Michael Avalos, as the new coach at James Lick, is facing many of the problems peculiar to the BVAL-West Valley division.
The Comets started out with a minuscule number (22 players, since increased to 30) and have many players who have to work to help support their families.
“Things have been going good – it’s just a process with the kids," Avalos said. "The numbers are a problem.”
Avalos was the offensive coordinator the past two seasons at Mt. Pleasant.
This isn’t the West Catholic Athletic League or SCVAL-De Anza, but some teams do stand out.
“I think Overfelt will be good – it’s JV team was good last year and (Yerba Buena), it also had a good JV last season," Avalos said.
As for James Lick, it figures to improve, but it’s a constant battle to get bodies on the field for Avalos, who estimates that 65 percent of his players work and that Friday has been a particularly difficult day to get players to practice.
Here is a rundown of each team:
Overfelt (6-4) – The Royals went 6-1 last season to finish second in the division.
They return senior quarterback Moses Barajas, junior halfback/defensive back Devaughn Johnson and senior two-way lineman Brian Filmore.
The Royals have a young team but have players rising from a 6-3-1 JV team to rely on.
Overfelt opens the season at home Aug. 26 against Sobrato.
Yerba Buena (6-4) -- The Aztec Warriors went 4-3 in league last season to finish fourth.
They averaged 26.4 points per game on offense and yielded an average of 17.9.
Players to watch are junior running back Shalom Filoiali, senior center Jose Garcia Cruz and senior defensive end Aaron Nguyen.
Unlike most teams, Yerba Buena has much of its offensive line returning.
Yerba Buena has players coming up off an 8-2 JV team.
The Aztec Warriors open the season at home against Harker on Aug. 26.
Gunderson (5-5) – The Grizzlies were stingy on defense last season, yielding just 14.8 points per game, but scored only 14.5 per game.
Defenders to watch for the Grizzlies are Isaiah Guzman who averaged six tackles per game and had three for loss and Jaray Strauss, Sean Flood (2.8 tackles per game, two interception), Saens John (5.3 tackles per game) and Samuel Tafaoimalo.
Despite its poor non-league record, Gunderson managed to go 5-2 in the division to finish third.
Gunderson opens its season Aug. 26 against visiting Santa Clara.
James Lick (2-7-1) – Avalos will have his work cut out for him with Lick forging a losing record last season on varsity and going 1-9 on the JV level.
Lick does have 11 returning starters this season.
Players to watch for the Comets are junior running back/outside linebacker Noah Tirri, senior quarterback/defensive line Jonathan Rodriguez, senior tackle/defensive end Alejandro Alonzo and junior receiver/safety Chandler Ochoa.
Lick was out-scored last season by an average of 28.8 to 9.9.
The Comets open Aug. 26 at Fremont-Sunnyvale.
Evergreen Valley (0-10) – Evergreen Valley has been dropped to the West Valley after going winless in 2015.
The Cougars were out-scored last season by an average of 37.8 to 9.6.
Evergreen Valley opens its season Aug. 26 against visiting Independence.
Del Mar (2-5) – The Dons have nine returning starters, including five on offense.
Players to watch include senior quarterback Justin Collins, senior outside linebacker Conner Howery and senior outside linebacker Anthony Zephyr-Ventura (6-2, 205).
A young offensive line will be a concern.
Del Mar yielded an average of 28.7 points per game last season and scored an average of 19.
The Dons open the season Aug. 26 at Cupertino.
Prospect (2-8) – The Panthers went 2-5 in the division last season and finished fifth.
Stopping opponents was a problem last season as Prospect yielded an average of 32.2 points per game last season and scored 9.9.
The quarterback spot could come down to a battle between Rasheed Strauss and Gianluca Bencomo.
The Panthers’ go-to back is Alaric Hill 375 yards, three TDs last season. When Prospect passes, Angel Gutierrez (23 catches, 410 yards, four TDs) will be a frequent target.
Top defenders will be Patrick Harris (six tackles per game last season, five sacks), Aiden Jones (10.7 tackles per game last season, two interceptions) and Trevon Huffman (4.9 tackles per game).
Prospect’s schedule looks easier this season as it has the likes of Half Moon Bay off the slate this year. The Panthers fell to HMB 57-0 last season.
Prospect opens Sept. 2 against visiting Harker.
Andrew Hill (0-9) -- – The Falcons have four returning starters off last year’s team. They do have players from a 6-2-1 JV team to look forward to.
Players to watch include senior tight end/linebacker Matthew Tran and senior receiver/linebacker Thomas Silver.
Hill averaged just 4.4 points per game on offense last season and yielded an average of 42.1.
The Falcons open the season Sept. 2 against visiting Lynbrook.
