Article 258: Cohan under the radar

November 9, 2011

Monte Vista Christian is 8-1 heading into the postseason. A big part of that success has been quarterback Taylor Cohan. Last season, the 6-foot-3, 200 pound senior led the Mustangs to a 7-3 record while throwing for 1,928 yards and 22 touchdowns that earned him first team honors in the Monterey Bay League. His career stats are nearing 4,300 passing yards and 55 TDs (24 of them this season).

Monte Vista Christian Coach David Reese says, "Taylor is very smart (over a 4.0 GPA) and a student of the game. He watches a lot of film of our opponent each week. He has a very strong arm and also good size and strength to go with it. He is a very strong leader both on and off the field. As a third year starter, he is like having a coach on the field."

The current schools that are in contact with Cohan include California, Cornell, Georgetown, Harvard, Holy Cross, Penn, Princeton, UC Davis, and San Diego. As of now, Cohan has an offer from Penn. With a 4.25 GPA and 2180 SAT score, he is academically eligible.

Cohan has these thoughts about his recruiting. "The Ivy League and New England schools are a great opportunity for me to get a great education and play football at a high level. Also, I've been watching Aaron Rodgers dominate the NFL this year and I've tried to model my game after his play this year cause of his strong accurate arm and ability to extend plays."

Cohan models his game after former Cal Bear Rodgers. Cohan is a pro style quarterback who plays in a west coast, spread offense. This scheme takes advantage of his arm strength, accuracy, and ability to read defenses. His best football skill is being able to read the defense and put the ball where he wants to with good accuracy and velocity.

During the offseason, he worked the most on his footwork and timing with his receivers and quarterback coach Adam Tafralis. In addition, he also worked a lot with his offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Lonzo Caves. Cohan also had throwing sessions with former Fresno State Bulldog Trent Dilfer.

Coach Reese adds, "As good as Taylor is at football, he is even better at being a student and teammate. Taylor will do whatever it takes to get the job done. His work ethic is second to none and I think he has what is needed to play NCAA football, at what level time will tell."

Cohan is originally from the Bay Area but moved to Aptos during his freshman year. He hopes that he will be able to lead his Mustangs deep into the Division IV playoffs. After that, he hopes to take his game to the college level.

Article 257: Johnson pulls the trigger

October 26, 2011

Tajai Johnson is the No. 6 ranked prospect in the class of 2012 and is the highest rated guard in Northern California according to NorCalPreps.com. The Vallejo High senior combo guard, who averaged 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, will be attending UC Riverside next fall.

"I thought that playing under Coach Jim Wooldridge at UC Riverside would benefit me the best as a player," said Johnson. "He coached the Chicago Bulls before he began coaching at Riverside. So, he brings a pro style offense (ball screens and up tempo), which helps me create for my teammates and myself."

At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Johnson is a lefty who plays bigger than his size, is not afraid of taking the ball to the basket, and is good at initiating contact. As a junior last season, Johnson was forced to play in the interior, as his Apaches were undersized. During this past summer, he played for the Oakland Soldiers 17U Blue team.

Ray Thomas is Johnson's coach with the Soldiers. "Tajai will fit in nicely with a rebuilding team at UC Riverside," said Thomas. "At Riverside, he will have a good chance at playing right away. Their staff was elated at Tajai's commitment to them."

Johnson talks about the recruiting process. "When I first came in contact with Riverside, I talked to Coach Chris Brazleton. I thought we had an instant connection with each other. He really showed that he didn't just care about my basketball abilities, but he showed that he cared about how I was off the court also. Coach made sure he answered any questions I had about the school athletically or academically. I felt the most comfortable with him, he never put any pressure on me, he let me take my time in making my decision. Later on I started to talk to Coach Wooldridge more, he also showed that he cared. I knew that he had good intentions for me."

Thomas says about Johnson's summer development, "Tajai has made a great improvement in his playing making ability. He is really working hard at refining his point guard skills. He is moving away from combo guard label to just point guard. Watching him with Vallejo this year, you will see his leadership in play and vocally. He also has built his 6'2 frame into a college ready body. He will be overpowering alot of his opponents this year."

When asked how Riverside fits his school needs, the lefty Apache said, "Academically, I thought that it would be the best fit for me because the UC system provides you with a quality education and that was my number 1 factor when picking a school. They also had a wide variety of majors that caught my interest (Mass Communications, Business and/or Engineering). I loved the weather and on top of that the campus is beautiful, I loved everything about it. The people seemed nice and very helpful. The campus lifestyle is great."

