Norco Football

Totally Toby Gerhart

Freshman Toby Gerhart By Mike Eubanks
Publisher
Posted Sep 8, 2006

There were two rays of light coming out of a bad loss last weekend for Stanford: wide receiver Mark Bradford and running back Toby Gerhart. The former is a senior and expected to perform at the top of the Pac-10 in 2006. But Gerhart was a pleasant surprise, to say the least, in the freshman’s college debut. He is a different back for Stanford, and his teammates and coaches are unabashedly excited.

We are not used to this.

The first game of Toby Gerhart ’s college career was both forgettable and unforgettable. He played in a 38-point defeat that saw failures from his team on offense, defense and special teams. His unit in particular surprised with its shortcomings, accounting for just 10 points despite expectations several times that level for this 2006 season.

Gerhart also suited up for his first time ever in a Pac-10 football game in front of a sell-out crowd plus an ABC television audience. The freshman was the only Stanford running back to record a run of 10 or more yards, and he did that twice (12, 15). When he ran on first downs, the power runner hit holes hard and grabbed four or more yards on five of six rushing attempts. Keeping the Cardinal out of second-and-long situations is critical to the offense and has been a glaring failure the last several years.

In a disheartening loss, Gerhart was one of the very few sparks and inspirations. His debut brought hope to fans, coaches and teammates alike. Could this bright-eyed, brace-faced freshman be the answer?

“Gerhart is a shocker to me, man. I didn’t know if he was going to be that good coming in,” beams senior wide receiver Mark Bradford. “He’s definitely been surprising to me. He was out there making plays when he didn’t really have a lot of space. He’s one of those guys that I feel is going to be really good over time.”

“I was pleasantly surprised at the way he performed on Saturday, that being his first collegiate football game as a true freshman,” echoes fifth-year senior quarterback Trent Edwards. “It didn’t seem like he was nervous. He’s a quiet guy, so he’s not going to say much, but when he was in the huddle and running the ball for us, he was the same old Toby. That was encouraging to see that a guy in his first college game doesn’t have too many jitters and isn’t that nervous. That is only going to help him in the future and help us out.”

It is not only uncharacteristic (and nearly unprecedented) for a Stanford freshman running back to play with such poise in his college debut, but it was also astounding that Gerhart remained composed in front of 60 thousand fans in a packed and raucous Autzen Stadium. These things are hard to predict. The strength, speed, vision and instincts - we have watched. But nerves are another ball of wax.

One factor in Gerhart’s favor is his maturity, already 19 years old and set to turn 20 before the end of his freshman year on The Farm. It also aided Gerhart that he approached the Oregon game free from anxiety. He had no clue that he would carry more times than all other combined Cardinal backs last Saturday. His opportunities, if not his success, came somewhat unexpectedly. That allowed him to ease into the game, despite so many changes from his high school playing days.

“It was exciting. Going in, early in the week they said I would get a few rep’s. I got quite a few, actually, as the game went on,” Gerhart describes. “Playing in front of a big crowd - that’s exciting. The cheers and people yelling at you from the stands, that was kind of interesting. On the field, it’s just faster pace. The next step up from high school. People are bigger, stronger. It’s harder to break tackles. Yards are harder to come by at this level. Just the strength and speed - that’s what I most noticed from this game.”

And how does he assess his opening performance in a Stanford uniform?

“It was average, at most,” the freshman offers. “I think I need to pick up my reads a little quicker and run lower. I was stumbling a couple times in the open field when I would like to make a nice cut and possibly break one instead of stumbling.”

“He showed some nice movement, and he runs north-and-south,” says head coach Walt Harris. “He’s starting to get his pads down. He’ll have to learn to get his pads down even lower. But he runs the most physically of our guys, other than Nick Frank, but he actually runs lower than Nick. He’s not near as big as Nick. We were pleased. That was nice to see.”

“We spent a lot of time recruiting him, so we’re glad to see that Football and Baseball got a good athlete,” Harris adds with a slight grin.

