Article 328: Paly muffs, Mitty wins

September 15, 2012

Palo Alto came into this matchup with a high octane passing game while Archbishop Mitty boasted an efficient ground attack. Both offenses put up four touchdowns each. However, the Vikings muffed its fourth extra point attempt to end up on the losing end 28-27.

The scoring started off with a 16 yard run by Mitty's Chandler Ramirez in the first quarter. Following a turnover by Mitty, Palo Alto's Matt Tolbert ran it in from nine yards out to tie the game. The Vikings' highly touted quarterback, Keller Chryst, completed a 46 yard scoring play to Malcolm Davis for Palo Alto's only lead of the game at 14-7.

Mitty sophomore Dakari Monroe took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards to tie the game at 14 apiece. The Monarchs displayed an efficient offense as quarterback Wyatt Hansen passed for a 16 yard touchdown to Andrew Scott to conclude the half with Mitty leading 21-14.

The third quarter went scoreless but setup an eventful final quarter. Kyle Evans ran 13 yards to put Mitty up 28-14 with over seven minutes left in the game. The Vikings countered with a three minute drive that resulted in Tolbert running six yards for a score to cut the deficit to 28-21.

The Vikings forced a punt and struck with another Chryst to Davis pass play of 65 yards but the extra point attempt's snap was muffed to conclude the scoring at 28-27.

Palo Alto got the ball back with 55 seconds but Chryst was sacked and fumbled the ball away to end the game.

Offensive Comparison: The Monarchs' running game is the focal point of the offense with Ramirez being a sturdy runner and Hansen capable of running the option. Despite being undersized, Hansen displayed an accurate and strong arm. Hansen plays in the same vein as former Boston College Eagle, Doug Flutie.

Only a junior, Paly's Chryst put up big numbers as a sophomore and should do the same in his junior season. The receivers are undersized but speedy. Tolbert can help add some balance as he did run for two scores in the game.

Defenses Hold: The Monarchs line was able to sack Chryst several times and disrupt his flow. But when the line did not apply pressure and gave Chryst time to throw, the Viking quarterback was accurate as he did have those two long touchdown passes.

Palo Alto's defense had a bend but not break performance. Mitty was able to move the ball well against Palo Alto but did not capitalize on all their scoring chances. The defense will be shielded by the offense's ability to put up points.

Special Teams the Difference: In addition to the Monroe kickoff return, the Monarchs had a few other good kickoff returns and the punting was solid in its distance.

The Vikings employed the speedy wide receiver Davis in the return game as he displayed good elusiveness. Chryst also served as the punter but was at best average in his punts. And the missed extra point was the difference in the game.

Next Steps and Analysis: Mitty has a bye week before playing Serra and Bellarmine consecutively. That stretch could determine the West Catholic Athletic League. Mitty moved the ball well offensively as Hansen is a solid dual threat. The defense was able to apply pressure and win the battle of the trenches. To win the WCAL, Mitty will have to win that battle.

The Vikings play hometown rival Gunn before the De Anza League play starts. Palo Alto is still the favorite in their league. Chryst was harassed consistently in the backfield but was accurate with his passes when given time. The defense looked porous at times. Palo Alto should be able to outscore most of its opponents until the postseason rolls around.

Article 327: Spencer for Hire

September 14, 2012

The football season is early but the Inderkum Tigers have posted two impressive wins to stand at 2-0. A big matchup looms against Pleasant Grove. As always, the play at the quarterback position could be big as Inderkum sends out 2014 prospect, CJ Spencer, in that critical role.

At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Spencer is a dual threat quarterback who has the athleticism to force defenses to respect both his passing and running ability. As a result, his ability could be compared to former Oregon Duck Jeremiah Masoli or Syracuse Orange Donovan Mcnabb. Ironically, Spencer's father played for Oregon as a linebacker before transferring to Southern Oregon to finish his collegiate eligibility.

In their first two games of the season, Inderkum has outscored their opponents 73 to 14. Spencer accounted for 258 yards passing in those two games that included two touchdown passes and a 30 yard field goal as the team's placekicker.

Offensive Coach Terrance Leonard (aka to the players as "Coach T") says, "CJ's strengths are his leadership, his football IQ, his drive to get better, and he is a natural winner. He studies the field breaks down the defensive tendencies and weaknesses. He is able to translate that info to the coach on the field during the game."

