Kickoff time! Kickoff time! (September 02, 2005)

Back to school means back to the gridiron, pool and track for boys' teams

With classes already underway, the fall sports season is set to begin. The following is the second installment in a two-part preview of the upcoming high school season.

St. Francis competes in the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL), while Mountain View and Los Altos are members of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL). For most sports, the SCVAL is made up of the upper De Anza Division and the lower El Camino Division. All three schools are members of the Central Coast Section (CCS).

This week, the Voice details what to look for in the boys' sports scene. FOOTBALL

How will Mountain View respond in its first season back in the De Anza Division? Can Erik Rutgers provide the leadership and consistency Los Altos needs at the helm of its program? Will a schedule mined with top-tier opponents ultimately help St. Francis maintain its excellence or prove to be the team's undoing? The answers to these questions will go a long way toward determining how the local teams will fare on the gridiron this season.

After an undefeated El Camino Division season and 7-4 overall record in 2004, Mountain View moves up to the De Anza Division this season. Years of either excelling in the lower division or struggling in the upper have left Spartans coach Dan Navarro unsettled.

"The up and down is not good," said Navarro. "You don't build rivalries in some respects. If you can stay up, the program becomes a tougher program."

With seven returning starters on defense and running backs Alec Nelson and Brandon Hamilton remaining in the fold, Mountain View will have more experience and ability than last year's squad, which fell to Westmont in the first round of the CCS Medium School playoffs. Key players to watch include linebacker/offensive guard Matt Warmbrodt, defensive end Jameer Howard and punt returner Shane Buonos. Terrence Willis, a senior who stars on the Spartans basketball squad, will suit up as a split end.

With brutal back-to-back games against Wilcox and Los Gatos to open its league season, Mountain View will find out early just how much tougher the upper division is. As for assessing his goals for the Spartans, Navarro said, "We want to stay in De Anza from here on out."

Following the departure of coach Bob Sykes, Los Altos turned over the reigns of its program to former assistant coach Erik Rutgers. How the Eagles respond to the 25-year-old, first-time head coach will go a long way to determining whether the team can improve on its 6-4 overall record from last season. (After a 4-1 start to the season, a last-minute, 12-10 defeat to archrival Mountain View derailed Los Altos' designs on the El Camino Division title. The Eagles finished the league season at 4-2, second to the Spartans.)

Rutgers champions a physical, tenacious style of play on both sides of the ball that is centered on running and defending against the run. Stepping back to look at his coaching staff's hopes for its first season, Rutgers said, "Our No. 1 thing is to have the players come away with something where they can look back [and say] 'Yeah, I was one of the ones there that first year when the program started, when the program turned around and became one of the best in the Bay Area. I was in the group that turned it around.'"

The Eagles start working toward that goal by hosting Evergreen on Sept. 10. A non-league visit to Mountain View on Sept. 24 will be followed by a bid for the El Camino title and the right to move up to the De Anza Division next season.

St. Francis would do well to keep an old adage in mind as it kicks off the 2005 season: "In order to be the best, you have to beat the best."

The Lancers will certainly have plenty of opportunities to beat the best. As if playing in the brutal WCAL isn't challenge enough, St. Francis faces Leigh, Oak Grove and Los Gatos in its pre-season, three programs that finished a combined 30-6-1 in 2004.

After falling to eventual CCS champion Valley Christian in the Open Division semifinals, the Lancers have their sights set on the title this season. With quarterback Richard Scudellari and linebacker Matt Taufoou, the only juniors selected as First-Team All-WCAL last season, returning for their senior season, and 6'4", 277-pound Mark Boskovich anchoring the offensive line, St. Francis has the star power to lead its formidable supporting cast. In their league season, the Lancers will host Riordan, Serra and Bellarmine, while visiting Mitty, Valley Christian and St. Ignatius.

Perhaps the scheduling gods did do the Lancers one favor. St. Francis enjoys its bye the week before visiting Valley Christian on Nov. 4, a clash between titans that may decide the WCAL title. WATER POLO

St. Francis has it. Los Altos wants it. The coveted title of CCS Champions belongs to the Lancers after their victory over Menlo in the Division II final last fall. But with a strong returning team that has been knocking on the section title's doorstep for years, Los Altos has designs on being a formidable foe for St. Francis and all other comers in the pool this season.