There are at least two dimensions to Gerhart that have the Cardinal chorus unanimous in praise of the freshman. The first is how quickly he hits the hole. While there is something to be said for the scatback who can cleverly and marvelously create his own play or outrun the defense to the corner, Stanford has been missing a powerful and imposing north-south runner in recent years. When you need three yards, and they know you need three yards, you can attack the line of scrimmage and move the ball. The second dimension to Gerhart is that he can pick up yards after a defender hits him, which can stretch that three-yard run into five or six.

“I try to compare him to someone we’ve had here. There’s really not [a comparison],” Edwards admits. “It’s a combination of his power and the way that he hits the hole. You’re handing the ball off to him and he’s hitting it very fast. And he’s a big guy to take down, too. You look back, and there are two or three guys that needed to take him down. We haven’t had a lot of running backs like that here.”

Nobody could be happier than Edwards to perhaps finally find the answer to Stanford’s ground game puzzle. The Cardinal quarterback has paid the price the last three years as part of an offense that has averaged 2.6, 2.5 and 2.5 yards per carry. Without a running game, Edwards has been plastered onto his backside by opposing pass rushes that feels no fear, while also unable to conduct a consistent passing attack with no threat of play-action.

But there is another excitement hard to escape on the Stanford offense. The front five, who have been much maligned for everything wrong with the running game and pass protection, have grins stretching from ear to ear as they watch Gerhart gobble up yardage in practices and in his game debut in Eugene.

“I’m very excited about Toby Gerhart. Very excited,” says redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Allen Smith. “I saw him in fall camp, and he is a great runner. He’s a hard runner and he does what the coaches tell him to do. He secures the ball, and he punishes guys who try to tackle him. Seeing him as an offensive lineman, when he gets five yards and drags two or three guys for an extra three yards, that makes you feel good because he’s working just as hard as you are. I’m very encouraged to see how Toby played against Oregon.”

Even the defense perks up at the mere mention of the freshman runner.

“He’s really exciting. He’s going to be a player,” declares redshirt sophomore defensive end Pannel Egboh. “He’s not afraid to hit anyone. He runs through people. It’s really exciting. He has a lot of heart and a lot of passion for the game.”

But before we hand Toby Gerhart the keys to the Cardinal running game, we have to remember that he has played just one game. He has carried the ball for just 55 yards and a modest 3.4-yard average. ESPN is not quite knocking down his door. Heck, we’re not ready to put him on the cover of The Bootleg Magazine.

Moreover, Gerhart is part of a running back group that was at the center of Stanford’s offensive unraveling at Oregon. The passing attack between Edwards and his beloved veteran wideout duo was clicking in the early going, eating up chunks of yardage, moving the chains and forcing Ducks defensive backs into holding and interference penalties. But it was widely acknowledged after the game that the passing game faded quickly once Oregon saw weakness in the Stanford running attack. Safeties were able to bracket Mark Bradford and Evan Moore, without a care in the world for Cardinal rushers.

While the exhilaration and adrenaline of his first college football game had Gerhart smiling, he also took in the criticism coming from the overall failure of the running game.

“That’s a slap to any running back’s face,” he says. “I take that personally. All the running backs should take that personally, for that matter, and get in the film room, work harder in practice this week and not let them down next week.”

“I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I just have to work harder and get better week-to-week, every practice get better and hopefully make an impact down the road,” Gerhart says of the task before him. “For me, it’s a lesson. Now I know what I need to improve - stay lower. I wish we could have come out with the ‘W’, but I think this was the first step and we have a lot of steps to go.”

The step many Stanford fans want to see this weekend for the running game is Toby Gerhart in the starting lineup. Walt Harris is making no indication of whether he will start the freshman or redshirt sophomore Anthony Kimble at San Jose State. They both took first-team repetitions in practice this week, and Harris says that he will play both on Saturday.

