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Friday, Sep. 04, 2009

How well do you know your prep football ABCs?

A as in the Askew brothers, Robert and Treyvon. As in the newest weapons in the Golden Valley attack. The former Stone Ridge Christian standouts have transferred schools, giving coach Jon Betschart playmakers on both sides of the ball.

B is for (blasted) budget cuts.

While every city, county and school district in the state has been affected, no athletic program has probably felt the crunch more than Mariposa. Coach Bob Kelly had his teaching position cut, and the team's non-league transportation budget is built almost exclusively on money raised through fundraisers.

C is for reigning champs. Merced (Central California Conference), Mariposa (Southern League) and Chowchilla (North Sequoia League) all won league titles last season, but only Chowchilla went on to win a section title (Central Section, Division III). Hilmar, a No. 2 seed, sent shockwaves across the state when it rolled over Central Catholic for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V crown.

D is for Mr. Dudley Do-Right himself, Kevin Schofield.

The Dos Palos junior is a straight-A student, perfect attendance honoree and was voted Sophomore of the Year in the NSL in 2008, when he led the team in rushing and tackles.

Did I mention he played varsity basketball and baseball as well?

E is for early interest.

Merced tight end/defensive end Marques Barron has already received an offer from UC Davis.

F is for stadium food.

Every booster club will tell you that their menu is second to none, but only one makes the Sun-Star's belly growl in anticipation.

Los Banos, home to the chili verde burrito and juicy linquica sandwich.

Others try, but no one serves up a halftime treat quite like the folks at Loftin Stadium.

G is for "The Gamble."

Fourth-and-goal from the 1. Fourth quarter, trailing by five, maybe six points. Crowd at the edge of their seats. Players on their knees, hands interlocked. Coaches sweating puddles the size of Lake Yosemite.

It's these moments that make football the pinnacle of high school sports.

H is for home games.

Golden Valley will host three games at its campus this season, meaning it will save upwards of $7,500 -- the amount Merced College would have charged the school in rent. As any good real estate agent would say, "Make your money work for you."

I is for Julio Iglesias, Los Banos' middle linebacker. The senior had 102 tackles last season, including 78 solo stops and five games of 10 or more tackles.

J is for Jarrod Pimentel, who will rejoin the Atwater varsity staff this fall as quarterbacks coach.

Heed his advice, kids.

The former Atwater signal-caller was CCC MVP in 1997, led Atwater to back-to-back section final appearances in 1996-97 and holds all of the school's passing records.

K is for killer instinct. Games are often won in the second and fourth quarters. How you finish halves and games is often an indicator of how you'll finish a season. Remember that.

L is for lights. Every school in the Merced Union High Schools District has been outfitted with stadium lighting. Thank the voting public, who passed the Measure M school bond back in November.

M is for must-see games: Merced at Bullard, Sept. 4; Los Banos at Dos Palos, Sept. 18; Buhach Colony at Escalon, Sept. 25; Modesto Christian at Chowchilla, Sept. 25; Merced at Los Banos, Oct. 9; Buhach Colony at Atwater, Oct. 9; Mariposa at Le Grand, Oct. 23; Hilmar at Central Catholic, Oct. 23; Chowchilla at Dos Palos, Nov. 13; Pitman at Merced, Nov. 13.

N is for new chapter.

Coach Frank Marques and the Hilmar football program plan to celebrate their 2008 Division V section title by...

Not talking about that 2008 team. Anymore.

"We're trying to let it go. We celebrated it enough. We've done everything there is to do for it," said Marques, who, save for a few holdovers, will trot out an entirely new team.

"This team has to write its own history. We're not going to mention it anymore. That's ancient history."

O is for Tony "Oh my" Ortegon. Last season, Le Grand coach Rick Martinez predicted Ortegon would have a monster season out of the backfield. He was right. Ortegon rushed for 1,587 yards and 18 TDs in 12 games. Could 2,000 be within his reach?

P is for party time. Le Grand High turns 100 this year, and to mark the milestone the school is planning a Homecoming game celebration.

"I made a joke and asked if the (committee) could pay for our team to be housed somewhere out of the county for the week," Martinez said, "to keep my guys focused on the game."

Any luck?

"Nope."

Q is for returning quarterbacks.

Los Banos' Erik Martin has earned the distinction as the area's top returning signal caller, but is there a player more important to his team than Nathan Sanchez?

Probably not.

The Atwater senior, who can tuck it or throw it, enters his third season under center.

R is for records.

Dos Palos has won a state-record 46 league titles, but hasn't won one in two years and went winless in North Sequoia League play last season. They also had a state-record 29 straight playoff appearances snapped last season, too.

S is for all shapes and sizes.

Buhach Colony sophomore lineman Matt Cochran casts a mighty large shadow. The sophomore lineman tips the scales at 350 pounds and stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall.

Hilmar's Carlos Diaz could probably sleep in one of Cochran's shoes. The senior tailback plays larger than his 5-foot-1, 120-pound frame. Case in point, Diaz can bench press 285 pounds.

T is for turnout.

Golden Valley coach Jon Betschart finished 2008 with 32 players on his roster. He says he'll carry 50-plus this season.

U is for Ugh-ly number.

Delhi was outscored 443-6 last season. Its only points came in a 54-6 loss to Denair in Week 8.

V is for vicious, violent hits. Remember, kids, keep it legal and protect yourselves.

W is for W.C. Whitehurst, a 1938 graduate of Los Banos High.

Health willing, Whitehurst will be coach Dennis Stubbs' special guest when Los Banos opens the season at Fresno High tonight.

A Fresno native, Whitehurst wrote Stubbs after Los Banos beat Westside War rival Dos Palos last season.

He is one of only three surviving players from that year's team, Stubbs said.

"He talked about the game back then, about the basics and how it came down to blocking, tackling and taking care of the ball," Stubbs said of the letter.

"Funny, it still comes down to those things."

X is for extra points and field goals.

Juan Valencia takes over the booting duties for Merced, following in the footsteps of down-the-middle types George Gutierrez and D.J. Cherf.

But Merced nearly had one of the area's surest feet in soccer player Cristian Alvarez. Alas, Alvarez never made it to a summer workout, opening the door for Valencia.

At last count, Valencia had made 9 of his last 10 field goal attempts from 35 yards in practice.

Y is for youth.

Stone Ridge Christian will start the season with at least six freshmen and only two returning seniors.

Z is for Zamora, as in Nick Zamora.

Don't recognize the name? Oh, you will. The Merced wide receiver sat out last season after transferring from Golden Valley. Merced coach Rob Scheidt believes he might be the best pass-catcher to come through the program in recent years.

Lofty praise.

James Burns is sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at 385-2417 or jburns@mercedsun-star.com.