BVAL Football 08.19.2022

AUGUST 19, 2022

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The Press 2022

BVAL Football

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BVAL FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Freedom Falcons expect to win this season JUAN CEBREIROS The Freedom football team is optimistic about the upcoming season.

Second-year head coach Zach Sims, who was previously an offensive coordinator for College Park High School, has high hopes for new quarterback Jacob Wasso, a transfer from Brentwood’s Heritage High School. Herschel Turner at tailback and Samaje Featherstone, also a running back, are key veterans returning to the team, with Featherstone capable of also playing multiple other positions on both sides of the ball.

Sims said he thinks the team’s style of play will be fast and exciting to watch.

Tyler Arlaud, Freedom’s outside linebacker, will be a fast and physical defensive anchor, Sims said. Sims also calls his secondary “the best in the league.”

The Falcons open play against reigning state champion Marin Catholic on Aug. 26.

“We feel we can beat anyone, the expectation is to be able to compete with every team we play and win a lot of games,” Sims said. “We will be the most exciting team to watch in town”.

Sims also said he believes he and this team can bring success back to the

The Liberty Lions football team will kick off its season on Aug. 26 against the James Enochs Eagles out of Modesto, the first game on its quest toward its goal of a Bay Valley Athletic League title.

New head coach Mike Cable joins the Lions after seven years at Saratoga’s Prospect High School.

Some key returners to the squad include senior quarterback Nate Bell who Cable has labeled “the leader of the team.”

Giancarl Olvedo, a running back and linebacker, is known as the spark plug of a fairly young roster, Cable said.

The offseason was good for Liberty, competing in multiple seven-on-seven tournaments and reportedly performing well in all of them with a high-powered offense and stifling defense. The offensive system, which the team just learned over the offseason, is considered the strength of the team, Cable said.

Cable said to look for the team to play well on the field as well as be a positive part of the community, helping to create a

The 2021 season was the 20th for Victor Galli as Pittsburg’s head football coach. The Pirates did what they’ve done so often in Galli’s tenure (and before), running through the Bay Valley Athletic League. With Division 1 college recruits on the field, Pittsburg is expected to have similar results.

Quarterback Jaden Rashada is the marquee returning player. The quarterback was one of the Class of 2023’s most highly sought-after recruits before committing to Miami. Rashada threw for 2,220 yards with 27 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2021. He also ran for 193 yards, making him the leading returning rusher for the Pirates.

Rashada will have a bevy of weapons available to him in the passing game. That includes last season’s two leading receivers. Rashid Williams and Zach Card, who combined for nearly 1,500 receiving yards and 20 touchdown receptions as juniors.

Both are back this year, and like Williams, both will play Division 1 college football, with Williams committed to Washington and Card bound for Oregon State.

A quarterback headed for Miami throw-

ing to receivers headed to Pac-12 schools would be daunting enough. But it doesn’t stop there for Pittsburg. Senior receiver Khai Taylor has committed to Nevada while another senior receiver, Kenyan Higgins, has multiple Division 1 offers. That’s also true of sophomore Jadyn Hudson, though his best position is on defense at defensive back. He made 58 tackles as a freshman last season.

While Pittsburg is loaded with talent, there are some questions on the team, the coach said. One is in the trenches. The Pirates have to replace Aidan Bandes, Lisala Takafua and Justin Turner, who were all First-Team All-BVAL offensive linemen in 2021. On defense, First-Team All-League lineman Nicolas Quintero graduated, as did First-Team All-Metro linebacker Jakobe Harmon and FirstTeam All-League linebacker Kai Green.

That will put a greater spotlight on returning linebackers – seniors Cameron Clanton and Giomani Enea. But Clanton was Second-Team All-BVAL last season while Enea was All-Honorable Mention. So, while a greater spotlight will be on them, the Pirates aren’t exactly inexperienced at linebacker.