After watching what Gerhart did last week, in his first ever college football game, it is hard to not see him in the starting lineup soon. The one obvious mark against him is experience. Is it more prudent to start Kimble, who has seven starts and 10 games of college football already under his belt? If Harris is sure to play both, perhaps Gerhart can again prove successful when he comes off the bench. The freshman can carry less anxiety leading up to the game if he does not have to lie awake at night thinking about his first college start.

But Harris says that there is no freshman factor in his calculus of whether to start Gerhart or not this weekend.

“No,” the coach reacts. “Toby’s dad is a coach. His dad was a player. Football is in his life. Football is put on his table because his dad is a coach. I won’t say that he has all the answers, but he gets it. He just needs to improve his game.”

Gerhart is also still working furiously to learn the Stanford offense and to master all the responsibilities asked of him in the running back role. Do not forget that the frosh missed the meat of training camp with a hamstring injury. He is not yet where he could or should be.

But the fact remains that Toby Gerhart has many in the Cardinal community pleased with where he is already. If he can stay healthy, still brighter pastures lie ahead. The frosh runner is as eager as we are to reach them, and his success could propel the offense and Sta

This is great news for the Mountain View League and the Inland Empire.  Poeple are starting to notice what is going on in the IE.  Norco ranked #11, Centennial ranked #16 and Santiago at #19.  Corona has also been impressive so far. 

Keep up the hard work boys.

September 18, 2006

(After games of Saturday, Sept. 16)
(Preseason overall ranking listed in parentheses, which were 50 teams deep)
(Thanks to correspondents Tom Shanahan and Paul Loeffler for contributing writeups)

1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 2-0
Mike MacGillivray accounted for six TDs to lead the Spartan offense at quarterback in their 56-38 victory over Cincinnati Elder last Saturday in the Ohio vs. USA Challenge. It was a 97-yard kickoff return for a score, however, by Ryan Nastor that turned the momentum back to DLS after Elder had cut the score to 14-12. Head coach Bob Ladouceur’s team travels to Salinas this Saturday for matchup vs. 2-0 Palma and then two weeks after that gets Mission Viejo at home.

Duke Lemmens should be ready for biggest game in his career.

2. (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 2-0
The Lions had a bye on their schedule last week, but got good news off the field when St. Bonaventure won in its game against Canyon of Canyon Country to make their game this Friday as monstrous as possible. Will Oaks Christian be like St. Bonaventure when that school played its first big-time opponent, Hart of Newhall, and was beaten easily? Or will the team’s amazing talent be just too overwhelming, whoever the opponent happens to be? We’ll find out on Friday.

3. (4) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 2-0
Casey Serna had a touchdown catch and a 30-yard interception return for a score to lead the Seraphs in their 21-14 win last Friday over Canyon. Angel Morales also came up big with a forced fumble at the two-yard line that prevented the Cowboys from a possible go-ahead touchdown. Canyon coach Harry Welch told reporters that St. Bonnie was the most talented team he’s seen in many years, although except for a few key plays it would have been possible for the Cowboys to have won. One of the keys in this week’s showdown against Oaks Christian will be how Seraph sophomore QB Tony Macarena does in such a high pressure environment.

4. (5) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 2-0
Short touchdown runs by Ahmed Mokhtar and Travis McNaughton pushed the Monarchs into a 14-14 tie in regulation against Mission Viejo and then they won in overtime, 17-14, on a 27-yard field goal by Patrick Duffy. The offensive line, led by 6-5, 305-pound junior Khaled Holmes (who has to be one of the top junior linemen in the nation) and including 275-pound Matagisila Lefiti and 280-pound Brian Keith, seemed to wear down Mission Viejo’s defense in the second half. With sophomore Matt Barkley at quarterback and more impressive underclassmen, it will be interesting to see if the win will be the start of a Monarch run similar to the ones their fans remember so well in the 1990s. The Trinity League will tell us that, but this week’s game against Cabrillo of Long Beach should be pretty easy.

	Devan Cunningham is a 6-5, 310-pound tackle for Grant.

