By Bob Scudder

Mike Janda and his Bellarmine Bells have been familiar faces in the Central Coast Section playoffs over the years and have become accustomed to extended seasons.

After winning or sharing three straight West Catholic Athletic League titles from 1995 to 1997, the Bells have missed the playoffs only one year since then. In 2003, they advanced to the second round in the CCS Division I playoffs. The combination of playing in the always tough WCAL and fielding a group of inexperienced players could present Janda a challenge to keep that tradition alive.

"We are a very young team this year with only two defensive and three offensive starters returning," Janda said.

Out of 10 WCAL all-league selections in 2003, only senior John Gill (6-foot-4, 290 pounds) returns. Gill will anchor part of the offensive line. Helping provide a foundation up front will be returning starter junior Tim Dancer (6-foot-3, 270).

"One of our strengths is that we have two returning starters on the offensive line," the coach said.

That experience on the offensive line could prove to be invaluable to the success of the Bells this year. Bellarmine lost a lot of pop at the running back slot to graduation and may have to depend on a strong offensive line to generate a consistent ground game until the offensive backfield is solidified. Senior fullback David Abraham (5-foot-7, 183) is the lone returning starter in the backfield and looks to ramble through the holes opened up by that line.

Janda sees the major weaknesses of the 2004 Bells as being "quite a bit inexperienced in the backfield and on defense." The defense will be bolstered by the return of starters senior Steve McGovern (6-foot-1, 188) at cornerback and junior Jalal Beauchman (6-foot-4, 190) at safety.

Janda will be counting on a number of players that have been waiting in the wings to step up and fill some crucial roles both offensively and defensively.

Junior Matt Zuniga (5-foot-11, 170) is a strong candidate to earn the start at quarterback. Zuniga will be flinging passes in the direction of wide receivers senior Kevin Madden (6-foot-2, 176), senior Blaze Silberman (6-foot, 182) and senior Jon Yee (6-foot-1, 175). This trio could also see action on the defensive side of the ball in the defensive backfield.

Battling for opportunities to log some time carrying the pigskin will be running backs junior Joe Borromeo (5-foot-8, 176) and seniors Andrew Robb (6-foot, 187) and Hiroaki Rodriguez (6-foot, 179). Robb and Borromeo combined for more than 325 yards rushing and each scored a touchdown in Bellarmine's season opener, a 30-0 win over North Monterey County last Friday night.

Robb and Rodriguez will also be called upon to meet opposing runners from their linebacker spots as well.

Digging in to anchor the offensive and defensive lines and provide a solid foundation to build upon will be seniors Robert Woblesky (6-foot, 213), Eric Jauch (6-foot, 202) and Tyler Anthony (6-foot-3, 270).

Janda will have his hands full and his troops will be tested right out of the starting gate. Three of Bellarmine's four pre-season contests are against perennially strong teams from tough leagues. The Bells won the first one against 2003 Monterey Bay League co-champ North Monterey County. They will also travel to face Piedmont Hills (Sept. 10) from the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and San Benito (Sept. 24), which finished second last year in the Tri-County League.

The Bells open WCAL play when they host Riordan on Oct. 1. Janda may have caught a break in the league schedule since the Bells will not face traditional powerhouses such as Mitty, St. Francis and Valley Christian until the final three weeks of the regular league season. This could work in Bellarmine's favor, giving the Bells time to battle test that group of young unproven players. But as anyone who follows the WCAL knows, the competition is always strong each week and wins are hard to come by no matter the opponent.

Janda sees Valley Christian as the team to beat in 2004 and the most likely candidate to grab the WCAL title. The Bells will square off against the Warriors in the final game of the regular season which gives Janda time to mold and shape the 2004 Bells into the contender he would like to see them become.

It just might turn out that a league title is on the line for that Nov. 6 encounter with Valley Christian. Since Janda has 20 years of experience as the head coach at Bellarmine and an impressive track record of developing outstanding teams during that time, it's probably not a good idea to bet against it.

Sept. 3, N. Monterey County, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10, at Piedmont Hills, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17, Bartlett, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24, at San Benito, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1, Archbishop Riordan, 7 p.m. *
Oct. 9, at St. Ignatius, 2 p.m. *
Oct. 15, Serra, 7 p.m. *
Oct. 22, at Mitty, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 29, St. Francis, 7 p.m.*
Nov. 6, at Valley Christian, 2 p.m. *

* Denotes West Catholic Athletic League game

Tough schedule facing Mitty
in upcoming 2004 campaign

By Kevin Sparrer

It's that time again. The pads get dusted off, the helmets get a new coat of paint, and the battles between high schools begin.