St. Francis, which won its third CCS crown and first since 1999 last season, has reloaded with a talented set of underclassmen that join four returning starters. Coach Terry O'Donnell has options galore as a whopping 23 players made the varsity team, the most ever for the Lancers. Scottie Hvidt, a four-year starter at goalie, will anchor the defense while versatile hole sets and hole defenders Brian Benedetti and Travis Bickham figure to provide veteran leadership for the field players.

The Schmitt Tournament, a prestigious 32-team competition on Sept. 9-10, and the following weekend's Scott Roche Invitational, offer much-needed opportunities for St. Francis to find effective playing combinations to best utilize its deep roster. With Bellarmine, the 2004 CCS Division I champion, and perennial powerhouse Sacred Heart Prep lurking as challengers in the WCAL, the Lancers will be battle-tested long before the playoffs arrive.

If the coach's eye proves correct, 2005 should be another strong campaign for St. Francis. Asked whether this year's team could stand up against last year's champs, O'Donnell said, "Oh yeah. Absolutely."

In returning much of the core of last season's CCS quarterfinalist squad, Los Altos also has high expectations. With star hole set Tyler Smith a challenger for CCS Player of the Year and proven goalie Mike Peterson ready to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, the Eagles hope to finally secure an elusive section title.

A string of seven consecutive appearances in at least the CCS semifinals ended with last season's defeat to Santa Cruz, but with fellow seniors Bubba Wiener and Tim Miller joining Smith and Peterson on the starting ranks, Los Altos again needs to be considered a championship contender.

The Eagles figure to be in a three-way scramble with Gunn and Palo Alto for the De Anza Division title. A likely second-round clash with St. Francis in the Schmitt Tournament would be an early-season challenge for both squads and serve as the renewal of a great local rivalry. The Lancers took the season series with Los Altos last year, two games to one.

Despite introducing new players each year, the teams know what to expect from each other. "I'd love to win big, but it's not going to happen," said O'Donnell, the St. Francis coach. "Every time we play them, it's a close game. It's exciting." (Voice reporter Jon Wiener is the head coach of Los Altos.)

Meanwhile, Mountain View hopes to continue building on its strong 2004 season. After failing to qualify for the CCS field for eight seasons, the Spartans finally cracked the postseason again last year. In winning the El Camino Division Championship behind the strong play of then-senior Ryan Ford, Mountain View earned the No. 8 seed in the section's Division I playoffs and a date with top-seed Bellarmine.

Despite being overwhelmed by the Bells 19-2, the Spartans began moving their program back in the right direction. With a rich history of success, including CCS championships in 1987 and 1994, Mountain View hopes its improvement continues with another El Camino Division title and CCS berth this season. CROSS COUNTRY

With their team's move up to CCS Division II this season, Los Altos runners will now compete alongside the athletes from Mountain View and St. Francis. Strong showings from the local schools last season and a number of standout returning runners suggest the 2005 season has plenty to watch for on the course.

After placing fifth in Division III last season, Los Altos missed qualifying for the State meet by one spot. The Eagles know that the Division II field is loaded, but still have high hopes for this season. With senior Russell Field and junior Alec Nickolls leading a very young squad, coach Julia Widstrand believes her program is on the rise.

"I expect them to push to make a strong showing, to make themselves known this year," said Widstrand. "Next year will be their year."

Mountain View, with six returning runners from last year's starting seven, is primed to improve on its 2004 showing. After finishing 10th in the CCS Division II Championships, the Spartans have reason to be excited with three juniors and a sophomore among this season's top five runners. Coach Samantha Read says fifth or sixth place in CCS is a realistic goal for her squad, but has a hopeful eye on being one of the four qualifiers for State.

"We might be able to squeak and get the team in [to State]," said Read. The Spartans will be led by Robbie Reid and Roger Huang, two juniors who figure to challenge for spots at State as individuals.

And then there are the Lancers. The 2004 CCS Division II runners-up went on to place 11th overall at the CIF State Championships. With Ben Sitler returning for his senior season, St. Francis has even higher hopes for this season. Sitler recorded the fastest time of runners in any of the five divisions at the CCS Championships last year and went on to finish fourth among Division II runners at State.

"He's one of the best runners in the nation," said coach Brian Curley.

With three other runners capable of starring for most other teams, Curley is hoping for more than a WCAL title and CCS championship. "We have a decent chance of placing at the State meet," said Curley. "We might be top-five in State."
E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

E-mail a friend a link to this story.