Attitudes are changing in San Lorenzo, where Arroyo has taken a fundamental approach with a young team and witnessed immediate results. After winning two games combined in the past two seasons, the Dons are 2-0 to start 2019, including a season-opening win over a Concord team which had already played – and won – a game prior to their meeting.
Mikel Dace is the new head man in charge on the Arroyo campus, and as the computer media technician on campus, he provides a year-round on-campus connection to the players and the program. And after serving under former head coach Kurt Bryan for two years, Dace took over the job with an understanding of what needed to be done.
“Even when Kurt was on staff, we were really focusing on simplifying stuff. We wanted to use easier verbage and really go back to fundamentals,” Dace said. “We are looking at it now as more of a football class than a football team. We have a lot of players with no experience, and we have to really show them how to play.”
One of the players on Arroyo’s 21-man roster who does have experience is junior Demarcus Smith, who has already established himself as likely one of the top players in the Shoreline Division of the West Alameda County Conference. Through the first two games, Smith has notched five interceptions from his free safety position and also leads the team in receiving, with eight catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns. That includes the only score of the game in last week’s 6-0 win over American.
“Demarcus came up playing with the Hayward Lancers (youth organization), which is where I started coaching,” Dace added. “So I was pleased to see some familiar faces when I got on campus here at Arroyo.”
In contrast to Smith, however, is quarterback Ronnie Yalung. Yalung is certainly among the youngest quarterbacks to ever start a varsity football game in California, having made his start against Concord at 14 years, two months of age. Yalung is a sophomore, but entered this year with just two games of high school football experience, having broken his wrist after just two games on the junior varsity level this season. What Yalung does have going for him, however, is both a multi-sport background and a knack for the cerebral side of the game, important qualities for a signal-caller.
“Ronnie is just a phenomenal kid, and he knows our playbook in and out,” Dace said. “We have done some things to simplify the game for him, such as cutting the field in half for his pre-snap reads, and he has responded well. We want to keep him in a position to succeed.”
Yalung is also a successful wrestler and golfer for the Dons, exhibiting both his physical and mental attributes that combine for success on the gridiron as well. But while those two might be making plays, the Arroyo defense has been the true catalyst for the strong start. After the Dons allowed over 37 points per game last season, they have allowed six points in two games this year, and they hope to extend that strong start this Friday against Oakland Military Institute in their league opener.
Linebacker Sam Johnson is what Dace describes as one of “high flyers” and has combined with middle backer David House to provide a playmaking duo at the second level. Senior Matthew Stewart, who starts both ways on the line, and fellow senior Carlos Perez have been instrumental in pressuring opposing quarterbacks. Meanwhile, the production up and down the roster could also be traced as a byproduct of the competitive environment which Dace and his staff strive to keep alive at all times, which can be challenging with a small roster and unprecedented early success.
“Every Tuesday, we let our backups challenge our starters for their jobs, as a way to keep everyone focused on that daily competition,” Dace mentioned. “We also play competitive games to keep the intensity up, and to recommit to the process every week. We never assume anything and we break it back down on a weekly basis.”
One such competitive game played by the Dons is something the team has termed Biscuit Island, a game where the offense gets to utilize all 11 players while the defense can only play with seven. It is a game well suited for a small roster, and stresses offensive execution. If the defensive players make a stop, however, they get a ‘biscuit’, which in this case is a helmet decal.
“It keeps practice alive and keeps the energy up,” Dace said. “Right now, that’s just our focus, to keep that energy going and keep getting better every week.”
Prospectors finding gold early in the season
The competition might have been lacking for Piner in the first three weeks of the season, but the Prospectors have certainly made a statements regardless, having outscored opponents 173-0 so far, which is impressive for a team that went 4-6 last year.
Included among those three wins is a 65-0 win over Drake last week, after the Pirates beat Piner last season. And while the Prospectors’ opponent the previous week, Novato, has certainly improved from last year as well, Piner went from a 20-6 win over the Hornets in 2018 to a 53-0 win this season.
New head coach Terence Bell has enjoyed the productivity of quarterback Yonaton Isack, who has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,080 yards and a section-leading 18 touchdowns. Isack has yet to display his dual-threat ability, though it is certainly in his skill set. Meanwhile, the defense has forced eight turnovers, including six interceptions.
Piner has a great chance to match last year’s win total this week, facing a 1-2 Sonoma Valley team.
Oh my, Omey
After a rather pedestrian – by his standards – season opener against El Molino in which he threw for three scores, St. Bernard’s quarterback Will Omey is once again filling up the stat sheet, and has fellow senior Lane Thrap right there with him.
Omey has accounted for six touchdowns in each of the last two games as the Crusaders are off to a 3-0 start. After throwing for 308 yards and six touchdowns in a 39-14 win over Hoopa Valley, Omey added four passing touchdowns and two rushing scores in a 49-8 win over Arcata. Thrap, meanwhile, could end up drawing favorable comparisons to former St. Bernard’s standout Micah Fontenot-Cornely. The 6-foot-3 senior has 512 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving in just three games, and added a 92-yard interception return for a score last week against Arcata.
Meredith sets new NCS mark
We already ran a game story on Miramonte’s 62-54 win over Stellar Prep last week, and highlighted the fact that Matador quarterback Matt Meredith broke the old NCS record for touchdown passes in a game when he threw for his ninth score, with less than two minutes remaining to defeat the Thunder.
Best winless teams?
Usual BVAL and NCS powers Freedom and Antioch are not looking like themselves in the standings right now, but don’t be completely fooled by the numbers. Both programs are 0-3 at this point, but a closer look reveals a pair of teams which can still make a serious run in league play, though the sense of urgency must be heightened for both.
Freedom played well defensively in losses to Turlock and San Leandro, and then exploded offensively in a 44-40 loss to California. The combined record of those opponents is 7-2, and Turlock’s only loss is to Clayton Valley while the Bulldogs have a win over Tracy, while San Leandro’s only loss is to Monte Vista and the Pirates have a win over Foothill.
Antioch had back-to-back close losses to Amador Valley and California, snake-bitten by special teams in the season-opening loss, and then ran into a loaded Lincoln-Stockton team last week. Neither team has an easy game this week, either, with Freedom heading to an Antelope team which has a similar resume at the moment, while Antioch heads to San Ramon Valley.
While the non-league slates will no doubt prepare both teams for a run at a top-three finish in league play, making the playoffs could be a whole different story unless they each get a couple of quality wins prior to that, with the eight-team bracket in Division 1 promising to be a tough one to crack.
