BVAL ‘A’ division appears wide open
MORGAN HILL — Seldom has the Mount Hamilton Division been so wide open.
The Blossom Valley Athletic League’s top conference was dominated by Oak Grove for most of the past decade but began to open up in 2009 as the Eagles plummeted under first-year coach Jay Braun.
The Pioneer Mustangs went undefeated through league play, sending longtime coach Mark Krail out with a championship, but narrowly beat Leland and Live Oak. The Central Coast Section playoff-bound top four teams were separated by a single win.
“It was a fight to the finish last year,” Leland coach Mike Carrozzo said. “It really could have gone to any of the top teams.”
This year’s title chase should be even more wide open. The Mount Hamilton returned seven members and replaced winless Lincoln with Santa Teresa Division champion Hill.
“We play in a very tough league this year,” Live Oak coach Jon Michael Porras said. “There will be, at least, five or six teams that think they can win our league.”
(2009 overall, league records in parenthesis)
Hill (7-1-2, 6-0-1): The conference’s newest member is coming off a whirlwind season that may have been the start of a winning trend for the Falcons.
Hill’s 25-player senior class in 2009 would raise eyebrows if the team didn’t return 20 varsity veterans this fall. They include junior Richard Meek, a rising star who had 11 catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and senior linebacker Irie Rivera, whose 3.5 sacks were third-most on the team. Senior defensive back Miguel Ortiz (6-foot-3, 170 pounds) had three interceptions a year ago.
Coming off a 52-24 playoff loss to Salinas, first-year coach Jake Redmond’s Falcons will be out to prove they belong playing with the area’s elite teams.
Leigh (4-6, 2-5): Last year didn’t look like a rebuilding one for the Longhorns until league play began.
Leigh had an experienced senior class but was up and down in close games, losing by two scores or less to Menlo, Leland and Live Oak. It could easily have been a different season for the Longhorns under coach Shawn Thomas.
Leigh welcomed back few players from last year but has veterans in key places, starting with the league’s top returning quarterback, Nick De La Cruz. As a junior, De La Cruz threw for 14 touchdowns and 1,859 yards. Wideout Larry Donald, De La Cruz’s favorite target, also is back.
Turnover might be good for Leigh’s defense, which surrendered 31.5 points a game in 2009.
Leland (8-4, 5-2): Though they graduated most of the core talent from a team that reach reached the Division II quarterfinals, the Carrozzo-led Chargers have had a knack for quick turnarounds.
Three second-team all-leaguers are leading the way this year in senior defensive end Michael Reeve, senior linebacker Stephen Economy and junior defensive back Chris Santini. Leland’s D should be stout.
The Chargers’ wing-T attack produced two 1,000-yard rushers in 2009, and senior running back Donnell Dudley is next in line.
Leland lacks size up front but will be quick.
Oak Grove (4-6, 3-4): Two years removed from winning the Open Division championship, the Eagles were talonless in 2009.
Oak Grove’s drive to redemption is headed by, pound for pound, the biggest crop of linemen in the division. First-team all-league selection Leo “Tiny” Navarro, a 6-foot-4, 330-pound senior, anchors both sides as one of four Eagles linemen measuring 6-foot-2 or taller and tipping the scales above 250.
Senior Scotty Lawyer is arguably the best tight end in the league, and wide receiver/defensive back Cleveland Wallace earned league Sophomore of the Year honors in 2009 with 692 total yards, 48 tackles and six interceptions.
Piedmont Hills (9-3, 6-1): The departure of MVP quarterback Joshua McCain and 1,100-yard rusher Derek Stewart leaves the Pirates in rebuilding mode for 2010.
Repeating last year’s success will be a tall order, but Piedmont Hills returns a few holdovers, including 6-foot-2 wideouts Rodney McKenzie and Stephen Anderson, a league Co-Junior of the Year. Both came close to 1,000 yards receiving in 2009.
First-team all-league lineman Aaron Moorman and linebacker Jonah Moon, the Pirates’ leader in sacks last season, are also back.
Pioneer (10-1, 7-0): The Mustangs’ cupboard wasn’t exactly full when Krail left the program for greener pastures this offseason. To repeat as league champions, Pioneer will need several new faces to step up in 2010. The team welcomed back 26 varsity veterans but few starters.
The defense appears in good hands; seniors Save Fassolo and Adil Charki had more than 50 tackles last year at defensive tackle and linebacker, respectively.
Junior running back Brandon Henry should get most of the carries after rushing for almost 300 yards as a junior.
Santa Teresa (3-7, 1-6): There is reason to believe the Saints could finish in the top four after a humbling first season in the Mount Hamilton.
Quarterback D.J. Renteria is a year wiser and coming off a decent junior year in which he threw for 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns — to eight interceptions.
One of the team’s biggest offensive weapons could be Jeno Cornejo, a junior running back/defensive back who was all over the field in 2009. Cornejo had 612 return yards, 298 yards rushing and receiving and two interceptions.
Senior linebacker James Sandoval’s 82 tackles were third most on the team a year ago.
