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Balance in Santa Teresa Division
Willow Glen, Pioneer ready for 1999 football season
By Dick Sparrer
There are tougher football leagues in the Central Coast Section than the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
But for sheer balance, you'd be hard-pressed to find any division more competitive than the Santa Teresa circuit this fall.
Sure, Willow Glen and Piedmont Hills are the preseason favorites to win it all this season. But balance throughout the pack should make the race very competitive in the 1999 campaign.
Of the seven teams in the division, three--Piedmont Hills, Del Mar and Independence--have played up in the rugged Mt. Hamilton Division. Two of them--Prospect and Piedmont Hills--are former Santa Teresa Division champions, and three others--Willow Glen, Westmont and Pioneer--have won titles in the West Valley Division.
Willow Glen is gunning for a fourth straight trip to the CCS playoffs, and Westmont moves up to the division after winning the West Valley crown a year ago. Del Mar and Independence drop down to the division after playing in Mt. Hamilton competition last fall.
Put it all together, and you end up with a balanced, competitive division that should be headed into a lively race in 1999.
Willow Glen
The coaches of the Santa Teresa Division are in agreement on at least one thing this season--Willow Glen is the team to beat.
There are a couple of good reasons everyone is picking the Rams as the favorites ... and their names are David Macchi and Leon Thomas.
Macchi (6-foot, 175) returns for his third varsity season behind the center for the Rams. The senior quarterback was named the sophomore of the year, then the junior of the year in the Santa Teresa Division.
Macchi threw for more than 3,200 yards and completed 32 touchdown passes last season to finish the year as the seventh-rated high school quarterback in the state.
Thomas (6-foot-2, 195) was the league's outstanding back last season and returns this year for his senior season. He's a fast, hard-to-bring-down running back, and he doubles as a tough-hitting strong safety.
"We arguably have the two best players at their respective positions in the CCS in Macchi and Thomas," said Willow Glen head coach Sonny Flores.
The two top a list of solid senior returners at Willow Glen, including an offensive line anchored by a couple of comeback all-leaguers.
Fernando Betancourt (6-foot-2, 235) and Ben D'Antonio (5-foot-11, 215) were each named to the all-league second team for the Rams last year.
Betancourt and senior Erik Lupercio (6-foot-2, 250) are returners at tackle for the Rams. D'Antonio will start at one guard spot, and senior Seth Andrews (5-foot-11, 255) is back at center.
All-league second team returner senior Kyran Warren (6-foot-3, 245) returns to his linebacker spot to join Thomas in leading the Rams defensively.
Betancourt and D'Antonio are the club's defensive ends, with senior returners Chris Cumbo (6-foot-2, 275) and Greg Mansfield (6-foot-3, 240) back on the defensive line.
Seniors Will Rideau, Vidal Cibrian, David Estrella, Shane Lamar, Mike Strangis and Daniel Lopez are top returners in the defensive secondary, and they will also make up the nucleus of the receiving corps for the Rams.
"We've got a great group of seniors who have been working hard in the off-season," added Flores, "and we have a strong junior class with good size and talent. We have a handful of juniors who can start or be key reserves right away."
Top junior prospects joining the Willow Glen varsity this fall are Gabe Candelaria (5-foot-9, 170), a wide receiver and cornerback who won all-league honors and was the team most valuable player on the frosh-soph last year; Matt Durkin (6-foot-4, 225), a tight end and linebacker who also made all-league on the frosh-soph; Jesse Hendricks (6-foot-5, 235), and offensive tackle and linebacker out for football for the first time after starring as a wrestler for the Rams; and Scott Wallberg, a talented kicker.
Flores rates Piedmont Hills, Independence, Del Mar and Pioneer as top contenders in the division this fall, but he's not shy about predicting his own club's finish-- 10-0.
Pioneer
The Mustangs battled through a sub-.500 season a year ago and posted a 2-4 record in league play to finish in the lower half of the Santa Teresa Division standings.
But second-year head coach Mark Krail is hoping for better things in 1999, and he has a dozen returning starters to try to make that hope a reality.
Krail, like most other coaches in the division, expects Willow Glen and Piedmont Hills to be the league favorites.
"They are definitely the top two on paper right now," said the Pioneer boss. "And Westmont looks pretty good, too. But I would be surprised if we're not up there in that first tier."
Returning all-league running back Mike Wiens (5-foot-10, 185) tops the list of Pioneer returners this fall. Wiens, a three-year varsity starter, gobbled up more than 600 yards last season on his way to a place on the all-league first team.
All-league second teamers Sean Sarsfield (5-foot-8, 170), Brian Davis (6-foot-1, 185), Shane Esposito (5-foot-9, 190), Adam Ferla (6-foot, 200) and Travis Murdock (6-foot-3, 190) are other top returners for the Mustangs this season.
Davis is a speedy, talented wide receiver who figures to be the Pioneer go-to guy this fall. Murdock is another top pass-catcher who will start at tight. Both will serve double-duty on defense, Davis in the secondary and Murdock at defensive end.
Esposito, a senior defensive end, and Ferla, a junior linebacker, are other top defensive stars for Pioneer, and Sarsfield is back to go both ways as a junior running back and defensive back.
Senior Kevin Sparrer (6-foot, 225) and junior Nick Davalle (5-foot-10, 215) are returning starters in the offensive line. Sparrer, another three-year varsity starter, is back at tackle for the Mustangs, and Davalle moves from center to guard.
Seniors Sal Baglione (6-foot, 205) and Landers Niven (5-foot-11, 185) are comeback starters on defense. Baglione is back in the defensive line, and Niven returns at linebacker.
Baglione, Sparrer, Davalle and junior Josh McDonnell (6-foot-1, 215) are expected to share time in the defensive front, with Murdock, Esposito and junior returner Kyle Terry (5-foot-10, 195) working as defensive ends.
Sparrer and McDonnell are the starting offensive tackles, with Murdock at tight end, Baglione and Davalle at guards and junior Steve Larussa (6-foot-2, 240) at center.
"We're real encouraged by our offensive line," said Krail.
Returning starter Sean Hallihan (5-foot-9, 175) will join Sarsfield, Davis and junior Dan Scheffer (5-foot-19, 165) in the defensive backfield, and Hallihan, Sarsfield and sophomore Jacob French (5-foot-10, 170) will rotate through at the running back spot alongside Wiens.
Much of Pioneer's success will depend on the progress of junior quarterback Tim Scheffer (5-foot-11, 170), who is playing his first varsity season.
"We were real happy with him in the scrimmage (Friday against Leigh)," said Krail of his QB. "His composure was real good."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
