The Cupertino Courier

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Cupertino High School's Matt Wilson readies to take on the season.

First Down

High School football teams are back on the field, ready to compete in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League action

By Dick Sparrer

Fremont has left one division for another.

Homestead has a new head coach.

And hundreds of young men will be playing high school football for the first time when the teams of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League take to the field this weekend.

But the more things change, the more they remain the same. Because even with the changes of a new season, it will look like business as usual when the 1997 football campaign gets under way on Friday night at area fields.

Fremont will leave the likes of Cupertino and Lynbrook in the El Camino Division after winning that championship to join Homestead and Monta Vista in the De Anza Division, and Rich Delgado will take over as the new varsity coach at Homestead after 10 years on the school's frosh-soph staff.

And it all begins Friday with a full slate of games.

Fremont will host Cupertino at Diesner Field on Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m., and Monta Vista will host Yerba Buena at the same time at Cupertino. A night later, Homestead entertains Aragon at 7:30 p.m. at Diesner, and Lynbrook takes on Lincoln at Cupertino.

It will all look brand-new, but it will really just be business as usual for the football teams of the SCVAL.

Cupertino

Something new has been added to the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Milpitas, a club that was battling for a De Anza Division football title as recently as two seasons ago, has now moved into the El Camino circuit. And the Trojans have immediately moved into the favorite's position.

But Cupertino head coach Charlie Bostic isn't intimidated, and he doesn't want his Pioneers to be, either. Because the 'Tino boss knows what it will take to keep his club competitive this fall.

"The team will be more disciplined," said Bostic of his Pioneers. "This will eliminate mistakes and keep us competitive in every game."

But he also knows it will take more than discipline for the Pioneers to remain among the title contenders in the division.

"We need to be a more physical team, especially defensively," he said.

And the coach figures his squad is up to the challenge. In fact, he sees the Pioneers ranking among the best in the division this fall.

Bostic looks for Cupertino to finish in the "top three" this season, with Milpitas and Mountain View the other top contenders.

Returners Johnny Morales, Matt Mueller and Yih-Woei Saw bolster Bostic's hopes for a solid season in 1997.

Morales (6 feet 2, 245) is a talented senior linebacker returning to lead the Cupertino defensive effort, and Mueller (6 feet, 170), is a senior quarterback who will lead the offense.

Saw (5 feet 9, 155) is a junior who returns to the defensive secondary, where he played as a sophomore for the Pioneers.

Junior split end Mitch Andrade (5 feet 9, 160) is a talented newcomer moving up to the varsity.

1997 Cupertino schedule

Sept. 12 at Fremont, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Lincoln, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 26 Andrew Hill, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Milpitas,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 at Los Altos,* 3:15 p.m.

Oct. 17 Santa Clara,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 24 Lynbrook,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 31 at Mountain View,* 3 p.m.

Nov. 7 Gunn,* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 14 Monta Vista, 7:30 p.m.

* El Camino Division games

All home games at Cupertino High School. All night games preceded by 5 p.m. frosh-soph games. The 1:30 p.m. game preceded by an 11 a.m. frosh-soph game Afternoon games preceded by afternoon frosh-soph games a day earlier.

Homestead

It's no big mystery.

Rich Delgado knows what's facing his Homestead football team in the coming season. After all, the Mustangs are the defending champions in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League this fall.

So he knows what to expect. Everyone else will be gunning to knock off the defending champs in 1997.

"As defending champions, we know our work is cut out for us to repeat," Delgado said as he headed into his first season as the Homestead head coach.

But he also knows that Homestead has a talented group of returning players from the team that won that title last fall. So he enters the 1997 campaign with an optimistic outlook.

"We have as good a chance to win as the next [team]," Delgado said.

Bolstering Delgado's high hopes for the coming year are returning all- leaguers Chris Brooker, Jason Woods and Matt Kenney. The three seniors will lead the Mustangs in their title defense this season.

Brooker is back for his third season as a Homestead starter and returns after winning the De Anza Division's defensive player of the year award in '96.

Brooker (6 feet, 220) goes both ways as a fullback and linebacker for the Mustangs, and he did it well enough a year ago to win all-league first honors.

He was joined on the all-league first team by Woods (5 feet 10, 152) and Kenney (6 feet 3, 220).

Woods, a talented tailback, will see double duty as a cornerback for the Mustangs. Kenney stars at tight and linebacker and, like Brooker, is back for his third season as a Homestead starter.

Senior Andy Myers and junior Jesse Nichols are expected to play key roles on this year's Mustangs.

Myers is a talented quarterback who was an all-leaguer at the frosh-soph level a couple years back. He was also named the most valuable player of the Homestead team in his sophomore year.

Myers will be looking to throw the football in the direction of Nichols, a wide receiver who won an all-league spot for the Homestead frosh-soph last fall. Both Myers and Nichols will play in the defensive secondary for the Mustangs.

Wide receivers Paul Stahlke and Darren Anthony, linebacker Brian Holm, strong safety Waylyn Johnston, center Steve Maihack, offensive lineman Brian Tenner and tight end Matt Wilson are seniors returning from last year's varsity squad. Tailback Chacho Nieves and linebacker Ali Beheshti are junior returners who played for the varsity as sophomores last season.

1997 Homestead schedule

Sept. 13 Aragon, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Seaside, 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 3 at Wilcox,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 Mtn View at Foothill, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 17 Monta Vista,* 6:15 p.m. #

Oct. 24 Los Gatos,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 31 at Palo Alto,* 3:15 p.m.

