68 2011 Newcomers
9
Chris Brown Quarterback, 6-1, 190, Freshman Torrance, CA (Dominguez HS)
High School -- Brown quarterbacked Dominguez High School under head coach Willie Donerson to a 10-2 record last fall, including its fifth San Gabriel Valley League championship in the last seven years and a second-round berth in the CIF-Southern Section Western Division playoffs. The Dons lost to eventual runner-up Arroyo Grande 17-7. As a senior, Brown passed for 1,219 yards and 13 touchdowns without an interception, completing 75 percent of his 175 passes. He also rushed for 774 yards and six touchdowns en route to first-team All-San Gabriel League honors for the second straight year. As a junior, Brown passed for 2,166 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions, completing 169 of 256 passes (66 percent). He also rushed for 1,089 yards and eight touchdowns as Dominguez posted a 6-6 record and reached the semifinal round of the CIF-Southern Section Western Division playoffs. Recruited by Fresno State, Hawai’i and Nevada, Brown chose Cal Poly because “it was the top academic institution of schools that recruited me,” adding that “Cal Poly also recruited me as a quarterback from Day One. I believe that Cal Poly is a great place to be.”
71
Brett Darragh Offensive Line, 6-2, 265, Freshman Redondo Beach, CA (Mira Costa HS)
High School -- Darragh started on the offensive line as a guard and also played on the defensive front as a senior under head coach Don Morrow at Mira Costa High School. He helped the Mustangs to a 7-4 record in 2010, including a 5-0 mark for first place in the Bay League. The Mustangs, who have won 16 straight Bay League games, lost in the first round of the 2010 CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoffs. Darragh earned All-South Bay Area and All-Bay League first-team honors. A starter as a sophomore and junior as well, Darragh was a team captain last fall. He helped Mira Costa to the CIF-SS Northern Division championship in 2009. Darragh was recruited by Air Force, Army, Brown, Columbia, Idaho, Northern Arizona, Penn and San Diego before choosing Cal Poly. He played ice hockey before concentrating on football and maintained a 3.6 grade-point average in high school.
25
Karlton Dennis Defensive Back, 5-9, 185, Freshman La Palma, CA (Servite HS)
High School -- Dennis recorded nine interceptions in his last two seasons under head coach Troy Thomas at Servite High School. Both his junior- and senior-year teams posted 14-1 records. Servite won the Trinity League title and CIF-Southern Section Pac 5 Conference championship last fall, losing only to De La Salle 48-8 in the California State High School Open Division championships at the Home Depot Center. As a senior, Dennis notched six interceptions and 87 tackles en route to Trinity League defensive MVP, first-team AllOrange County, first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Pac 5 Conference and second-team All-State honors. Dennis, who has 4.5 speed in the 40 and runs on the Friars’ track and field team, also earned a spot on the Los Angeles Times High School All-Star Football Team. In 2009, Dennis’ junior season, Servite was the state Division II champion. Dennis notched three interceptions and 56 tackles (31 solo) en route to second-team All-Trinity League honors. He was a two-year starter at cornerback for the Friars. Dennis was recruited by Stony Brook (formerly SUNY at Stony Brook), Colgate, BYU, San Jose State and Weber State, but chose Cal Poly because it has a “great foundation and coaches as well as tradition.”
21
Chris Fletcher Defensive Back, 5-9, 175, Freshman Chula Vista, CA (Eastlake HS)
High School -- Fletcher accounted for over 1,000 yards of offense as a senior running back under head coach John McFadden at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. Fletcher, son of former San Diego Chargers defensive back Chris Fletcher, rushed for 666 yards on just 66 carries (10.1 average per carry) and caught 17 passes for 389 yards. He scored eight touchdowns on the ground and produced a long run of 67 yards and added two scores receiving with a long of 75 yards. On defense, Fletcher notched 35 tackles (25 solo) with four interceptions and eight pass breakups. He also averaged 11.7 yards on 11 punt returns. Fletcher earned first-team All-Metro-Mesa League honors, was named the league’s offensive player of the year and also earned first-team All-CIF-San Diego Section accolades as he led the Titans to an 11-1 record, first-place finish in the Metro-Mesa League at 4-0 and a berth in the semifinal round of the
CIF-San Diego Section Division I playoffs. Eastlake’s only loss of the year was a 20-0 decision to Mira Mesa in the semifinals. As a junior, Fletcher rushed for 538 yards and seven touchdowns, caught 22 passes for 503 yards and six scores and notched 22 tackles and four interceptions on defense. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, averaging 29.4 yards on eight returns, and was named first-team All-Metro-Mesa honors, named his team’s best offensive player of the year and earned MVP honors from the San Diego Chapter of the National Football Association. Other schools that recruited Fletcher were Nevada, Montana State, Sacramento State and San Diego State. He chose Cal Poly “because of the instant connection once on campus.”
