Just six more weeks remain until most high schools hit the field for spring practice, but the top players across the nation have already been competing in both 7-on-7 competitions and linemen camps, plus combines and upcoming linemen challenges.
Consider the schedule this spring for elite 7-on-7 squad KT Prep, which has competed in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and heads up to Seattle this weekend for the Northwest Showcase. The group run by De La Salle assistant coach Nathan Kenion features two teams – Money and Greatness – and also captured the Passing Down NorCal championship.
In the seven tournaments KT Prep has entered so far, they have been in the championship for five of them. But Kenion sees a much larger value in what is occurring during the spring season.
“We didn’t have this exposure and access when I played,” Kenion said. “It’s great competition, and a chance to get out of the region, giving kids the idea that they can compete with the best players anywhere, not just in the Bay Area.”
A few weeks ago, while in Oregon for a tournament, the KT Prep staff made sure to make good on that promise of exposure, taking their team for tours of Oregon, Oregon State, and Portland State.
“The current structure has opened a lot of avenues for our players,” Kenion said. “We are able to take kids to different college campuses, get different coaches to look at them first-hand, and get a lot of good film on kids.”
Even though KT Prep has become synonymous with success on the passing circuit, along with other heavies such as TMP Elite and Epic 7, Kenion continues to stress that this is a foundation for the success that should occur when the pads come on in the fall.
“We emphasize teaching our kids real football skills that translate to their high school programs,” Kenion said. “We strive to send them back to their high schools with better technique, something that will help them regardless of what scheme they play in. It’s all geared to the fall season, in regards to teaching the technique that will allow them to succeed in that environment.”
Like every team, KT Prep has players from a variety of high schools. The older Money roster features top recruits such as Bishop O’Dowd’s Jevon Holland, Capital Christian’s Maurice Gaines, Pittsburg’s A’jae Boyd, Milpitas’ Tuni Fifita, and Serra’s Patrick Nunn, plus rising stars such as San Ramon Valley’s Rob Funkhouser, Moreau Catholic’s Josh Pullum, Rancho Cotate’s Logan Reese, Foothill’s Ben Wooldridge, Will C Wood’s Carson Strong, St. Pat’s Isaiah Tobias, Cardinal Newman’s Dino Kahaulelio, Alameda’s Kenden Robinson, and Monte Vista’s Zane Cribb.
Linemen Challenges on the horizon
Former San Francisco 49er great Jesse Sapolu’s opportunities for linemen in the off-season continue to gain traction throughout California, with the Men in the Trenches re-occurring camp, and the Super Linemen Challenge, a 1-on-1 team tournament which has grown from last summer.
The uniquely scored Linemen Challenge has multiple dates upcoming, beginning with an April 23 Bay Area competition at James Logan. The following week is the Fresno area competition at Madera High, with the big SoCal Super Linemen taking place on May 20 at Costa Mesa. Pittsburg hosts the NorCal Super Linemen on July 1.
Bay Area powers such as Pittsburg, Clayton Valley, and Logan can be seen at the first competition, while the Madera date is filled with Central Section heavies, such as Central, Clovis, Madera, Buchanan, Sanger, Bullard, Washington Union, and Hanford, plus Pittsburg. Last year’s competition at Pittsburg featured the Pirates, Clayton Valley, St. Francis, Menlo-Atherton, and Moreau Catholic, all teams who stood out with banner seasons.
In the meantime, Sapolu’s Men in the Trenches Academy continues this weekend at Live Oak in Morgan Hill, followed by dates at Los Medanos College, Pittsburg High, and Santa Cruz High prior to the end of May. The series continues through June.
Coaching carousel keeps turning
Our last monthly off-season notebook featured a variety of coaching changes, and the list continues to grow.
Denis Brunk left Santa Rosa, where he led the Panthers to their first-ever playoff win last season, to take the head job at Casa Grande in Petaluma. Santa Rosa just announced yesterday that it has hired Russell Ponce as its next head coach. Ponce was the head coach for the Panthers from 2006-2008, compiling a 13-18 record during that time.
Ygnacio Valley, who saw Phillip Puentes resign after the season, has hired Clyde Byrd, who teaches science at the school. Byrd has previously been a head coach at Oakland, Kennedy-Richmond, and Castlemont.
With Matt Hoefs having left Arroyo to take over at Dublin High, a familiar Bay Area face has taken over at Arroyo. Former Piedmont coach Kurt Bryan, who earned nation-wide notoriety with the invention of the A-11 offense, has taken the head job for the Dons. More will follow on both hirings in separate features.
As previously reported in an earlier feature, Jeff Walters left Liberty to return home to his alma mater, Del Oro, where he replaces his former coach, Casey Taylor. Liberty has conducted interviews for his replacement.
According to the team’s website, Bryan-Andre Blackmon has taken over at American. Blackmon was previously an assistant coach at San Rafael High. Another MVAL school, Kennedy-Fremont, has hired Paul McDermott. McDermott is also the athletic director at the school.
The West Catholic Athletic League has also seen two major coaching changes, as Barry McLaughlin has taken over at Sacred Heart Cathedral, where he has been on staff since 2006, and Riordan named Jay’Sen Morris as its new head coach. Morris is a math teacher at the school, where he graduated from in 2007 prior to playing at California Lutheran University.