The war will be fought across many battlefields this coming fall--battlefields that are 100 yards long with a post on either end. Football has returned to the high schools of the Bay Area, and the players at Archbishop Mitty have their work cut out for them this season with seven of the 10 teams on their schedule having made the playoffs last season.

What's more, every team in the West Catholic Athletic League has a legitimate shot at the title. No one team has separated itself from the pack at this point and only time will tell who shall come away with the championship, but the Monarchs will do their best to take it home for themselves.

The Monarchs will be headed up by veteran coach Dave Brown, who brings a great deal of a experience to this squad.

Brown has been a football coach at Mitty for 33 years and this will mark his 23rd year as head coach with a record just over .500. In the past 12 years, the Monarchs have gone to postseason play 10 times under Brown's direction. In those 10 visits Mitty was able to come away with two Central Coast Section championships, one WCAL championship, three second-place CCS finishes and an impressive 15-9 record in the playoffs.

Brown was honored in 1999 by KICU Channel 36 and the National Football League as the South Bay Charlie Wedemeyer Coach of the Year.

Of course, there is much more to the team than the coach. Mitty has a number of returning seniors this year. Among them on the offensive side of the ball are all-league quarterback Brian Dressman (6-foot, 170), running back Nick Gancayco (5-foot-7, 156) and wide receiver Jeff Ackerman (6-foot-3, 172).

Defensively, the Monarchs have even more returning seniors--last year's WCAL Junior of the Year Joe Ciesinski (6-foot, 183), along with Patrick Malley (5-foot-11, 168) and Bryon Wolf (6-foot-3, 186) in the secondary; all-leaguer Matt Guild (5-foot-8, 165) returns to his linebacker position with teammates Noel Jimenez (5-foot-11, 188) and Raymond McMorris (5-foot-11, 184); and returning across the defensive line will be all-leaguers Kyle Hansen (6-foot-2, 225) and Richard Ricketts (6-foot-3, 230), with Malcolm Odoh (6-foot, 243) helping out.

Unfortunately for Mitty, the entire starting offensive line graduated last year, but "the off-season program was very productive and the Monarchs look to be in great shape to start the season," said Brown.

Sarath Sujatha-Bhaskar (5-foot-9, 195) will be heading up the quarterback protection on the offensive line along with Hansen. Both were back-ups last year.

Mitty has a roster of 53 players with 22 seniors, 30 juniors and only one sophomore.

The seniors on the offensive side are: Ackerman at wide receiver, Ciesinski is a running back, Jeff Denzel (6-foot-2, 200) on the offensive line, Dressman quarterbacking, Gancayco running the ball, Hansen on the line, Patrick Hopkins (6-foot-1, 175) as a wide receiver, Billy Robowski (6-foot-1, 185) at the tight end position, Steven Shearer (5-foot-9, 155) chasing passes, Bhaskar heading up the line, Stephen Tolan (6-foot-2, 210) also on the o-line, Brandon Vedder (5-foot-11, 231) at tight end and Joe Welch (6-foot-1, 175) as a wide receiver.

The defense will have 14 seniors to choose from, with only five of them going both ways. Those seniors are: Davis Chang (5-foot-8, 170) roaming the field at linebacker, Ciesinski will be one of the two-way players as a defensive back, Guild will also go both ways as a defensive lineman, Noel Jimenez (5-foot-11, 188) will be in as a linebacker, McMorris will be a defensive back, Odoh finds himself fighting on the d-line, Robowski goes both ways as a linebacker, Patrick Romero (5-foot-11, 148) will lay some hat as a defensive back, Daniel Ruiz (6-foot-1, 205) will stand strong as a defensive end, Joe Scaletta (5-foot-11, 192) stands tall in the middle as a linebacker, Jason Triggas (6-foot-1, 286) will be a force on the line, and Vedder will be on both sides as a lineman.

Mitty has once again loaded its schedule with some serious competition. Among the teams they are scheduled to play is the famous De La Salle powerhouse from the north.

Sept. 3, at Salinas, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 10, Las Lomas at Foothill, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 17, Menlo Atherton at Foothill, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 25, at De La Salle, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2, Serra, 1 p.m. *
Oct. 9, Valley Christian, 2 p.m. *
Oct. 15, at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m. *
Oct. 22, Bellarmine, 7 p.m. *
Nov. 6, at St. Ignatius, 11 a.m. *
Nov. 13, at Riordan, 1 p.m. *

* Denotes West Catholic Athletic League game

Warriors begin defense of their CCS crown

By Kevin Sparrer

Ask any football coach what the most valuable part of his offense is and he will tell you it's the offensive line. So coach Mike Machado of the Valley Christian Warriors has to be excited to have three of five linemen returning this year.

