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How they'll finish 1 Las Lomas 2 Miramonte 3 Alhambra 4 Acalanes 5 Campolindo 6 Dublin 7 Dougherty Valley
BEST OF THE DFAL Top Offensive Player: Marquis Waters, RB, Las Lomas
Top Defensive Player: Jared Leaf, LB, Alhambra
Best Arm: Ross Anderson, QB, Miramonte
Top Newcomer: Ondre Rudolph, RB, Dublin
Best Hands: Andrew Ahr, WR, Campolindo
Best Athlete: Trevor Davis, WR/DB, Alhambra
Top Two-way Player: Trent Baker, WR/FS, Acalanes
Tough as Nails: Charlie Zaharoff, MLB, Campolindo
Keeping the QB’s Jersey Clean: Ross Dolbec, OL, Miramonte Best in the Trenches: Maurice Poyadue, DL, Alhambra Toughest Nonleague Schedule: Las Lomas
Keep an eye on: Michael Spivey, RB/S, Dougherty Valley
TOP5GAMES 1. Ygnacio Valley @ Acalanes, Sept. 3 2. Marin Catholic-Kentfield @ Las Lomas, Sept. 10 3. El Cerrito @ Campolindo, Sept. 17 4. Miramonte @ Las Lomas, Oct. 15 5. Alhambra @ Miramonte, Nov. 12
coaches'take On defending against Marquis Waters: Campolindo coach Kevin Macy doesn’t mince words. “I saw him play rugby, and he was just an animal. After seeing that, he’s scarier now than he was last year. It’s not just running in rugby — it’s open-field tackling and toughness. ...Waters is the man in the league. ...They could move him up to linebacker, as physical as he’s playing. ...As a runner, he was more of a slashing style last year. But he added a different attitude playing rugby. He’s going to be a different football player. ...He’s got a reputation. He scares kids out here. ...How do you defend him? Well, we didn’t do it last year.” Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
marquis waters
Running waters: running back gives Knights an edge All things being equal, Alhambra, Miramonte and Las Lomas all probably have about an even-money shot at taking home the Diablo Foothill Athletic League trophy this year. All things being equal, each of those teams lost some serious talent, and returns some quality players on both side of the ball. All things being equal, Dublin and Campolindo have a legitimate shot to make a run at this thing. All things being equal, they aren’t. Allow us to introduce you to the grand un-equalizer. His name is Marquis Waters. He is a senior running back for Las Lomas. His performance this season will be the difference between a Las Lomas league title and, well, somewhere around the middle of the pack. “We’ll put it this way: We’re going to get him the ball,” Las Lomas coach Doug Longero said. “He’s a special player. He’s 5-10, 175-180, and he’s all muscle. He’s focused. He had a great summer. We’ve just got to block up front and play defense.” Given the fact that the DFAL should see a significant drop-off in passing with the graduation of key senior slingers from Campolindo, Las Lomas and Alhambra, and that most coaches in the league expect something of a black-and-blue division league season, the Knights stand to reap the benefits of having one of the top two or three running backs in the East Bay lining up in the offensive backfield. “He’s one of those top 10 percent of kids you’ll ever play against or have on your team,” Miramonte coach John Wade said of Waters, who rushed for 1,574 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior. “I would put him in an elite class of player. …You try to limit as much as you can of what Marquis can do and make some other kids on their team beat you.” Waters is the key. If he’s healthy and the Knights can provide any kind of blocking for him (and maybe get a stop or two on defense), it is probably Las Lomas’ league to lose. But if Miramonte junior QB Ross Anderson makes the quantum leap of which many think him capable, or if Alhambra’s Jared Leaf can dominate… well. Take your pick. August 26, 2010
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