Another unproven area for Pittsburg is in the running game, the coach said. Last year’s

August 26, 7:00 PM vs. Marin Catholic September 2, 7:00 PM @ El Cerrito September 9, 7:00 PM @ Grant

September 23, 7:00 PM vs. Eastlake September 30, 7:00 PM vs. Heritage* October 14, 7:00 PM @ Liberty* October 21, 7:00 PM @ Pittsburg* October 28, 7:00 PM vs. Antioch*

Freedom football program. The last time the team won a league title was in 2016, and the last time it qualified for the North Coast Section playoffs was 2018.

November 11, 7:00 PM @ Deer Valley* *BVAL games

LIBERTY 2022 SCHEDULE August 26, 7:00 PM vs. Enochs September 1, 7:00 PM @ Los Gatos September 9, 7:00 PM @ Wood September 16, 7:00 PM vs. Monte Vista September 23, 7:00 PM vs. San Ramon Valley October 7, 7:00 PM @ Pittsburg* October 14, 7:00 PM vs. Freedom* October 21, 7:00 PM @ Antioch* October 28, 7:00 PM vs. Deer Valley*

positive culture for the area.

“We feel as if we have something very special here with this squad,” he said.

Special season could be in store for loaded Pirates MICHAEL DIXON

FREEDOM 2022 SCHEDULE

September 16, 7:00 PM vs. Menlo School

Liberty Lions look to roar back to winning ways JUAN CEBREIROS

AUGUST 19, 2022

November 4, 7:00 PM @ Heritage* *BVAL games

PITTSBURG 2022 SCHEDULE August 26, 7:00 PM vs. Bethel September 3, 12:00 PM @ Liberty, NV (San Diego - Honor Bowl) September 9, 7:00 PM @ California September 16, 7:00 PM vs. Folsom September 30, 7:00 PM vs. McClymonds October 7, 7:00 PM vs. Liberty* October 14, 7:00 PM @ Deer Valley* October 21, 7:00 PM vs. Freedom*

leading rusher, Charles Brown Jr., transferred to Antioch.

That said, if last season showed anything it’s that the rest of the BVAL has a long way to go to catch Pittsburg. The Pirates blitzed through the league last year, going 5-0 and outscoring their opponents 233-67 in those five games, with a 34-13 win over Antioch being the closest game.

Pittsburg will be tested with its nonleague schedule. After opening the year at home against Bethel on Friday, Aug. 26, the Pirates will go to Southern California to play in San Diego’s Honor Bowl. Once there, they’ll see another powerhouse program on Saturday, Sept. 3 in a game against Nevada’s Liberty High School.

October 28, 7:00 PM @ Heritage* November 11, 7:00 PM @ Antioch* *BVAL games

Two weeks later, the Pirates will host Folsom in a showdown between two of Northern California’s top programs. Pittsburg will also be looking to avenge a 38-17 loss from last season.

While Pittsburg is by far the BVAL’s most consistently successful program, different teams in the league have upended them at various points over the years. While that could happen again, the Pirates enter the 2022 season as the favorites in the league.

BVAL FOOTBALL PREVIEW

AUGUST 19, 2022

Bulked-up Patriots hope to be better than in 2021 MICHAEL DIXON The Heritage football team that took the field in the fall of 2021 was young and inexperienced. That problem was made worse by the fact that the “2020 season” actually took place in the spring of 2021, leaving the Patriots without much of an offseason program. It showed. The Patriots had some good results but went 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the Bay Valley Athletic League.

Now, Dave Fogelstrom is entering his third season as Heritage’s head coach and the first relatively normal year, not impeded

by COVID-19 restrictions or an abnormal schedule. The Patriots have had what the coach called an aggressive off-season program in the weight room, getting ready to play a more physical brand of football.

“Last year’s short off-season hurt us because our spring team was senior-heavy,” Fogelstrom said. “We were inexperienced last year and not close to being strong enough. Our players knew that, and we discussed what they needed to do to get to a higher level of physicality. The weight room numbers show they are now there, but they have to prove that on the field.”