Despite entering the season as a varsity starter for the first time, Spencer's physical attributes already has garnered him recruiting attention as Arizona, Boise State, Iowa State, San Jose State, and Washington State have cursory interest in the junior prospect. For Inderkum, Spencer runs the Wing T offense that utilizes his footwork and quickness. Spencer often looks for his favorite wide receiver in Tyler Dean who transferred back to Inderkum from Rancho Cucamonga.

Spencer is looking for a college that has strong academics and that has a history of producing NFL quarterbacks. He currently sports a 3.50 GPA with Math and Science as his favorite subjects as he would like to major in Sports Medicine.

The Inderkum coaching staff believes that Spencer is a likely Division I quarterback prospect who has all the intangibles, is a hard worker, good speed, arm strength, and the drive to continue to get better. His passing is also solid as he has a good spiral that is easy to catch and well placed.

During the past summer, Spencer attended football camps at Oklahoma and Oregon. He was the quarterback MVP at the UC Davis camp and the Cal State Underclassmen showcase. Off the field, Spencer watches football games to learn additional nuances of the game. He runs a small business that involves making organic dog food treats for local pet hospitals in the area.

Inderkum is looking to win the Tri-County League for a sixth straight year. But the Tigers need a signature non-conference win against Pleasant Grove this Friday. A big performance by the Tigers' signal-caller could be an indicator that Spencer is indeed for hire on the next level.

Article 326: DLS rings the Bells

September 1, 2012

Both Bellarmine and De La Salle replaced Division I quarterbacks from last season's teams. But the Spartans looked to be already in midseason form as both their offense and defense were dominant in both team's season opener that was played at San Jose City College. De La Salle ran its winning streak to 12 games with a 41-7 victory.

Scoring summary: In the first half, De La Salle ran out to a 28-0 lead before closing the half with a 35-7 margin. The lone score in the second half would come in the first 20 seconds as the Spartans held a 41-7 lead for the rest of the half as the two teams traded punts for the rest of the game.

Spartan running back, Tiapepe Vitale, had three touchdown runs that were highlighted by opening half possession runs of 79 and 27 yards respectively. Quarterback Chris Williams had two short touchdown runs and one 58 yard pass play to Austin Hooper. The Bells lone score was a 55 yard bomb from K.J. Carta-Samuels to Jared Vallner.

Unit Breakdown: De La Salle's running game looks to be deep as senior Vitale is the featured back and has junior Das Tautalatasi backing him up. Lefty quarterback Williams has good size to run the ground game but also displayed a crisp pass when the run setup the pass. The Spartan line dominated in the trenches and helped pave several running lanes throughout the game.

The Bells had a difficult time establishing any rhythm. When given time, Carta-Samuels displayed a strong arm that delivered catchable passes. The running game's effectiveness may have been stifled by the Spartan defense and should see better days against lesser defenses.

Defense: The Spartan front seven was consistently in the Bells' backfield and harassing Carta-Samuels. The defense's speed also limited any big running play as the lone big play surrendered was the Bells' passing touchdown. This Spartan defense looks prime to give up fewer than 100 points for the entire year.

Last year's front seven for the boys from San Jose was core to the defense and replacing that senior laden group was going to be difficult. This year's team had trouble containing the running game and gave up several big plays.

Special Teams: The kicking game of the Spartans missed a few extra points but the two point conversions helped offset two of those miscues. A second half kickoff return by Allan Marion to the Bells 27 was impressive. The punting game also won the field position battle with a few punts within the opponents' 20 yard line.

The Bells had several kickoff return opportunities but did not make any real spectacular returns. The punting game had one mishandled snap and a few wobbly kicks.

Next Steps and Analysis: De La Salle plays Colorado power Mullen who went through some turmoil during the summer as they had a coaching change. The following week will be a visit from St. Mary's of Stockton.

If there were any major question marks going into the season, the offense would be it as a new quarterback brings much uncertainty. But with Williams' opening game performance with a balanced running game and a vaunted defense, De La Salle looks hard pressed not to be a comfortable favorite in every regular season game.

Bellarmine will look to bounce back with non-league games against San Leandro and Piedmont Hills.

Whereas De La Salle had some questions answered, the Bells still have several remaining. Was the performance of both the offense and defense due to De La Salle's skill level? Carta-Samuels looks to be promising as the Vanderbilt commit has an accurate and strong arm when given the proper time. The middle of the season has consecutive league games against Archbishop Mitty, Serra, and St. Francis that could make or break their league standings.