By DICK SPARRER
Ron DeMonner was concerned about Mountain View.
And the Fremont football coach had good reason for such concern--the Spartans were the preseason favorites in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, and they were destroying every team in their path.
Until Fremont, that is.
The Firebirds pulled off what can only be classified as an upset of major proportions, at least if recent history is considered.
Fremont won just one game last year, while the Spartans won seven games and advanced to the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs.
The Firebirds were expected to be improved this fall, but it was the Spartans picked to win the division title and return to the playoffs.
At least, that's what was supposed to happen. DeMonner and his Firebirds had other ideas. They blanked Mountain View 18-0 last Friday on homecoming night, and the win leaves the 'Birds in the El Camino driver's seat.
Fremont is 4-0 in the division with just two league games to play--a Nov. 1, 3 p.m., clash at Los Altos, and a Nov. 15 game at Lynbrook. The Eagles are 0-6 this season and the Vikings are 0-7.
The Spartans took a 2-0 division record into Friday's game, and their only loss this season was a nonleague setback at the hands of De Anza Division powerhouse Los Gatos.
Mustangs win big
Homestead has had winning seasons and been to the Central Coast Section playoffs--but they've never been able to win a division title. And it's all because of one thing--they could never beat Los Gatos.
But you know what they say: "Never say never."
Homestead could be on track for a division title this fall, and the Mustangs put themselves in that position with an impressive 41-14 win over Los Gatos last Friday night.
The Mustangs ran their division record to 4-0 and their season mark to 6-1 with the big win. Homestead's only loss this fall was a season-opening defeat at the hands of defending CCS champion Aragon. The Dons are 6-1 this fall.
Tony Elam led the Mustangs to the win over the Cats last week. The senior speedster raced for 248 yards and three touchdowns to pace Homestead.
Elam blasted over from the four in the first period to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead, but Gatos tied it early in the second. Homestead, though, scored five straight touchdowns before the Cats could score again late in the game.
Elam went 82 yards for a second-period TD that gave the Mustangs a 13-7 lead, and he scored on a 35-yard run before the half. John Hanneman tossed to Ben Amiwero for the two-point conversion, and Homestead led 21-7 at intermission.
Hanneman took over the scoring in the second half, scoring on an 11-yard run in the third period and a one-yard run in the fourth.
Amiwero went to the air to hit Andrew Delgado for a final touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Mustangs were in control 41-7.
Los Gatos scored late in the game, but it was too little, too late for the Wildcats, who had beaten the Mustangs in thrilling come-from-behind fashion in each of the past two seasons.
The Mustangs will now zero in on Wilcox, a preseason favorite which has struggled to a 3-4 record in the first seven games this season. The Chargers, 35-0 winners over Los Altos in a nonleague game last week, are 1-2 in league play--but that win came against Los Gatos.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 30, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.