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As we are heading into the first week of the 2023 East Bay Athletic League football season, it got me to thinking who the best EBAL football players I have had a chance to see over my 30-plus years.
The kicker – I had to have seen them play. This list is going to be compiled from over quite a time span, so I am likely to miss some people and if you are one of those, I apologize right now.
Some of these players may not have been the best in the league but they certainly left a lasting impression. Here is my list by schools with a brief comment.
Not every school in the EBAL is represented and while I could list at least 50 players from some of these schools, I am cutting it down to players that still have a lasting impression for me. It is already 2,000 words long!
Amador Valley
Cory Guillory: One of the best single seasons I can remember. Was a running back/linebacker for an Amador team that went 12 to 1 and lost to De La Salle in the NCS finals, a game portrayed in the movie “When the Game Stands Tall” about De La Salle. Had almost 900 yards rushing in a run by committee offense. His biggest impact was on defense which propelled him to the EBAL MVP award.
Junior Adams: Adams was a dynamic athlete for the Dons whenever he touched the ball. After Amador, Adams played at Oregon State and then the University of Montana. I remember multiple times Adams would seemingly juke every defensive player on the field. He is now the Co-Offensive Coordinator (Receivers) at the University of Oregon. One of his many coaching stops was at Eastern Washington where he coached and developed Cooper Cupp.
Scott Peters: Peters was a dominant lineman for the Dons who went on the star at Arizona State and then for the Philadelphia Eagles. Peters is now as Assistant Offensive Line coach for the Cleveland Browns and is a big Ju Jitsu guy, which he coaches to his players.
De La Salle
DJ Williams: Simply the best I ever saw. Was our Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. Was as close to being able to dominate a game by himself in football, as he just took over games. He was also the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year. Following high school, he starred at the University of Miami, then for the Denver Broncos.
Aaron Taylor: What I saw him do to a Pinole Valley quarterback is something I will never forget! Went to Notre Dame where he was a two-time All-American and won the Lombardi Award winner in 1993. He went on to play for the Green Bay Packers and was on the XXXI Super Bowl winning team. Taylor signed a big contract the San Diego Chargers before repeated knee injuries forced him into retirement. He is now a sports broadcaster for CBS Sports.
Maurice Jones-Drew: Was a powerful running back that ran for nearly 2,000 yards a year. Went on to star at UCLA, and then went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars where he rushed for over 1,000 yards three times. A legend.
Foothill
Rob Andrews: Was symbolic of the Foothill program during the Matt Sweeney coaching tenure. He was 6-foot-2 and was as tough as they come. I remember one game where he carried, I believe like 14 straight times as the Falcons went the length of the field to ice a game. He rushed for over 1,000 yards his senior year and added 94 tackles and eight sacks. Played for San Diego State when he had a sack and forced fumble of Andy Dalton of TCU in the end zone of a nationally televised game.
Brandon Crawford: One of the best all around athletes I have seen. Obviously, the San Francisco Giants multiple Gold Glove and World Series winner made the right choice of baseball, but I have always felt he could have been a professional football player as well. He was arguably the top safety in Northern California, he also switched to quarterback for his senior year when the Falcons needed one and was a play or two away from being the MVP of the league. Like his play at shortstop, everything he did on the football field was smooth.
Sean Mannion: As good a pocket passer as I saw. Mannion also played under his father, just stood tall, and torched defenses throughout his career. He finished his senior season with 3,521 yards passing and 27 touchdowns. In his senior year he threw for over 600 yards in a 59-37 win over James Logan in a first-round NCS win. He went on to throw for 13,600 yards at Oregon States, at the time, the most in the history of the Pac-12. He is now No. 2 on the list. Mannion was in the NFL for eight years, getting to the Super Bowl in the 2018 season with the Rams.
Livermore
Troy Dayak: Is known for the amazing soccer career where he played for the San Jose Earthquakes and United States National Team, but this guy was an amazing receiver for the Cowboys. Graduating in the late 1980’s, Dayak was a force with his size and speed at receiver. I remember one game I covered when he had over 15 receptions for 300 yards. Scary to think of the numbers he could have put up if football was more than a hobby.
Damariary Drew: Graduated from Livermore in 2011 before going to Butte Junior College, then Cal-Berkeley. In his senior year at Livermore, he ran for 1,291 yards and 17 touchdowns. On defense he had 79 tackles and seven sacks. Played well at Butte, earning several honors. His junior year at Cal saw him start at safety for the Bears, finishing third on the team with 71 tackles. Was injured during spring practice and missed his senior year with injuries.