Senior all-league returner Joeseph Townsend (6-foot-4, 280 pounds) will retake his place protecting the quarterback and forcing holes as a tackle, but he won't stop there. Townsend will also be playing on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive tackle, definitely a player to keep an eye on this season.

Next to Townsend comes senior Justin Willis (6-foot-1, 285) at the guard spot. Willis will be swinging around the ends blasting open holes and leading the running backs up the field. Of course, when the Warriors don't have the ball, Willis will be right in the middle of the pile getting dirty as the nose guard for the defense.

One more down the line comes senior Mark Pirotta (5-foot-10, 240) snapping the ball. Pirotta will play a major role in the offense on every down at the center position, but he will also be a force to reckoned with on defense as a returning all-league defensive tackle.

With these three young men on both sides of the ball, Valley seems to have a solid set, but the list goes on.

Senior Kyle Thompson (6-foot-3, 210) will join his teammates on defense, where he made a name for himself last year as an all-league defensive end.

Yet another returner to the defense is senior Michael Loprest (5-foot-10, 170). Loprest will be in the secondary this season as a defensive back, waiting for the opportunity to make that pick.

Of course, even the offense can have some heavy hitters and all-league halfback J.R. Adams (6-foot, 180) is no exception. Adams is coming off a great junior year and will be moving the ball down the field once again.

Joining Adams at the halfback position is junior Dominique Hunsucker (5-foot-10, 180). Hunsucker was West Catholic Athletic League Sophomore of the Year last year and will most definitely be a player to watch.

Aside from the returning varsity players, Valley has a solid transfer, and a handful of juniors and a sophomore coming off an undefeated 10-0 season who are expected to shine this fall.

Senior transfer Colin Maher (6-foot-3, 195) will be running down the pigskin as a wide receiver for the Warriors. Maher will be chasing the ball on defense as a defensive back as well.

Yet another halfback for the Warriors, junior Mike Ginther (5-foot-11, 180) is not a player to overlook. Ginther was the WCAL junior varsity MVP last season and will add some serious punch to this already impressive cast of athletes.

Junior Tim Najar (5-foot-9, 170) will join the crew of halfbacks as well as fighting to stop the ball as a defensive back. Najar was also an all-leaguer last season.

Bryan North (6-foot, 170) will have a busy job this season. North will not only be on both sides of the ball as a wide receiver and a defensive back, but he is also the place-kicker and he will be kicking off for the Warriors. North was also an all-leaguer on the JV squad last year.

Yet another JV all-leaguer is Travis Nilmeyer (5-foot-11, 200). Nilmeyer will be at the fullback spot this season, pounding his way through the line. Of course, when he isn't carrying the ball, he is hunting it down as a linebacker.

Junior A.J. Alvarez (5-foot-11, 190) will stick to the defensive side of the ball this year--just one more all-leaguer who will be roaming the middle looking for a victim as a linebacker this season.

And then there is Ryan Gardner (6-foot-2, 220). Gardner is the only sophomore joining the varsity this season, and is a promising addition to both the offensive and defensive lines.

"We have a very athletic group this year," said Machado. "We're young in some positions, but are coming along nicely."

Valley Christian is coming off of a great season and hopes to keep the momentum this year. The Warriors walked away as the Central Coast Section Division IV champions last year and finished with an overall record of 11-2.

Sept. 4, Hollister, 1 p.m.
Sept. 11, Milpitas, 1 p.m.
Sept. 25, McClymonds, 1 p.m.
Oct. 1, at Salinas, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 9, at Mitty, 2 p.m. *
Oct. 16, at Riordan, 1 p.m. *
Oct. 23, St. Ignatius, 1:30 p.m. *
Oct. 30, Serra, 1 p.m. *
Nov. 6, Bellarmine, 2 p.m. *
Nov. 12, at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m. *

* Denotes West Catholic Athletic League game

Boer, Wiitala win pre-season
community college honors

By Dick Sparrer

No football had been snapped, and the down markers had yet to move an inch.

Still, a couple of area community college football players were basking in the glory of the 2004 campaign two weeks before play was to begin when they were selected to a pre-season all-state football team.

Linemen Andrew Boer of West Valley College and Tim Wiitala of San Jose City College were each tabbed to the offensive unit on the all-state squad named by The JuCal Transfer, a recruiting guide that targets top community college athletes in California.

The two will be out to prove The JuCal Transfer right when they lead their teams into the '04 season in different divisions of the Coast Conference. And both teams are predicting success in the season ahead.

