And given the club that head coach Dale Gustafson is fielding in the present, the future doesn't look too bad for the young Wildcats.

"We're very excited about the 2002 season," said Gustafson. "Coming off back-to-back championship seasons, our level of expectation is very high."

But that's all right, considering the fact that Gustafson thinks the 2002 club may be improved over past years.

"We believe that we have upgraded in some of our positions over previous years—we are very excited about that," he said. "Many of our returning players got some good playing time last year, especially in our 'reserves' games, in which we went undefeated."

Sophomore quarterback Kevin McCarty will lead the Cats into action this fall.

"Kevin is a very savvy quarterback with the ability to deliver the ball with great accuracy," said Gustafson. "We hope to open up a lot more in the air this year."

McCarty will be delivering the football to a couple of solid pass catchers in Michael Brienzo and Jeremy Bays—"Two very potent receivers—the best tandem I've had in nine years of coaching at this level," said Gustafson.

Halfbacks Alex Ghanvati and Brian Bolandi give the Cats great quickness in the backfield.

"Ghanvati was timed at 4.57 in the 40-yard dash this summer and has great breakaway speed," said Gustafson. "And Bolandi is a very physical back with great speed."

Blocking for the two will be fullbacks Derek Thomas and Devin Lopez. Thomas will serve double-duty as linebacker and Lopez will play noseguard on defense.

"We're counting on Devin to open the holes for our tailback and cause lots of grief for opposing centers," said Gustafson of Lopez.

Leading the charge up front will be veteran sophomores Liam Smith as tackle, Eric Chen as guard and Keenan Murray as tight end.

Smith, a two-way starter in the line, is a player Gustafson calls "an outstanding lineman. He will be an integral part of many things."

Chen will double as a 'backer defensively for the Cats, but he's equally as valuable on both sides of the football.

"Eric plays two very important positions for us," said the coach. "We use our guards a lot in the open field to block. And he also will play middle linebacker and be the captain of our defense."

Gustafson added that Murray is a "great athlete who will do some great things this year."

Starring in the secondary for Gatos will be safeties Mark Johnson and Sean Harris, who "both hit like trucks," and cornerback Jeff Collins, who "got a lot of experience last year, developing into a good cover guy."

The Wildcats, who open the year on Sept. 13 at home against Aragon at 5:15 p.m., are coming off a 9-1 season and a championship showing in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Gustafson predicts that the Cats "will challenge for the title again," and ranks Wilcox, Milpitas and Saratoga as other contenders.

"Our players have worked very hard and dedicated themselves to excellence," said Gustafson. "This is not always the case with many guys their age, but this is a very special group of guys.

"Not only is it our desire to teach them the game of football, but to teach them about life, perseverance and excellence for their life. That is why I coach."