Monte Vista
Zack Ertz: The 2010 graduate was a big time football and basketball player for Monte Vista. After shredding the EBAL he went to Stanford where he was a star tight end for three years before entering the NFL draft. One of the top tight ends in the NFL during his time, Ertz won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, as they beat the New England Patriots 41-33. Ertz caught the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. I still remember him coming to a Monte Vista at Foothill game when he was at Stanford. He brought along the Stanford offensive line and made a point to bring them over to say hi and introduce everyone to me. One of the nicest athletes I was privileged to cover. Married to Julie Ertz, a former member of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team, and one of the few players that put their hand over their heart and sang the National Anthem before games.
Kyle Wright: Where to start. The 2003 Monte Vista graduate is up there with Brandon Crawford as one of the top athletes to ever grace the EBAL fields. As a senior he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, as well as the SuperPrep National Player of the Year. He was also a 1 st team Parade All-American. From Monte Vista he went to the University of Miami where he was a three-year starter and two year captain for the Hurricanes. Following college, he had free agent contracts with the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers. Wright was one of the quarterbacks in the most memorable prep game I ever covered. In his senior year the Mustangs beat San Ramon Valley 46-44 in front of 10,000 fans. Wright finished with 372 yards passing and six touchdowns, including the game winner in the final minute to my next athlete.
Sam Desa: Started alongside Wright for three years at Monte Vista. As far as high school QB-WR combos are concerned, these two were as good as it got. I vividly remember their sophomore year in a game at Cal High when Monte Vista had the ball deep in its own territory. As they came to the line, Monte Vista coach Craig Bergman looked at me and said, “watch this.” Wright called an audible, hit Desa on a quick slant route and Desa went over 70 yards for the score. It was a sign of things to come. Desa was also a tremendous track athlete, advancing to the CIF State Meet. Played for the Cal Bears for three years. One of my all-time favorite high school athletes.
Ryan Whalen: There could be another 50 Monte Vista athletes I could mention but will stop here with Whalen. The incredible 2007 graduate was named as one of the top 10 Football/Basketball Players in California. His senior year saw him catch 80 passes, 14 of which were touchdowns. In basketball that year he led the Mustangs to the NCS title and was the MVP of the EBAL. Went on to star at Stanford and then play with the Cincinnati Bengals.
San Ramon Valley
Sam Keller: Easily the most polarizing high school athlete I covered; Keller flat out put up the numbers. In his senior year he threw for 3,282 yards and 38 touchdowns. Keller went for 346 yards and four TDs in the famous 38-34 loss to Monte Vista in front of 10,000 fans. He went to Arizona State where as a junior he started the season with 461 yards against LSU, followed by 409 against Northwestern. He followed with 300-yard games against USC and Oregon State. In that four game stretch he has 1,582 yards passing. He played three more games before suffering a season-ending hand injury. He finished the season with 2,165 yards passing and 20 touchdowns. After transferring to Nebraska, he played for one year throwing for 2,422 yards and 14 touchdowns in nine games. In 2009 Keller was one of the athletes that brought a lawsuit against EA Sports and the NCAA that ultimately led to the cancellation of the popular NCAA Football video game.
Corbin Louks: In his senior year he threw for 2,460 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also rushed for 450 yards and scored eight touchdowns. He was a dynamic dual threat QB that made the play of the year when he faked a spike in the final moments of a win over Monte Vista and carried the ball into the end zone for the game winner. From SRV he went to the University of Utah, then on to the University of Nevada-Reno. He went from quarterback to receiver and had some time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. He is married to former Monte Vista and North Carolina soccer star Courtney Jones, the daughter of former 49ers tight end Brent Jones.
Mike Caldwell: Goes back aways but hard to forget this SRV receiver. In his high school career, he caught 132 passes for 2,039 yards and 26 touchdowns. As a senior he was first team all-region on both offense and defense. Graduating in 1989, Caldwell from SRV to Cal-Berkeley where he had a big career. He finished among the career receptions leaders at Cal, then went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers for a couple of years. One of the best athletes I saw in my early sports writing career as I started in the fall of 1985. Still, almost 35 years later he still has a spot in the best I saw.