Heritage has one of the league’s best offensive players in senior running back Devon Rivers. He’ll have some experienced players blocking for him. That includes Charlie Holland, a three-year letterman

offensive lineman, fullback Brock Lombardi and tight end Koen Wolfe. Another prominent playmaker for the Patriots is Jeremiah Ruffin, a three-year starter at receiver. Rivers and Ruffin are also defensive backs while Lombardi and Wolfe also are linebackers.

Fullback and linebacker Ryan Simonds will also be a major player for the Patriots, Fogelstrom said. He’s entering his third year with the team but has missed a lot of time over the past two seasons due to injury.

Junior Brooks Davis is new to the Heritage football team but gave his coaches a lot to be upbeat about at receiving camps during the summer.

Another newcomer is junior lineman Santana Roberts. Fogelstrom called him the strongest player on the team and said that he “will give people issues when we line him up on the defensive line.”

While the Patriots have some standout individual players, Fogelstrom said the strength of the team is that it plays as a team.

“We don’t have any ‘me guys’ and that is refreshing,” the coach said. “They just want to play hard and compete at a high level. We preach an “All In” ideal constantly and this group has been fully committed for months now.”

“Their commitment to the process and each other makes them strong,” Fogelstrom added. “We also have a half-

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HE R ITAGE 2022 SCHEDULE August 26, 7:00 PM vs. Dublin September 2, 7:00 PM @ Granada September 9, 7:00 PM vs. Whitney September 16, 7:00 PM vs. Vintage September 23, 7:00 PM @ James Logan September 30, 7:00 PM @ Freedom* October 14, 7:00 PM @. Antioch* October 20, 7:00 PM vs. Deer Valley* October 28, 7:00 PM vs. Pittsburg*

dozen players who have been on varsity for three straight years now. They know what is expected.”

Heritage will open its season on Aug. 26 with a home game against Dublin. That will give the Patriots an immediate feeling for how much they’ve improved over the last year. In 2021, Heritage also opened against the Gaels and lost 21-6.

That’s the game that Fogelstrom is looking at now. But that’s less because of what happened last year and more because it’s the first game on the schedule.

“We are one game at a time,” Fogelstrom said. “Our schedule is far too strong for us to look down the road at anything. Right now, we are looking at Dublin and our season opener. They got after us last year and we know what they are capable of. Anything else is a waste of energy at this point.”

November 4, 7:00 PM vs Liberty* *BVAL games

What Fogelstrom and the Patriots are expecting this season is a tricky question, he said. Fogelstrom said that the goal is, of course, to win every game. But he also noted that a successful season will not depend on what the team’s record is but the way that it achieves that mark.

“I am not going to define success with wins and losses,” he said. “We don’t actually talk about those. We talk about giving full effort and being fully committed to each other and the process of getting better. If we walk off the field and each player has given everything he has all week long in practice, film study, and during the game, then that is a success.”

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BVAL FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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AUGUST 19, 2022

Antioch Panthers view physicality as their ticket to success this season JUAN CEBREIROS The Antioch Football team will face arguably one of the toughest schedules in the Bay Valley Athletic League this season. The Panthers opponents, including reigning state champion Marin Catholic, went a combined 47-12 last season.

However, head coach Brett Dudley said he thinks this tough schedule shouldn’t throw a wrench into the team’s plans of winning the Bay Valley Athletic League and going to the playoffs.

Led by returning veterans such as Isaiah Pino on the defensive line and Ben Ulufaleilupe on the offensive line, Dudley says his squad will be able to compete in high-stakes games, and that the veteran players will be able to lead the younger guys who have less experience.

