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Published on 09/23/1996 All articles from this issue

Promise on the gridiron

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By Andy Nystrom

Town Crier Sports Editor

MVHS after repeat success; LAHS still struggles; new coach at St. Francis

The new football seasons are getting under way at local high schools, and with them come the usual questions and expectations. Will Mountain View repeat last year's winning season and notch a section title? Will Los Altos find enough players to be competitive? Will St. Francis continue its winning ways under new coach Mike Mitchell? Our preview attempts to answer these questions.

Like a foursome of linemen cracking open a hole for its running back, Ray Calcagno and his Mountain View High coaching staff are working well together in hopes of guiding the Spartans to another big season.

Last year, the Spartans finished 9-4, including a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division title and trip to the Central Coast Section Division III title game. The locals lost the championship to Los Gatos, 34-27, but registered their best season since 1975.

On the relationship between Calcagno and assistants Karl Zierhut (defense), John Vlahos (offense) and Jay Santiago (special teams), the fifth-year head coach said: "I'm really pleased with it. We're out here from start to finish, and all think along the same lines."

That team spirit also flows onto the field, where the hard-working group is led by senior captains A.J. Santana, Ung Ngo, Milo Lewis and Billy Walton, who were SCVAL El Camino all-league selections last year.

According to Calcagno, Santana (6-foot-1, 240 pounds) is a quick, motivated and inspirational lineman; Ngo (6-2, 265) is a force on both offense and defense; Lewis is an explosive running back, who averaged 10 yards per carry in 1995, and linebacker; and at quarterback, Walton is a good passer and leader.

Mountain View will rely on both its running and passing to move the ball upfield. "That will be dictated by who our opponent is," Calcagno said. "We have a pretty good balance: talented receivers, backs and linemen."

And the defensive core is just as tough, featuring senior safety Ryan Damm, senior and junior linebackers Dan Griffin, Martin Corpuz and Jeremy Sees and junior defensive back David Gaskins.

Damm shows intelligence in making a lot of the defensive calls, Griffin reads the opposing offense well, Corpuz has great athletic ability and Sees and Gaskins provide some spark when the Spartans need it.

The Mountain View kicking game is also strong, thanks to junior Alan Henley, who converted two PATs and boomed a punt to the 1-yard line in a recent 14-6 win over Terra Nova.

Los Altos

Los Altos had a hard time putting numbers in the win column and players on the field in 1995, and it's looking to be a struggle again this season.

The already small, 28-man roster prior to the Eagles' opener at Pacific Grove was cut down a notch when important junior lineman Jeremiah Girouard (6-2, 240) dislocated a kneecap and may be forced to sit out the rest of the year.

As a result, first-year Eagle head coach Ron Moser has been unsuccessfully walking around campus looking to recruit anybody in the 200-pound range. "When you win, everybody wants to be with you," he said. "But when you lose, it's like pulling teeth."

And Moser, an assistant coach at Los Altos from 1969-85, knows what it's like to win. During a stint as lineman coach at San Jose City College, his team finished 11-0 and won the national title in 1986.

So what's his plan for Los Altos? "I'm trying to get the kids excited about this national sport," he said. "But we need a lot of bodies - about 40 - to last through a season. Our first 11 are pretty good, but then they get tired.

"When we play teams at our level of competition, I'm confident we can do very well," he continued, referring to Cupertino, Lynbrook and Fremont. "And with Mountain View, we're always excited to go after them."

Tops on offense are senior halfbacks Victor Ambruso and Bryce Dellafosse and big senior fullback Sione Tuipulotu (5-10, 200). Ambruso and Dellafosse are small, quick runners. Tuipulotu relies on his strength to pick up yardage and is solid as a defensive linebacker.

At quarterback is junior Dino Quintero, who strained a knee in the Eagles' 20-5, season-opening loss to Pacific Grove. "He has a real sense of the field and a nice touch on the ball," said Moser, adding that Quintero is recovering rapidly.

On the receiving end are seniors Drew Braugh at wide receiver and Mark Meyer at tight end. Against Pacific Grove, Braugh caught a couple of passes near the end zone and ran a reverse to the 5-yard line.

Anchoring the defense with Tuipulotu and Meyer (also a hard-tackling safety) are linebackers Ryan Geneman, a senior, and aggressive and speedy juniors Gunars Turaids and Tony Suber.

At 6-feet, 205 pounds, Geneman is an energetic player. "He goes berserk and is a good tackler," Moser said. "The other kids pick up on his excitement."

St. Francis

Although the five-time defending CCS champs began their season 0-2 and were outscored 44-17, don't count them out for rushing after another title.

"The two losses were to good football teams (Live Oak and Oak Grove)," said first-year head coach Mike Mitchell. "We've got to keep going and try not to lose our patience. We'll continue from week to week and get better."

And Mitchell - who took over the helm this year from Ron Calcagno, 24-year St. Francis coach and 11-time CCS champ - knows that's possible, having been involved with similar Lancer starts over the years. Twice in the last five seasons, with Mitchell as an assistant coach, the team failed to win a game in its first three tries, but went on to notch the section title anyway.

Hoping to rev up the offense again this year will be senior running back Charles Tharp, who rushed for 1,300 yards last season. "We've always been a run-oriented team," Mitchell said. "And once we get the ball to him, he should be able to do what he did last year. He's faster and stronger."

Also important on offense are junior quarterback Jason Luker, senior and sophomore receivers Tim Cross and Grant Mattos and junior fullback Nick Burley, who lives up to his name at 6-2, 220. Mitchell described Cross as a speedy, clutch receiver and Mattos as a sure-handed, Dwight Clark-type player.

On the offensive-linemen front, seniors Mike Gross and Robbie Mibach should lead the way to the end zone.

The defensive core consists of linebackers Burley, Mibach, steady junior Nick Pavolich and speedy senior James Lentz; safeties Cross and senior Vince Machado and senior cornerbacks Mike Owen and John Tanforan. Junior kicker/punter Bryan Beall also returns this season, and has so far booted every kickoff into the end zone.

As for Coach Mitchell, what's it like following in the footsteps of Calcagno, who guided the Lancers to an 11-2 record in his last season? "It's exciting. I'm a little nervous replacing a legend," he said. "I'm going to try to carry on a lot of what he did, and hopefully things work out the same."