Saratoga News
Cover Story
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Returning Saratoga two-way starter Gabe Essner is one of many talented football players featured.
Huddle Up
High school football players ready for the 2007
By Dick Sparrer
Quarterback Kyle Guengerich doesn't figure to get much attention when he climbs in behind the center to take snaps for the Saratoga High School football team this fall.
After all, his own offensive linemen will turn their backs on him, and the opposing defenders may have trouble getting through those linemen to get close to him.
It's that offensive line that looks to be a strength for the Falcons this fall as they begin their quest for a championship in their second consecutive season in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
Head coach Kurt Heinrich likes what he sees as he leads his club into the 2007 campaign.
"We're coming off an outstanding season," said Heinrich. "The 8-2 record, returning experience, a great showing at the Cal Camp and terrific effort in the weight room will help shape an exciting season."
Leading the charge for the Falcons will be a bigger, more experienced crew in the offensive front wall than Saratoga has had in recent years.
Three-year starter David Pignatelli, a 6-foot-1, 215-pounder, is a top returner at right tackle who joins letterman Zach Kowitz (6-foot-3, 235) up front. Both are comeback starters in the O line.
"Both David and Zach are big, mobile and have a world of experience to call upon," said Heinrich of his talented "bookend" tackles.
Senior guard Bryan Dodge (6-foot-1, 205) joins the two tackles as a returning starter in the line. "Bryan has prepared well for his senior season," said Heinrich. "He has just enough nastiness to make things interesting."
In the middle of the line, Saratoga features junior Scott Thoren (6-foot-1, 205), who Heinrich said is the "early favorite at center. Scott snapped every ball at the Cal Camp and didn't leave one on the ground."
The Falcons have three players locked in a battle for the starting job at right guard. Senior Savmaan Vahabi (6-foot, 210) is competing with juniors Matt Hawks (6-foot-1, 230) and Raymond Boales (6-foot-2, 200) for the position.
"[Vahabi] had paid the great price in the off season," said Heinrich. "He has set his jaw and went to work in order to make his senior season all it can be."
Heinrich said that Hawks has come "up from the frosh-soph as one of the best offensive linemen available. He was thrown into the action at Cal and responded very well."
Of Boales, the coach said he "is as physically imposing a young man as we have ever coached. He is a raw talent with a tremendous amount of upside."
Saratoga will feature another returning starter at the end of the line in senior tight end Matt Keating (6-foot-1, 195).
"Matt is another shining example of hard work in the off season," said Heinrich. "He committed himself to getting faster by running for the Saratoga track team."
Junior Alex Wokas (6-foot-3, 200) will also work at tight end and will see some playing time at wide receiver.
"Alex was a standout wideout for the frosh-soph last season," said the coach. "His size will allow flexibility for us."
The big, experienced crew up front will offer plenty of protection for Guengerich (5-foot-10, 170), the favorite at the quarterback spot. Still, the job is wide open at this point in the season with juniors Michael Gercio (5-foot-9, 165) and Casey (5-foot-10, 165) pushing Guengerich for the job.
"The quarterback spot will be very competitive and the kid who consistently moves the offense will lead the team," said Heinrich.
Right now the leader in that race is Guengerich.
"Kyle returns with the most experience," said Heinrich of Guengerich. "He received a lot of snaps last year and had an outstanding Cal Camp. His speed and athleticism will create problems for opposing defenses.
"Kyle really should have a breakout season. He throws a ball with a lot of touch and will have big targets when we go to the air."
But the coach adds that Gercio, last year's frosh-soph starter, is "a relentless worker--we fully expect Mike to push Kyle for time. He's a heady kid who understands the offense."
Heinrich adds that Farmer "will also get a significant look at quarterback. He's a terrific athlete that can do a lot of things for us."
Whoever the quarterback may be, he will have a solid corps of receivers to throw to, led by senior returner Keon Ghafouri (6-foot, 175).
"Keon is an outstanding athlete," said Heinrich. "He combines speed, jumping ability and a knack for the big play. His game winning catch against Live Oak last year with no time left is a perfect example of what he can do athletically."
Cullen Bowen (6-foot-3, 170) is another senior standout at wide receiver.
"He's a glider," said the coach of Bowen. "He has tricky speed with long strides; Cullen can eat up yards quickly. He runs great patterns and has excellent hands."
Senior Andy Capek (6-foot-3, 190) is a three-year starter at wide receiver who "combines size, speed and hands," said the coach. "He really is the complete package. He improved his speed to 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash."