Nov. 7 Fremont,* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 14 Saratoga at Los Gatos,* 7:30 p.m.

* De Anza Division games. All home games at Diesner Field. All home games preceded by 5:15 p.m. frosh-soph games (except Oct. 17 vs. Monta Vista, 4 p.m.). Afternoon games preceded by afternoon frosh-soph games a day earlier.

#Homecoming

Lynbrook

There weren't any quarterbacks better than Kevin Boehm in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League last fall.

At least that's what the coaches in the division decided when they selected their all-league team at the close of the 1996 season.

And there weren't any centers better than the one who played right in front of Boehm in the Lynbrook offensive line, Jason Chiang.

The El Camino coaches decided that, too.

So it comes as little surprise to see the two returning all-leaguers as the center of attention on the Lynbrook football field this fall as they return for their senior year as Vikings.

Boehm (6 feet 2, 190 pounds) won all-league honors at quarterback and Chiang (6 feet, 200) was an all-league center, and both will be back to lead Lynbrook into another El Camino campaign.

Senior linebacker Peter Tahk (5 feet 9, 180) will join Boehm and Chiang as another talented returner for the Vikings this season.

Unfortunately, the Vikes were a little thin on talent last year, so they won't get much help from the letterman list this season.

"We're short on experience," head coach Bob Blaschke said, "but [the players are] enthusiastic and hard workers."

Blaschke, in his second season as the Lynbrook boss, is looking for juniors Eric Standley, Ryan Quadro and Juhun Lee to step up to the varsity and contribute this fall.

Standley (6 feet 2, 245) will serve double duty in the offensive and defensive lines for the Vikings, and Quadro (6 feet 2, 180) will double up as a running back and defensive back. Lee (6 feet 2, 175) is expected to start at linebacker.

The coach looks to El Camino newcomer Milpitas as a division title favorite along with Gunn and Mountain View. Lynbrook last won a division crown in 1993.

1997 Lynbrook schedule

Sept. 13 Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Prospect, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Fremont, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 3 Mountain View,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 at Santa Clara,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 17 Milpitas,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 24 at Cupertino,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 31 Saratoga, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 7 Los Altos,* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 14 at Gunn,* 2:45 p.m.

* El Camino Division games. All home games at Cupertino High School. All night games preceded by 5:15 p.m. frosh-soph games. Afternoon games preceded by afternoon frosh-soph games a day earlier.

Monta Vista

Most of the football players who won all-league honors in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League graduated last spring.

The rest are on the football team at Monta Vista this fall.

Well, not exactly, but it sure looks that way. Monta Vista features a half- dozen all-league returners from a team that finished second to Homestead in the De Anza title race last season.

The list of returners leaves Monta Vista especially solid up front in the offensive line, with no less than four all-leaguers back in the front wall for the Matadors.

Junior tight end Ryan Mitchell (6 feet 2, 200 pounds) returns up front along with interior linemen Scott Kozen (5 feet 10, 220), Mitchell Welch (6 feet 2, 200) and Anto Ljoljic (6 feet 1, 250). Kozen and Welch are seniors, and Ljoljic is a junior.

The group will provide the blocking for a talented stable of running backs that features sensational senior returner Alex Munro (6 foot 1, 210).

Munro won all-league honors for the Matadors as a junior and was also named to the all-Central Coast Section squad.

He'll be joined in the backfield by senior Brad Munro (5 feet 10, 180), another all-league returner, and junior Brandon Douglas (6 feet 2, 190).

A. Munro and Welch will each serve double duty for the Mats as defensive ends, and B. Munro and Douglas will both play in the secondary. Mitchell is a top linebacker for Monta Vista, and Kozen and Ljoljic will start in the defensive line.

Quarterback Bing Nieh, wide receivers Ryan Realini and Dustin Hempstead, running backs Peter Hwang and Mike Barkley, defensive backs Frank Young and Theo Rademacher, tight end Ben Lewis and linemen Aaron Duuchinsky, Ben Zavala and Adam Spiler are other seniors on the varsity squad this fall.

Monta Vista head coach Brad Metheany is also looking for big things from a crop of newcomers this season.

Junior Matt Cannon (6-feet, 180) is a top candidate at wide receiver and junior Brian Laatsch (6-feet, 180) is a top prospect at running back. The two could also see duty in the defensive secondary.

Sophomore Kyle Kingsbury (6-feet-3, 200) and junior Steve Sheh (6-feet, 200) are candidates for work in the offensive and defensive lines, and junior Nich Rathjen (6-feet-2, 185) will play some tight end and defensive end for Monta Vista.

The Matadors are coming off of an 8-3 season and a second-place finish in the division.

This season, Metheany looks for Wilcox and Los Gatos to be the top title contenders, with his own Mats battling for a berth in the middle of the pack.

1997 Monta Vista schedule

Sept. 12 Yerba Buena, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Willow Glen, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 Gunderson, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 3 at Los Gatos,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 Wilcox,* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 17 Homestead,* at Fremont, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 Palo Alto,* 7:30 p.m. #

Oct. 31 at Fremont,* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 14 at Cupertino, 7:30 p.m.

* De Anza Division games

All home games at Cupertino High School. All night games preceded by 5:15 p.m. frosh-soph games. The 1:30 p.m. game preceded by an 11 a.m. frosh-soph game.

# Homecoming

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