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It has been an interesting first four weeks of the season for the football teams at Amador Valley and Foothill high schools.
The Falcons are sitting at 3-1, while the Dons are at 1-3 after playing a brutally tough first four games.
Foothill coach Greg Haubner, while happy with the Falcons’ start, will be the first to sing the praises of their crosstown rivals.
“We are basking in the glow of being 3-1,” Haubner said. “But Amador — don’t look at their record — they are a really good team. They’ve had a tough, unforgiving schedule.”
The two teams meet next Friday (Oct. 4) at Foothill. Game time is 7 p.m.
Let’s take a look at each team, starting with the Dons.
Amador Valley
“Our schedule is loaded up,” Amador coach Danny Jones said. “We are very young, but we feel like we are turning the corner.”
There is one thing for sure — who is leading the way for the Dons. That would be senior quarterback Tristan Ti’a.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior is among the statistical leaders for all of California and has not been a disappointment.
“He’s the best I’ve ever coached,” Jones said of Ti’a. “He’s a phenomenal player. The offers keep coming in for him.”
Ti’a is hardly alone on the offensive side of the ball, as the team is averaging 35.5 points per game. He has been offered by Utah State, Boston College and UNLV just to name a few.
Anthony Harrington is a junior in his third season of starting on both sides of the ball for the Dons.
“Harrington is our best overall player on offense,” Jones said of the team’s leading receiver through the first four games.
Other top weapons for the Dons included junior Kade Robertson and junior tight ends McKay Kenitzer (6-foot-3, 215) and Cole Goldsworthy (6-4, 210). Oliver Heid (6-3, 180) has played well at wide for the Dons.
The offensive line is led by some big boys to open the running lanes and protect Ti’a: Viliamu Baker-Kline (6-3, 285), Cooper Longmire (6-2, 280) and Cal Duarte (6-3, 280).
Longmire, Goldsworthy and Kaden Keliher (5-11, 205) occupy spots on the defensive line.
The Amador defense is a patchwork unit right now, as four linebackers are out with injuries.
Gabe Gyamfi (6-3, 200) has not played a snap this year, but things are looking up for some injured players to return soon.
“We are kind of getting healthy,” Jones said.
Harrington is big in the defensive backfield, as is safety Nemo Fungula (6-1, 175).
“He’s a big, physical safety,” Jones said of Fungula.
Tommy Vespi (6-0, 195) is solid on both sides of the ball, and sophomore Calvin Albertson (6-0, 225) is a big and strong sophomore.
Despite the slow start, Jones is still looking at what the season can be.
“It has been tough this year because our expectations are high,” the coach said. “But if we can get back to 5-5, we should get a good seed in the D-II playoffs.”
Foothill
Haubner’s Falcons came into the season with only seven seniors on the roster, something that can lead to a tough season.
They also had a quarterback who’d never played a snap at the position, another potential roadblock to a successful campaign.
Neither situation has gotten the best of the team through the first four games.
Jason Knight, a senior who did not play football last season, has come in and seized the quarterback position.
“Jason has been amazing,” Haubner said. “He has exceeded all expectations. To come in with zero quarterback experience and play like he has is flat out tremendous.”
Knight has the blessing to have Michael O’Donoghue at receiver.
“Michael O’Donoghue is one of the better wideouts anywhere,” Haubner said.
Dylan Souza, a junior running back, has turned in a strong effort through the first four games. Jason Bennett is a sophomore that has been strong at tight end, with fellow sophomore Max Shuga also playing well at receiver.
The Falcons suffered a big injury early on when senior Hunter Mutzl went down possibly for the season, leaving a huge void of offense and at linebacker on defense.
George Schmitt Jr., a junior, has been dynamic as a rush end, with seniors Brayden Brown and Keenan Adams playing well at linebacker.
Freshman Gavin Schmitt was a call-up from the junior varsity and earned a spot in the defensive backfield, picking off a pass in his first varsity game.
So far, the team has shown grit and resolve well above what could be expected with the youth of the team. In two of the wins the Falcons have rallied late, with the latest being this past Friday when Knight hit Osmar Calderon for a 2-point conversion in overtime for the 30-29 win over San Leandro.
“We never led in that game until we walked it off,” Haubner said. “There is no quit in this team. Our finishes have been miraculous, and I could not be prouder of how this team carries itself.”
Amador girls’ water polo
The Dons rolled to a 20-0 win over Dougherty Valley paced by six goals from Susan Swyers.
Abigail Jones added five goals and Regan Braga four in the win. Anushka Shelatkar and Kate Hopkins had two goals each, with Juliette Nudelman adding one.
Deepika Suresh had five saves for the Dons.
Foothill girls’ volleyball
The Falcons swept three matches last week to continue their winning streak.
It started with a 25-16, 25-3, 25-12 win over Dublin. Highlights came from Paige Nelson (17 service points, 14 assists, 10 digs), Lulu Hoenninger (4 kills on 4 attempts, 1 block) and Serena Wu (5 kills).
Next was a 25-23, 25-19, 25-11 win over Castro Valley. This time it was Kaycie Burdick (16 kills, 13 digs), Kait Vogel (17 service points, 14 digs, 7 kills) and Olivia So (12 digs) that led the way.
Finally, they beat Livermore 25-9, 25-14, 25-11. Leading the way was Sophia Burdick (13 kills, 10 service points, 9 digs), Brooke Stedman (19 assists, 6 service points) and Danielle Yeh (9 assists, 3 digs).
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
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