For high school football players, next Friday couldn’t come soon enough. After a long summer of weight lifting, practice scrimmages and line drills, Friday’s games Sept. 8 will mark the end of summer training, and the beginning of the 2006 football season.
With Friday night lights nearly under way, coaches and players are full of hopes and expectations. San Ramon Valley High and Monte Vista High are no exceptions.
Monte Vista Mustangs looking for repeat
After an undefeated league season in 2005, the Mustangs know it takes skill to win a title – and this team has plenty. Twenty-three lettermen will return to the squad this year, led by five first team all-East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) players: quarterback Drew McAllister, running back Peter Geurts, receiver Ryan Whalen, linebacker Brandon Sweeny and kicker/punter Brook Van Muijen.While the team will rely heavily on their experience, not everything has been battle-tested. This year’s re-built line is without its all-world player, Mike Costanzo, and his running mates David Rudberg, Zach Mosle and John Seroy. It does, however, have help from returning two-way starter Brandon Sweeny and returning players Fred Walker and Chris Krychev. It also has an optimistic coach, Craig Bergman.
“This is a team with a lot of experience,” Bergman said. “We’ve got a good mix of returning players and up-and-coming juniors and sophomores who are really stepping up to the challenge.”
Monte Vista will face its first challenge Friday at home against Union City’s James Logan High School. In the weeks to come, the Mustangs will also go up against Tracy’s Merrill West, which is No. 1 in the Tri-City league, and Berkeley High, Alameda Contra Costa League’s 2004 champions.
Returning linebacker Matt Silva said the team is ready.
“We have one of the hardest leagues and a tough pre-season so we’re really looking to step up our performance,” Silva said. “We’ve been working hard in the off season to prepare and I think it’s all going to come together when we get out there.”
San Ramon Valley senior-filled squad promising big things
The San Ramon Valley Wolves will hit the field Friday, hungry to redeem themselves after last year’s 6-6 season and taste a North Coast Section win again. It’s a goal head coach Dave Kravitz says is well within reach.“We’re really excited about this season,” he said. “We have a lot of experience coming back.”
The squad looks much like its 2004 NCS winning team, he pointed out. The team core boasts 32 seniors, “one of the largest, if not the largest” Kravitz has ever had.
It’s a group that, as freshmen, saw their varsity team make NCS finals. As sophomores they witnessed the varsity championship win. And as juniors last year they saw the title slip away in the semi-finals to Las Lomas High. But this year, they’re optimistic they can win it.
“Being so close last year and having so much potential this year, it really fires them up,” Kravitz said. “It’s a huge motivator. They want it.”
Helping them get there will be third year varsity tailback, safety and special teams player Roy Helu Jr., a 2005 all league player who has been recruited by the likes of Cal, Oregon, BYU and Nebraska. Also returning are second-year defensive tackle/offensive guard Zack Madoncik and all-league quarterback Corbin Louks.
Helu said though the team had some growing pains last year, this year’s squad is promising.
“You can expect a lot more big break plays,” he said. “We all have more experience, and we have a lot of returning players on the field.”
The Wolves will get their pre-season play in Friday when they will face Oakland’s Skyline High School. Kravitz said the game will be a good litmus test for the season, but with the senior-filled ranks, the team has hopes for its long-term potential.
“This is the best San Ramon Valley team ever,” Helu said. “The best.”
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