Junior Michael Beam (5-foot-9, 150) moves up from the frosh-soph and is expected to play a key role on the varsity.
As strong as the Falcons are up front offensively, the running backs look to be equally as strong. Led by senior fullbacks Gabe Essner (6-foot, 200) and Steven Walker (6-foot, 190) and junior running back Matt Spencer (5-foot-10, 170) and senior back Pete Florence (5-foot-11, 180), the Saratoga running attack looks strong.
"We return an excellent offensive backfield," said Heinrich. "At fullback, we can roll a couple of sturdy kids at the defense [in Essner and Walker]. Both kids are naturally strong, fast and instinctual."
"Steven had a fantastic Cal Camp; he got us the tough short yards, but was also able to use his speed for big plays. He'll be a load to bring down."
"Gabe showed a sneak peak of what Falcons fans can expect when he ran for close to 200 yards in a handful of carries last year against Lynbrook," added the coach. "He's a natural running back who has great instincts on when to cut and his ability to be his own blocker gives our offense the needed physical play to keep drives alive."
Spencer is coming off of a super sophomore season and Heinrich expects him to be even better this fall.
"Matt will be special," said Heinrich. "He's a student of the game. He pays attention and knows the responsibilities of all the other positions. That's a rare thing for a kid his age.
"How is he as a player? Unique. Matt had a lot of shake and bake in his game. He always makes the first guy miss."
Florence will be another force in the Saratoga backfield.
"Pete will be as good as any kid we've coached," said Heinrich. "His center of gravity allows him to cut on a dime. He's a strong runner with excellent speed, and he runs as well between the tackles as he does on the edge. Not a lot of high school kids can do both.
"We think he will be one of the best backs in the Central Coast Section."
Scott McKenzie (5-foot-9, 155) and Dylan D'Ercole (5-foot-9, 145) are a couple of senior backs expected to get their chances to run the football.
"Scott is as tough as a $2 steak," said Heinrich. "Although undersized, he doesn't take a step backwards; he gives you everything he has in his body. He's a quiet leader and worked his tail off in preparation for his senior year."
D'Ercole also worked hard to get ready for his senior season.
"He's a hard-nosed kid, and it's clear that playing football is very important to him," said Heinrich of D'Ercole. "We expect him to contribute in all three phases of the game--offense, defense and kicking."
On the defensive side, Essner will join Kowitz and Keating as returning starters who figure to lead the attack. Jasper Loren (5-foot-10, 170) will give the Falcons in the defensive front.
Heinrich is impressed with the crew in the defensive backfield where he said they "will have excellent speed."
Juniors Sina Ouraie (5-foot-11, 170) and Timothy Yen (5-foot-11, 165) are top prospects in the secondary and senior Jonathan Yen (5-foot-10, 170) has been impressive in the line.
Rounding out the list of seniors on the Saratoga squad are Alex Bierach (6-foot-2, 180), tight end and defensive back; Brendan Heller (6-foot, 200), offensive and defensive line; Nikhil Kaul, offensive and defensive line; and Benjamin Mariani (5-foot-8, 165), defensive back. Other juniors include Justin El Diwany (5-foot-9, 150), running back and defensive back; Darrek Emerson (5-foot-8, 150), running back and defensive back; Jens Karren (6-foot-3, 180), tight end and defensive back; Mike Pregulman (6-foot, 180), wide receiver and defensive back; Sina Ouraie (5-foot-11, 170), running back and defensive back; and Tom Wydra, offensive line and linebacker.
The Falcons were to open the season on Aug. 31 at home against Saratoga and will head to Morgan Hill this week to face Live Oak on Sept. 7, 7 p.m. The El Camino Division season begins Sept. 28 when Saratoga hosts Cupertino.
Falcons have their chances, but fall to M-A
The Saratoga Falcons certainly had their chances when they opened the season at home against Menlo-Atherton on Friday night, and no one knows it better than head football coach Kurt Heinrich.
"We had plenty of opportunities, we just couldn't execute down the stretch," said Heinrich moments after the tough 21-13 non-league loss. "I was pleased with the way we played, but we couldn't execute when it got down to it."
It's not like the Falcons didn't have their chances.
There was the kick-off that Menlo-Atherton fumbled away to the Falcons after Saratoga's second touchdown; there was the 15-yard punt by the Bears that gave the Falcons possession at the M-A 32; there was the missed field goal in the third quarter; and there was Keon Ghafouri's 23-yard punt return to the M-A 21.