5. (8) Grant (Sacramento) 3-0
We’ve written several times how we felt we had to rank the Pacers behind Nevada Union based on NU’s wins of 21-0 and 30-0 from last season. But now we feel there’s no choice but to push Grant up into the top five after coach Mike Alberghini’s team went to San Jose and administered a 40-7 spanking on defending CIF Central Coast Section Open Division champ Valley Christian. The Pacers have been that impressive plus the Miners had to score late to get past Vintage of Napa, 35-28, in their game. What makes Grant such a force is the five big-time college recruits in the lineup. Some teams have five Div. I recruits, but Grant has five who we can easily see playing as redshirt freshmen or sooner in the Pac-10. QB Tim Lang also has become the Troy Smith of California prep football, capable of bewildering opponents with his arm or legs. This week, Grant plays an Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills team that has given it problems in recent years. A 10-0 regular season would appear likely, but the Pacers have had a tendency to come up with a stinker at least one time out even in the years they’ve won a Sac-Joaquin Section title.

6. (4) Mission Viejo 2-1
This was a difficult aspect of this week’s rankings: What to do with the Diablos? The loss to Mater Dei was the program’s first in 58 regular season outings and the 57-game regular win streak was the second-longest in state history. Plus, it’s not like Mission was beaten by much of a margin. It was clearly a toss-up game vs. Mater Dei and either team, with a play here or there, could have won. The final part of the process in these decisions is to check the schedule and the Diablos have De La Salle coming up in two weeks. Therefore, instead of dropping them very far, we’ll only drop them down two spots. They would drop a little further (definitely behind Dominguez) with another loss this season.

7. (6) Monte Vista (Danville) 2-0
It was a frustrating night for the Mustangs in their game against 2005 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I finalist West of Tracy last Friday. On one hand, Monte Vista dominated the action for 75 percent of the time. But some untimely penalties and turnovers prevented the offense from scoring that much, so the Mustangs had to settle for a 17-7 triumph. The offense, once mistakes are cut down, could be scary good with a skilled set of receivers, led by Ryan Whalen, to go with junior QB Drew McAllister. This week, Monte Vista should have no trouble with 0-2 Berkeley, but plenty of tests in the rugged East Bay Athletic League are right around the corner.

8. (7) Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 2-0
The Miners had to rally in the fourth quarter to grab a 35-28 triumph against Vintage of Napa. Dave Zealer led the offense with 15 carries for 85 yards and one TD plus three catches for 40 yards and another score. Brian Milhous starred on defense with 12 tackles, a block field goal attempt and a recovered fumble. Perhaps one reason for the close call was the Miners being caught looking ahead to this week’s game against Del Oro of Loomis. Although Del Oro lost last Friday to Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, it’s a matchup of two neighboring Sierra Foothill schools that were involved in quite a debate at the end of last season about which team should have been ranked higher.

9. (9) Dominguez (Compton) 2-0
The Dons avenged last year’s triple overtime loss at home to Crenshaw of Los Angeles with a convincing 31-14 win in South-Central Los Angeles. Dominguez controlled from the outset and dominated the line of scrimmage, as senior Brandon Johnson rolled up 103 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns. The Dons also received a 46-yard touchdown run from sophomore Marcus Darden and solid decision making from quarterback David Ross, the replacement to graduated signal-caller Marvin Johnson. Although the Dons aren’t moving up fast in the rankings, they¹ll have a good shot to end up as high as they did last season (No. 2 overall) if they keep winning games with regularity. Next up is a game with No. 24 Carson then a matchup with previous state-ranked Loyola of Los Angeles.

Charlie Carmichael is one of two Div. I recruits on the Notre Dame o-line.

