With the East Bay Athletic League expanding to nine teams for football this season, Prep2Prep has broken our league notebooks into two pieces. This second feature focuses on the schools in the Livermore-Pleasanton-Dublin corridor of Interstate 580.
Dons must find new backfield pieces
It won’t be possible for Amador Valley and new coach Danny Jones to replicate the explosive backfield they had last year, when three-year starting quarterback Ronnie Jones and track speedster Ledre McCullough gave opponents multiple weapons to worry about on each play. But the Dons are developing some pieces to run the offense this season, and seem to have depth in a system being run by committee this summer.
“Our guys are doing some good things right now, and challenging each other on a daily basis,” said Jones, who took over for veteran Rick Sira after running the offense for the past couple seasons. “We have some pretty good competition at quarterback right now, and a couple guys showing some talent at running back.”
The competition at quarterback has developed between junior Jordan Griffin and senior Adam Ashley. Joining one of those two in the backfield figures to be junior David White and senior Tore Wiley, two players who have emerged at running back.
Whichever newcomers nab those top spots, however, they will have veteran leadership around them. That will especially include tight end/linebacker Brandon Larson, along with returning linemen Alex Crepeau and Amir Farsi.
“(Brandon) is our go-to guy right now. He is a skilled player, with that calm confidence, but also someone who will hit you in the mouth,” Jones said. “(Alex and Amir) are both great team leaders, players who hold themselves and teammates accountable on a daily basis.”
A new name to look out for on the Amador Valley varsity this year could be junior inside linebacker Jason Severance, someone Jones described as a sideline-to-sideline player, and the type of player who possesses that ‘wow’ factor.
Cowboys have young talent returning
On the surface, the Livermore roster seems littered with underclassmen, but what that doesn’t show is the number of those incoming juniors who are also returning with varsity experience, and creating optimism with their talent level.
Of immediate concern for any program is the quarterback position, and with Livermore senior Daniel Crisp still recovering from ACL surgery, the job has been open for the off-season. Senior Ben Kerling has emerged right now in the competition.
“(Ben) has been winning the job right now, but it’s still a battle,” said coach Ryan Partridge, who enters his first season at the helm. “Junior John Hodgers is right behind him, and Daniel (Crisp) is starting to move a lot better in workouts.”
The Cowboys are not lacking for team leaders on a daily basis this summer, however. Backfield mates Dominic Range and Mekhi McElroy have been daily workhorses, while junior Jose Martinez and senior Logan Koch have provided leadership from the front lines. Martinez started at guard as a sophomore last season.
Other returners up front include junior Adam Lebish, who started at offensive tackle as a sophomore, and brings the size at six-foot-five, 290 pounds. Senior Tyler Felgenhauer also returns as the team’s starting center, while senior Kenny Moniz, who was named all-tournament at the recent Super Lineman Challenge, should be a two-way starter for the Cowboys.
A young name to watch out for this season could be sophomore Brad Archer, a six-foot-three, 220-pound tight end who Partridge describes as “very athletic” at the position.
Falcons look to shed ‘green’ label
Coming off an unbeaten regular season and an appearance in the North Coast Section title game, Foothill now looks to rid itself of a new image entering 2016.
After going into last season with a squad that coach Matt Sweeney termed the most veteran group he had coached in 30 years, the tables are a bit turned entering this year. Gone are all those three-year starters, and for many outside the program, so are those same expectations.
A big reason to create new expectations, however, comes with the return of junior quarterback Ben Wooldridge, who will run the offense for a second straight season. Wooldridge could establish himself as one of the top signal-callers in the section this year, as more of the offense will likely fall on his shoulders.
And then there is the return of Sweeney, who crossed the 250-win threshold at the end of the 2015 regular season. After battling throat cancer in the spring, while coaching the softball team to the section title game, he describes himself as re-energized for the coming season, and excited to work with a young group of student-athletes.
Matadors look to keep climbing
Despite winning just one league game in 2015, Granada made a run to the NCS Division II semifinals. It looks to increase expectations this season, as the league expands and opportunities to prove itself in non-league games become scarce.
The Matadors open with Benicia and Newark Memorial prior to EBAL play, and the return of senior quarterback Jason Frost gives reason for optimism for an offense which scored over 50 points in each of their first three playoff games last year.
Gaels adjust to life in the EBAL
Dublin is one of the two new entrants to the EBAL this season, along with Dougherty Valley, but returns some talented players after making the Division I playoff field last year.
Senior defensive tackle Keith Millard (6-7, 265) returns to anchor the front line, while senior receiver/defensive back Jared Smart figures to be a top two-way contributor for the Gaels.
Evret Korb also returns at quarterback, providing some continuity for the Dublin offense.
