Playing at Levi’s Stadium, a National Football League venue, is exciting for any high school team. It is even more energizing for Leland High, which will host Santa Teresa at 3 p.m. Saturday at Levi’s in the Pat Tillman Game.
Levi’s is the site of a Friday Night Lights doubleheader (though the games will be played on Saturday), with Gunderson meeting Santa Clara in the other game at 6 p.m.
Tillman was a former Leland football player who was due to earn millions with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL when the September 11 terrorist attacks happened. Tillman along with his brother enlisted in the Army in June of 2002 and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He died of friendly fire and was posthumously awarded Silver Star and Purple Heart medals.
“The game is even more special for us,” new Leland coach Mike Ward said. “We have the numbers of Pat Tillman and Tristan Nguyen (a 2015 Leland football player who passed out and died after a track and field workout last spring) on our press box, No. 42 for Pat and No. 55 for Tristan."
Leland's Pat Tillman Game opponent Santa Teresa has also found the game motivating.
“We’ve talked with our kids about the sacrifices Pat Tillman made, leaving a job where he was making millions of dollars to become an Army Ranger after 9-11," Santa Teresa coach Nick Alfano said. "He played at Leland and was not only a great football player, but did a lot for our country, leaving super-stardom to become an anonymous Army Ranger. It’s a great story.”
Leland and Santa Teresa have joined forces to have special Pat Tillman Game T-shirts printed. All members of both teams will receive them.
It’s also the first game as the Leland coach for Ward.
“It’s unique,” he said. “My family and friends will be there including my wife (Kristi Ward). Many families of the players and coaches are going and even some relatives from Southern California will be coming to see our kids.
“It’s awesome for our kids. It’s something they won’t experience again."
Santa Teresa over the weekend participated in Blossom Valley Athletic League jamboree, along with Branham, Prospect, Gunderson and San Jose. Alfano didn’t use most of his starters, but some second- and third-teamers got some work.
Obviously, there’s a big chasm between the BVAL Jamboree which is to a large extent just a money-raiser to the season opener, and at an NFL venue no less. Both coaches find it interesting that four local public schools were invited to play in this year’s doubleheader, as opposed to area powers such as De La Salle and Valley Christian which have participated in the past.
“It’s a good opportunity,” Ward said. “These aren’t the traditional powers that will be playing, but just local teams. You’d have to speak to the 49ers to ask why they chose the teams they did, but it certainly makes it unique.”
Also fired up are Santa Clara and Gunderson, another pair of Santa Clara Valley teams who will share the spotlight at Levi’s.
Santa Clara is already feeling the good vibrations of Levi’s after the San Francisco 49ers replaced the school’s football uniforms and some of its equipment after a fire last year. Now the Bruins will be able to take the field at the $1.3 billion stadium that is so close to the Santa Clara campus.
“Gunderson is a good team,” Santa Clara coach Hank Roberts said. “They’re athletic and Chuck Ball has brought stability to that program. Their quarterback is athletic and their receivers can go get it and as a group they’re dangerous. The last time we played at Levi’s (a blowout loss to rival Wilcox in 2014) we were embarrassed and we want to show that’s not what our program is.”