10. (10) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 2-0
In a matchup of Golden Knights, the school from the San Fernando Valley proved to have the better football team than the one from Southeast Los Angeles as Notre Dame downed Lynwood, 38-6. Fresh off its big win over Canyon of Canyon Country, Notre Dame was able to win its 37th game in its last 38 contest behind Shane Horton, who accounted for four touchdowns taking over for injured quarterback Dayne Crist. Horton rushed for two scores and hit Mike Stanton and Ben Bruneau on scoring strikes in the easy win. No word yet on how long Crist is out for, but it seems like Notre Dame has enough talented athletes all over the field plus the solid coaching of Kevin Rooney and his staff to be formidable on a statewide level despite heavy graduation losses. Next up for Notre Dame is always dangerous 1-2 Birmingham of Lake Balboa.

11. (14) Norco 2-0
With Canyon’s loss to No. 3 St. Bonaventure, Norco moves up three spots this week. Its 21-7 win over host Leuzinger of Lawndale was ho-hum, but the Cougars have now won 16 consecutive games and are the defending champions in the tough Mountain View League and CIF Southern Section champions in their respective division. Josh Nakamoto led Norco’s vaunted rushing attack with 166 yards on 27 carries and scored a fourth-quarter touchdown that gave the Cougars a 21-0 lead. Next up for coach Todd Gerhart’s squad is a game with 2-1 Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga

12. (11) Canyon (Canyon Country) 1-2
We didn’t start Canyon high in the preseason national and state rankings because they had overwhelming talent, more so because they had enough returning talent plus a difficult schedule. They have lost two games against noteworthy opponents and in both games they have had the opportunity to win. They lost to No. 10 Notre Dame on a two-point conversion and last week were tied with No. 3 St. Bonaventure in the third quarter before star tailback J.J DiLuigi lost a key fumble at the St. Bonaventure one-yard line that led to a clutch 11-yard touchdown run by Seraphs’ sophomore Patrick Hall. The 21-14 loss sets up the big Oaks Christian-St. Bonaventure game, but also means we can’t drop Canyon too far. Next up for the Cowboys is 1-2 Lancaster.

13. (15) Oceanside 3-0
San Diego’s top-ranked team won with a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance in its second game against La Costa Canyon, but the Pirates played the part of a state-ranked team with convincing 42-21 win over Escondido, then ranked No. 6 in San Diego. Former NFL Pro Bowl cornerback Willie Buchanon, inducted into the school’s Hall-of-Fame on the 100th anniversary of Oceanside High and the 80th anniversary of the first Oceanside-Escondido game, would have approved of the Pirates’ defensive effort as Anthony Jordan had a pair of interceptions. The defense, with five sacks, set up Oceanside’s scores. Running back Armani Taylor carried 18 times for 120 yards and one touchdown on a 46-yard reception. Quarterback Steven Carroll threw only 10 passes, but he scored on a 6-yard run. The Pirates have one of those cross-referencing games we love so much this week against San Clemente. The CIFSS Tritons have a two-touchdown loss to Edison, but bounced back last week to beat Upland. If Oceanside wants to make a name for itself outside San Diego, a big win over San Clemente would surely help.

14. (16) Clovis 3-0
After turning heads with a 75-0 blowout of Fresno Bullard in week two, the Cougars turned a few heads the other way by escaping Bakersfield with “only” a 15-0 win over Stockdale. One of the touchdowns came on an interception return by Trevor Peek, so the offense went from scoring at will against Bullard to finding the end zone just once against Stockdale. The next test for Clovis is a home game against Sanger (1-2), a team that played Clovis East tight until the fourth quarter, and lost to Lemoore Friday when coach Chuck Shidan went for two and the win with five minutes left, and ended up falling 7-6.

	Edison’s Hunter White is a versatile talent on both sides of the ball.

15. (19) Edison (Huntington Beach) 3-0
Our formula for state rankings for the past 28 years has always involved studying local newspaper rankings to try and reach a consensus on where teams should be ranked. We liked the Chargers in the preseason based on who they had coming back and what we saw during the summer, but the L.A. Times and Orange County Register liked Esperanza last week and we went along. But now both have Edison back in front, which is what we were going to do all along in the first place. We promise as long as both teams keep winning, we won’t switch our order again. Besides, Edison has two tough games coming up against Servite of Anaheim (1-1) and nationally-ranked Mater Dei in two weeks. Coach Dave White’s club warmed-up for Servite with an easy 57-3 home win over Jordan of Los Angeles as junior quarterback Nick Crissman completed 13 of 18 passes and threw four touchdowns.

