, 7:30 pm: After falling by one point in last year’s Division II state final, Clayton Valley is opening with the reigning Division I champion Bulldogs in the only game this week featuring two programs who both reached state bowl games.
Folsom’s closest game last season was a 52-21 win over Grant in the regional final, and the Bulldogs routed Oceanside, 68-7, in the state championship. Gone, however, is state record-setting quarterback Jake Browning, who is now at the University of Washington after throwing for 91 touchdowns last fall. Running backs Tre Green and Roger Neal return after running for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
Despite Folsom having graduated many key players at quarterback and receiver, Clayton Valley coach Tim Murphy does not foresee any drop-off in the level of play from the Ugly Eagles’ opening opponent.
“(Folsom) had 16 running clocks last year, so most of their players got significant playing time last season and are already adjusted to the varsity level,” Murphy said. “Add in the fact that their junior varsity has lost just one game in the last two years, and we are facing a group that is used to winning. There is no doubt in my mind they will win state again this year in Division I.”
For the Eagles, who boast a 94-man varsity roster, the opening game will be a chance to see how they will fill the large shoes offensively left behind by Miles Harrison at running back and Nate Keisel at quarterback. Keisel moved to Utah over the off-season.
Helping Clayton Valley’s cause is the return of standout two-way linemen Jalen McKenzie and Koti Vaisima, while free safety Jake Peralta will be tasked with leading the Ugly Eagles’ secondary against Folsom’s prolific spread offense. A key match-up will involve the Clayton Valley defensive backfield against returning Bulldog receiver Jake Jeffrey, who had 65 catches for 859 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
Tracy at Freedom, Friday, 7 pm: Freedom returns one of the more exciting backfields in the section with three-year starting quarterback Joey Sweeney and junior tailback Ronnie Rivers. The big question mark for the Falcons entering this game is the play of the offensive line, which graduated four of five starters from last season, but will be aided by the return of tight end Gio Fauolo, who holds an offer from UNLV.
On the other sideline, Tracy will be looking to replace virtually every playmaker from last year’s offense that carried the Bulldogs to the Division I Sac-Joaquin final. Gone is speedy running back Nate Jones and dual-threat quarterback Michael Brown. Instead, the Bulldogs do return a cast of players on defense that hope to keep this a low-scoring game, similar to last year’s 14-6 final.
Linebacker Trent Griffith had 92 tackles last year for Tracy, and is joined again defensively by defensive linemen Haiden Hall and Zach Aguilar. Aguilar led the team last season with four sacks and seven tackles for a loss.
Freedom must find its footing in a hurry this season; not only do the Bulldogs provide a stiff opening test, but EBAL opponents Foothill and Amador Valley await in the ensuing weeks.
Cosumnes Oaks at Marin Catholic, Saturday, 2 pm: Marin Catholic enters 2015 as one of the favorites to not only win the Marin County Athletic League, but also to contend once again for a Division III section title. To accomplish those goals, they first take aim at a Cosumnes Oaks team that beat the Wildcats, 23-10, last year, but sustained heavy losses to their offense due to graduation.
Marin Catholic, meanwhile, returns last year's Prep2Prep Junior of the Year, Darius Peterson, at quarterback, while playing talented big bodies in front of him and skilled playmakers surrounding him. Clayton Demski anchors the offensive line, while sophomore running back Kenneth Fitzgerald-Evans showed tremendous potential in the backfield during last week's scrimmage with Cardinal Newman.
Regardless of the talent they return, however, Marin Catholic must find a way to deal with a few Wolfpack defenders who were thorns in the Wildcats' collective sides last season. Defensive end Xavier Forbes collected two sacks in last year's game, while outside linebacker Keoni Stallworth had eight tackles and a sack. Forbes also blocked a punt in the Wolfpack's win.
Both these teams were league champions last season, as Marin Catholic was a tri-champion of the MCAL, and Cosumnes Oaks went undefeated in Capital Valley Conference play before suffering a one-point defeat to Monterey Trail in the Sac-Joaquin Division I playoffs.
Central-Fresno at Liberty, Friday, 7 pm: This might have been the most thrilling opening game of the 2014 season, as the Lions battled back from multiple deficits to win the game on a jump ball in the Grizzlies' end zone as time expired. That win would prove to be the launching pad for one of the best seasons in Liberty school history.
Gone for the Lions this season are 18 starters from last year's team, but the offensive line looks to be a strength, and senior quarterback Christian Haffner brings playoff experience after reaching the state semifinals in Tennessee last year. Liberty's cast of running backs and receivers are young, but showed potential in last week's scrimmage against Granada.
Central, meanwhile, will look to avenge last year's home loss, and returns a top prospect at defensive tackle with Elijah Parks. The Grizzlies will also be getting ready for a league slate that ranks among the most difficult in the state, playing in the loaded Fresno-area Tri-River conference.
"(Central) is a big, fast, athletic team that has a history of putting quality teams on the field," said third-year Liberty coach Jeff Walters. "They've had some changeover from last year, but we expect them to come in prepared and focused."
The Grizzlies will be led from the sidelines by Central interim coach Mark Hetherington, whose team is ranked 12th in the Fresno Bee's preseason rankings for the Central Section. Hetherington is at the helm of the program while Justin Garza continues a four-year fight against Hodgkin's lymphoma from Stanford Medical Center.
Best of the Rest ... El Cerrito travels to Sutter to take on the defending Northern Section Division II champions. The Gauchos are expected to be a contender in the TCAL-Rock division this season. The two teams split their previous two contests, with El Cerrito winning in 2013 and Sutter winning last year.
Best of the Rest 2 ... Montgomery hosts Napa, looking to build on last year's success late in the season, when the Vikings defeated Mt. Eden in the first round of the Division II playoffs. Napa, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Division I playoffs last year. The Indians beat Montgomery, 36-7, in last season's opener.