West Valley College

Boer, a big 6-foot-4, 308-pound tackle out of Branham High School, tops a list of four returning all-conference players from a West Valley team that won a conference championship with a 4-1 record last fall.

Defensive end Jon Espe (6-foot-1, 235/Los Gatos), offensive lineman Matt Medeiros (6-foot-5, 315/Santa Teresa) and defensive back Mohammed Zahriya (5-foot-11, 180/Leigh) join Boer as comeback all-conference players this fall.

In all, a dozen starters are back for head coach John Vlahos this season. Joining the all-leaguers are returning starters Tom Delash (5-foot-11, 215/Leigh) at running back, Matt Blanco (6-foot-4, 305/Branham) in the offensive line, wide receivers Evan Wallace (5-foot-11, 180/Wilcox), Jesse Enchill (6-foot-4, 208/Fremont) and Doug Specht (5-foot-10, 170/Leland), Nolan Johnson (6-foot-1, 220/Leigh) at linebacker and defensive backs Matt Mills (5-foot-11, 200/Westmont) and Orin Catrett (5-foot-11, 208/Live Oak).

Vlahos also welcomes a talented crop of incoming freshmen. Topping the list is talented Leigh wide receiver Tom Bingham (6-foot-2, 180). Running back Joe Teo (5-foot-11, 210/Independence), tight end Jason Kunkel (6-foot-3, 210/Mitty), linebacker Nick Zimmer (6-foot, 220/Oak Grove) and defensive backs Chris Cavanagh (6-foot, 200/Los Gatos) and Christian Cox (6-foot-2, 190/Wilcox) are other top prospects.

Freshmen Sean Manson (6-foot-3, 182/Mountain View) and Steve Keeley (6-foot, 194/Leigh) are battling for the starting job at quarterback.

San Jose City

Wiitala is a top returner from a San Jose City College team that had a substandard season last fall. The Jaguars, who last won a conference crown in 1988, posted a dismal 1-9 record in 2003.

But head coach Don Stagnaro is looking for big things from Wiitala and the Jaguars in the coming this season.

"We're looking for a complete turnaround," Stagnaro said. "There's a good nucleus here."

Wiitala, who Stagnaro says is a Division I recruit, will lead the charge in the offensive line for the Jags along with returners Ernest Clore, Aaron Peneueta and Setu Tifane. Transfer Chris Williams (from San José State University) and solid freshmen Matt O'Donnell (Santa Clara) and Alex Reyes (Santa Clara) are other top prospects up front.

All-conference returner Ike Ogamba is expected to star in the defensive line again this fall for San Jose. Returners Nick DeLeon and David Espinoza are also top prospects there along with transfer Charlie Kaine (from the University of Houston) and freshman Stefan Pierce (Piedmont Hills).

Kyle Farnham is a returner at quarterback for the Jaguars, but transfer Patrick Ames (from Gavilan) will battle for the position.

Freshman tight end Paul Puccinelli (Cupertino) figures to be a leading pass catcher along with wide receivers freshman Arvelle Thompson (Oak Grove) and transfers John Murphy (from Gavilan) and Byron Taplin (from West Valley).

Stephen Bradley, Jason Carranza and Albert Wright each return at the tailback spot with Mike Day (Leland) and Coby Calhoun (Madera) also looking for carries. Carlos Morales is a returner at halfback.

Letterman Stephen Contreras and transfer Josh Rodriguez (from San José State University) are top linebackers.

Sept. 4, College of Sequoias, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10, at Laney, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18, Chabot, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25, at San Mateo, 1 p.m.
Oct. 9, Solano, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16, at Hartnell 7 p.m. *
Oct. 23, at Cabrillo, 7 p.m. *
Oct. 30, De Anza, 7 p.m. *
Nov. 6, Monterey, 7 p.m. *
Nov. 13, Gavilan at Gilroy, 7 p.m. *

West Valley College 2004 Football Schedule

Sept. 3, Gavilan, 3 p.m.
Sept. 11, at City College of SF, 1 p.m.
Sept. 17, Santa Rosa, 3 p.m. *
Sept. 24, American River, 3 p.m. *
Oct. 2, at Foothill, 7 p.m. *
Oct. 15, at Laney, 7 p.m. **
Oct. 22, Diablo Valley, 3 p.m. **
Oct. 29, Chabot, 3 p.m. **
Nov. 6, at Los Medanos, 7 p.m. **
Nov. 13, at Modesto, 7 p.m. **

*Denotes Coast Conference game
** Denotes division game

* Denotes Coast Conference game