For Dudley, this will be his first year as head coach of the Panthers after spending the previous 13 on the team’s staff For him, physicality is one thing he has been preaching to his team this entire offseason. He said his team will

We believe in giving you reasons to smile

September 2, 7:00 PM vs. Vintage

September 16, 7:00 PM vs. California September 23, 7:00 PM vs. Marin Catholic September 29, 7:00 PM @ Deer Valley* October 14, 7:00 PM vs. Heritage* October 21, 7:00 PM vs. Liberty* October 28, 7:00 PM @ Freedom*

be physically larger than average high school teams – something the team can take advantage of at all 22 positions.

MICHAEL DIXON

A good smile can open doors. A Sheffield Smile can change lives.

August 26, 7:00 PM @ Monte Vista

September 9, 7:00 PM vs. Rocklin

New-look Wolverines look to restore past glory hopes that he can help the current Wolverines “reconnect with the history of the program.”

It has been a rough stretch of football “It’s been seven or eight years since Deer for Deer Valley over the last several years. The Valley has had a dominant football season,” Mills Wolverines have had eight consecutive losing said. “A lot of my players don’t know anything seasons and have won only two Bay Valley but stories they’ve heard from siblings or cousins.

Athletic League games since the beginning of the Reconnecting them with that success and letting 2014 season. None of the students at Deer Valley them know that we have everything we need got to experience the Wolverines when they were here at Deer Valley.” one of the best teams in the Bay Valley Athletic The early improvements have been signifiLeague and all of the North Coast Section. cant. When Mills first took over, there were 25 But while none of the current Wolverine kids in the program. Now, the varsity roster has A good smile can open doors. A Sheffield Smile can change lives. players experienced that, their coach did. In 45 players and another 30 are on the freshman January, Matt Mills was hired as Deer Valley’s team. Of the 45 players on the varsity team, only head footballsmile coach. He’s been in coaching since 16 are seniors.

When identifying the team’s A good can open doors.

A Sheffield Smile can change lives.great2018, working as an assistant at Encinal, Concord est area of improvement, Mills said experience. He and most recently, College Park. Mills was also a also saw the youth as a positive, as it’s often much senior on the 2009 team that won the BVAL title easier for younger players to buy in to the system and went undefeated in the regular season. Mills of a new head coach.

ANTIOCH 2022 SCHEDULE

November 4, 7:00 PM vs. Pittsburg* *BVAL games

DEER VALLEY 2022 SCHEDULE August 26, 7:00 PM @ Northgate September 3, 1:00 PM @ St. Mary’s September 9, 7:00 PM @ Kennedy September 17, 7:00 PM @ Balboa September 23, 7:00 PM vs. Dougherty Valley September 29, 7:00 PM vs. Antioch* October 14, 7:00 PM @ Pittsburg* October 20, 7:00 PM @ Heritage* October 28, 7:00 PM @ Liberty* November 4, 7:00 PM vs. Freedom*

While the Wolverines are young, they are experienced in some important areas, the coach said. That includes at quarterback, where senior Ayanfe Adediran is the starter. Adediran will also have last season’s top receiver to throw to in senior Carlos Perez. In terms of new varsity players, Mills has been impressed with the play of junior linebacker and defensive back, Ivan Padilla and senior running back and linebacker Otis Wilson.

Deer Valley is also a transfer-heavy team.

Three of the top players on the team are 6-foot-4 senior receiver Justin Hegarty, junior running back Jabari Mckinney and sophomore lineman Siupeli Langi. They came from Concord, Freedom and McLymonds, respectively.

Langi leads a group of young linemen that

*BVAL games

Mills sees as potentially the strength of the team.

“A lot of guys up front that are young but have been strong in the weight room,” Mills said. “But I think we’re going to be able to move people and run the ball effectively.”

The Wolverines will be tested early. They open the year on Aug. 26 with a road game against reigning Diablo Athletic League champion, Northgate. Mills is experienced with the Broncos, having gone against them last year while on the College Park staff. Deer Valley’s first league game will also be a good measuring stick contest.

On Sept. 29, the Wolverines will host their crosstown rivals, Antioch.

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