16. (17) Centennial (Corona) 3-0
The Huskies continue to prove they will be a team to be reckoned with this year (and next year, too) and continuously carry the flag for Inland Empire prep football by winning tough games against out-of area opponents. Last week’s 29-27 win over Crespi of Encino definitely falls into the category of tough win as Darryl Jackson and Bilal Muhammad stopped Crespi’s D.J. Holt on a two-point conversion with no time remaining to seal the win. Junior running back Ryan Bass gained 154 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns to bring his season total to 11, but Centennial coach Matt Logan wasn’t pleased with the club’s overall execution as the Huskies’ high-powered offense punted five times and didn’t record a first down until the end of the first quarter. Logan will be looking for improvement this week against 0-2 Eisenhower of Rialto before taking a trip up to Fresno to meet Clovis West in what has become one of the state’s best intersectional rivalries in recent seasons.

17. (18) Esperanza (Anaheim) 3-0
The Aztecs continued their winning ways last week as senior quarterback Kevin Jablonsky rushed for five touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. The Aztecs actually trailed entering the final period against a team that beat them last season, but Jablonsky scored twice in the fourth quarter to help Esperanza pull out the win. Although county foe Edison is now back in front of them in local and state rankings, coach Bill Pendleton’s club is still moving up as it wins so there’s no reason for Aztec fans to fret as long as they keep winning. Next up is a day game with Jordan of Los Angeles in Watts. It was an intriguing matchup to us in the preseason, but the Bulldogs have started off 0-3 after their best season in recent memory last year.

18. (21) Lutheran (Orange) 3-0
The Lancers dropped a few spots from their preseason ranking last week to make room for Esperanza, but now they are back in the spot they were before the season started. They will also have a chance to move up as they face always-tough Valencia (1-2) this week and unbeaten Los Alamitos next week before moving into Trinity League play. Last week, the Lancers downed Tesoro of Las Flores, 42-13, as USC recruit Aaron Corp passed for 178 yards and scored two touchdowns rushing. So far Orange Lutheran has outscored its three opponents, 136-26, and we¹ll find out just how formidable they can be in the upcoming weeks.

19. (22) Santiago (Corona) 2-0
The Sharks didn’t suffer any letdown after the big win over Servite as they forced four fumbles and picked off three passes in a 37-0 rout over outmanned La Sierra of Riverside. Ryan McCants, a standout in the win over Servite, rushed 11 times for 115 yards in the easy win. All of his yardage came in the first half, but this week against 3-0 Temescal Canyon of Lake Elsinore, McCants and the rest of the first-stringers are likely going to have to stay in the entire game.

20. (20) McClymonds (Oakland) 1-0
Coach Alonzo Carter’s club did not play last week after a season-opening blowout of Vallejo. The Warriors should roll again this week against Liberty of Brentwood, but then will come two weeks that will tell their regular season tale. First will be a home game vs. Central Section power Madera and then will come a trip to L.A. to play defending L.A. City champ Crenshaw.

21. (25) Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 3-0
The Eagles proved their opening game win over Long Beach Poly wasn’t a fluke with a 28-14 win over Dorsey of Los Angeles. Dorsey has been one of the more talented tams in the state in recent seasons, but hasn’t had a stellar quarterback and it showed again as the Eagles picked off four passes, two by sophomore John Michael Davis. Ryan Maxwell also played a big role in the win with a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown and a key 36-yard reception in the fourth quarter that led to another score. Santa Margarita takes on 3-0 Fountain Valley this week and then Foothill of Santa Ana before Trinity League play starts.

	Scott Kurtz
	Poly defensivie lineman Jurrell Casey makes a play.