Concerning his impressions of his future teammates and role, Johnson said "The players acted as if they were a family, and I liked that. No one seemed to be doing his own separate thing. They greeted me with open arms. I really liked the vibe I got from them. I hope to come in as a freshman and contribute to the team anyway the coach/players need me to. I am willing to do anything for the team next year that will get us wins."

Coach Thomas muses about Johnson's future. "Tajai will have to become a more consistent perimeter shooter. He has improved alot but it is still not where it needs to be. He is such a gym rat that his weakness will become a strength. Tajai has been in our Soldiers program since his freshmen year. He has done everything that we have asked of him and more. I could not be more proud of his transformation and happy for his parents Stephaine and TJ who raised a great kid."

Despite the commitment, Johnson has a few things that he wants to work on during his senior year. "This year to prepare for college basketball I think I need to work on my jump shooting the most, work on attacking going both ways consistently, and stay on the weights. I plan to enroll and start my college life the summer after my senior year is over. I want to take some classes during that time so I can make the transition easily from HS to college."

If Johnson can play the point guard position in college, he can use his size and length against smaller players. He plays bigger than his size and rebounds well for a guard. His shooting efficiency and defense from the perimeter will go a long way in determining how much playing time he gets as a freshman.

Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara are picked as the preseason favorites for the Big West while UC Riverside is picked as fifth in the nine-team conference. Riverside will get Santa Clara junior transfer Robert Smith as their point guard. In addition, former Oakland High star Dominique Taplin is on the roster.

The Highlanders (named after the campus' high altitude location) have a roster that look to be undersized and guard heavy. As a result, Johnson will have a lot of competition but the Highlanders look to run a multi guard set that will require multi skilled guards. Expect Johnson to head higher in terms of his basketball skills for the Highlanders.

Article 256: Kuh plays it cool

October 24, 2011

Bellarmine has stormed out of the gate this season as one of the top teams in the country. The Bells are at the cusp of the top 30 national rankings according to Rivals.com as they have been undefeated since an opening season double overtime loss to De La Salle. Since then, the Bellarmine defense has been the anchor for the team's success.

The Bells run a 3-5-3 defense that heavily depends on linebackers who can fly on run support while being able to back pedal with running backs or tight ends leaking into the secondary. A key member of the linebacker core is senior Brad Kuh.

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Kuh can run the 40 yard dash in 4.80 seconds, has a 4.20 second shuttle time, and has a 31 inch vertical. As a junior last season, he had 52 tackles and three forced fumbles in helping the Bells to a 9-3 record that ended in the playoffs to eventual state champions, Palo Alto.

Kuh plays a similar style to that of former USC Trojan Clay Matthews because he plays with passion, intensity, and relentlessness throughout the entire game. In this 3-5-3 scheme, Kuh is one of the middle linebackers as he is primarily responsible for run support. So far this year, Kuh has 49 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.

Schools that have signaled interest in the linebacker prospect include Cal Poly, Chapman, Colorado, Denison, San Jose St., Marietta, Sacramento State, San Diego, San Diego State, Southern Utah, and Utah State. San Jose State, which is less than five miles from the Bellarmine campus, has offered.

Kuh has a 3.40 GPA as he is looking for a program that has a solid coaching staff and is supportive of its athletic program. He prefers the west coast, particularly the state of California, and wants to be challenged academically during his college studies.

The Bellarmine defense surrendered 26 points in their opening game loss to De La Salle but has allowed only 47 points in the following six wins. Kuh, who has been a varsity starter since his sophomore year, worked hard during the offseason improving his agility, explosiveness, and strength to become a huge part of the Bells' recent defensive dominance.

He does not take things for granted as a close cousin died at the age of 19. Hence, Kuh leaves it all on the field and is hoping to help the Bells make a run at league, CCS, and possibly a trip to Carson. Thereafter, he is hoping to be able to ink his letter of intent on National Signing Day.

Bellarmine has been impressive in league play and will face a big challenge this week against Serra who showcases a stellar running attack. Kuh and the Bells' linebacker core will have their hands full stopping the run attack. Watch for Kuh to play it cool against the Padres and for the rest of the season in San Jose, California.