69
EJ Galvez Defensive Line, 6-1, 250, Freshman La Mirada, CA (La Mirada HS)
High School -- Galvez, who played on both the offensive and defensive lines at La Mirada High School, recorded 12 sacks in his last two seasons with the Matadores. He notched 30 tackles, including eight sacks, along with three forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries and a pass deflection as a senior under head coach Mike Moschetti last fall. In his junior season (2009), Galvez garnered 18 tackles and four sacks. Galvez earned All-Suburban League and All-Area honors as a senior and was named the Suburban League's top offensive lineman as a junior in addition to earning All-Area honors and a spot on the All-CIF-Southern Section Dream Team. Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Nevada, Hawaii and Wyoming also recruited Galvez and he also received some interest from Boise State, New Mexico and UCLA. He chose Cal Poly “because of the family atmosphere and the education.” La Mirada was 7-4 last fall, winning the Suburban League title with a 6-0 mark and qualifying for the CIFSouthern Section Southeast Division playoffs. The Matadores were 13-1 in 2009 and champions of the Suburban League as well as the CIF-Southern Section Southern Division playoffs, beating Garden Grove 49-27 in the title game.
57
Dylan Gutierrez Offensive Line, 6-4, 265, Freshman Ventura, CA (Ventura HS)
High School -- Gutierrez notched 14 sacks in his last two seasons under head coach Brad Steward at Ventura High School. His 52 tackles in his senior season included 8.5 sacks and Gutierrez also recovered a pair of fumbles as Ventura finished 6-5 overall and second in the Channel League at 3-1. The Cougars qualified for the CIF-Southern Section Western Conference playoffs. On offense, Gutierrez carried the ball one time and scored a touchdown on it, a one-yard run, against Camarillo. He earned first-team All-Channel League, first-team All-Ventura County and first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Western Conference honors as a defensive lineman, in addition to several team awards. In his junior season, Gutierrez recorded 35 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, and also played tight end on offense, catching 15 passes for 225 yards and five scores en route to first-team All-Channel League honors on defense. He was recruited by Air Force, San Jose State and New Mexico State, choosing Cal Poly because of its “great academics, location and coaches.”
78
Tom Hickel Offensive Line, 6-4, 275, Freshman Danville, CA (De La Salle HS/USMA Prep School)
High School -- A teammate of Chris Lawrence as a senior in 2009 at De La Salle High School, Hickel committed verbally to Army and attended the U.S. Military Academy Prep School for the 2010-11 school year, playing football on both the offensive and defensive lines. Hickel anchored a De La Salle offensive line that helped the Spartans win the California state open championship with a 28-14 victory over Crenshaw in December 2009 at the Home Depot Center in Carson. Under head coach Bob Ladouceur, Hickel helped De La Salle average almost 300 yards a game rushing. The Spartans finished 13-2 overall, 7-0 for first place in the East Bay Athletic League and claimed the CIF-North Coast Section Division I championship en route to the berth in the state open game. Hickel earned All-Metro first-team honors as well as first-team All-East Bay Athletic League accolades. As a junior at De La Salle, Hickel earned All-EBAL honorable mention. Hickel also played lacrosse at De La Salle. GREAT WEST VS. THE REST Great West Football Conference members were 15-16 against non-conference foes last fall. The five schools were 15-22 in 2009, 17-16 in 2008 and 19-16 in 2007 against non-conference opponents. Great West teams were 5-3 against the Big Sky Conference in 2007 but 4-7 in 2008, 1-8 in 2009 and 3-5 in 2010.