22. (nr) Poly (Long Beach) 2-1
Many were writing off the Jackrabbits off after their 9-7 season-opening loss to Santa Margarita, but with Poly’s 28-20 win over previous state-ranked Pittsburg its evident they are similar to Poly teams of recent seasons: Very good defense, explosive special teams and an adequate offense. The opening drive set the tone as Poly ran 12 times for 39 yards and converted on three fourth-down plays. Standout senior Donovan Warren scored twice on the ground and defensive lineman Andrew Saleapaga returned an interception 14 yards for a score. Although the Jackrabbits sometimes have problems moving the ball downfield, a ferocious defensive line led by lineman Saleapaga, Kenny Rowe (2 1/2 sacks) and Jurrell Casey should keep Poly in every game it plays the rest of the regular season. Poly travels to face Mira Mesa of San Diego (1-2) this week before jumping into Moore League play.

23. (nr) Clovis East (Clovis) 4-0
The Timberwolves hit their bye week feeling pretty good about their new identity, with playmakers Tracy Slocum and Andrew Pancotti lost to graduation. In a 34-0 win over Fresno Bullard, the T’wolves QB tandem of Erin Banks (running) and Mike Baldus (passing) found a groove, and fullback Alex Cabatic, who did so much blocking for Slocum and Pancotti in past years, got to shine in the spotlight on a 50-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass.

24. (nr) Carson 2-0
It’s been over 10 years since the Colts have truly been a statewide power, but they hope to duplicate the success they had under John Aguirre (two L.A. City Section titles in five years) with new coach Mike Christensen. Morale has been higher and discipline better in the first two games of this season than it’s been since Carson won the 2003 L.A. City Section title. Those two improvements have resulted in wins over Venice (30-25) and perennial City power Taft of Woodland Hills (31-21) and based on results (especially Venice’s win over previous state ranked Loyola last week), the Colts deserve this spot as the section’s highest ranked team – at least for one week anyway. Christensen, Colts’ fans and Cal-Hi Sports will have a better idea of where the L.A. City Section¹s top programs stand this week when Carson faces No. 9 Dominguez of Compton.

25. (nr) Bakersfield 2-1
The Drillers have one of the state’s truly unique talents in scrambling, throwing, running QB Phillip Thomas and it looks like they’re getting others to step up as well. Thomas kept Bakersfield in the game when it lost, 14-7, to Grant of Sacramento to start the season. Last week, in a 28-0 victory over Buchanan of Clovis, Thomas had a TD pass and TD run, Caxon Moore starred as well with a 36-yard interception return for a score. This week, the defending Central Section Div. I champs play Centennial of Bakersfield, which is just coming off a big win over East Bakersfield.

Please go to this link to see Norco ranked #1 in the Inland Division.

 http://www.cifss.org/polls/Football_11_Man/11manfootballpoll.pdf

First let me say that Leuzinger was a good host to the visiting Norco Cougars. Thanks for the hospitality.This was a very sloppy game for the Cougars. It was one of those nights that make you scratch your head. Everything started out with the bus showing up one hour late pick up the boys. As Norco began streching drills and pre-game, many boys were still on the side-line waiting to be taped. It was a mad rush to start the game. On a night where Norco had a ridiculous amount of penalties (even by Norco standards), two dropped punt returns, two interceptions and two lost fumbles, one would not expect to win. Especially against a big, strong and fast team like Leuzinger.

Despite many, many penalties, Norco earns another Win. Sign up, let us know how it looked.

The LA Times has released their top offensive linemen for 2006. Guard Adam Tello is listed at #5 in the Southern Section, with center Garth Gerhart earning a mention as well.

Looking forward to summaries and recaps. Let’s hear it folks, how did it unfold?

Again, I wasn’t in attendance, and will be happy to post summaries from anyone who happened to catch the game.

Missed the game, but would love to post a summary from someone who was in attendance. Please email me ( jeff @ norcofootball.net ) if you have a quick summary of the game.