"We knew that they were more tired than we were in the end," said Heinrich. "But when we needed poise, we didn't have it."
"We'll learn from it, though," he added. "You get the most growth from game one to game two than at any other time."
The Falcons will need to grow, and grow in a hurry. They hit the road this week to visit a solid Live Oak club on Sept. 7, 7 p.m., in Morgan Hill. The Acorns rank among the title favorites in the rugged Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and have a little extra incentive--the Falcons beat them last season on a last second touchdown.
Saratoga appeared tentative when the game began last Friday, getting flagged for a penalty on the first play of the night and then losing a yard on the next three plays.
The Falcons punted from their own 24-yard line, but the Bears fumbled the kick and Matt Keating was there to recover for Saratoga. That's when the Falcons started to move.
An eight-yard run by fullback Gabe Essner and a seven-yard dash on a crucial fourth down play by Matt Spencer gave the Falcons a first down at the M-A 34--a first down thanks to an alert play by center Scott Thoren, who pounced on Spencer's fumble at the end of his run to help Saratoga maintain possession.
Kyle Guengerich tossed six yards to Ghafouri and six more to Pete Florence to give the Falcons a first and goal at the 4-yard line. Spencer went over the left side behind big tackle Zack Kowitz for the touchdown and Casey Farmer kicked the extra point to put Saratoga up 7-0 with 6:14 left in the first period.
The clubs traded the football--Saratoga fumbling it away--before the Bears scored to tie it 7-7 just over a minute and a half into the second quarter, but the Falcons came right back.
A couple of runs by Florence for 21 yards, three carries by Farmer for 17 and Guengerich passes to Spencer for six and Andy Capek for five set up a 29-yard scoring toss from Guengerich to Cullen Bowen. The extra point attempt sailed wide right, but the Falcons were up 13-7 with 6:32 to play in the half.
That's when Saratoga got its first real break. Jasper Loren rocked the M-A kick returner to force a fumble and Michael Guercio recovered for the Falcons at the Bears' 42. But after a couple of Essner runs for 10 yards and a first down and an M-A personal foul moved the Falcons to the 17, Saratoga fumbled again.
The Bears moved down the field and appeared poised to score when Essner hit the M-A quarterback as he threw the football and Bowen interception at the goal line with just 1:11 left in the half. Saratoga ran out the remaining moments and took a 13-7 edge in at the break.
Menlo-Atherton scored right away in the second half to go up 14-13, and the Bears picked off a Saratoga pass moments later. But the Falcons rose to the occasion defensively and stopped the Bears cold thanks to tackles by Kowitz, Keating and Tim Yen and a key quarterback sack by Steven Walker--the first of his two in the game.
"Defensively we did everything we needed to do to get a win," said Heinrich. The Falcons allowed 287 total yards, but more than half of that--151 yards--came on M-A's three touchdown plays.
The Bears were forced to punt the ball away, and that was break No. 2. The 15-yard punt fell dead at the M-A 32, and the Falcons seemed be in business again. But despite a 12-yard dash by Essner, the Falcons stalled at the 12-yard line, and a 28-yard field attempt sailed wide right.
Once again the Saratoga defense stepped up, Essner forcing an M-A fumble that the Bears were able to recover but for a two-yard loss and Walker nailing his second sack. The Bears punted again: Break No. 3.
Ghafouri zipped left for a 23-yard return to the M-A 21-yard line, but the Falcons went four plays and out.
The Bears answered with a 66-yard touchdown run to go up 21-13 with 7:30 left in the game.
Saratoga managed one last threat, a drive from their own 19 to the M-A 19 that featured a 32-yard pass from Guengerich to Spencer and two Guengerich tosses to Ghafouri for 11 and 14 yards. But another interception ended the drive, and M-A maintained possession the rest of the way to seal the victory.
Guengerich finished the night hitting on 12 of 19 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted twice. Ghafouri snagged six passes for 59 yards, Spencer two for 28, Bowen one for 29, Florence two for seven and Capek one for five.
Florence led the ground attack with 49 yards on 15 carries. Essner ran seven times for 37 yards, Farmer had eight totes for 25 yards and Spencer carried six times for 19.
Joining Kowitz up front offensively were guards Bryan Dodge and Saumaan Vahabi and tackle David Pignatelli, along with Thoren at center and Keating at tight end.
Essner led the Falcons with 11 tackles and Loren and Kowitz both had seven. Bowen and Scott McKenzie had five apiece, and Keating, Walker and Yen had four each. Darrek Emerson and Jonathan Yen had two each.
