EAST BAY ATHLETIC LEAGUE VALLEY DIVISION PREVIEW

(Predicted order of finish)

No. 1. FOOTHILL

Coach: Greg Haubner

Fall 2021 record: 10-3

What to expect: The Falcons lost some big-time talent after reaching last year’s NCS Division II final. But coach Greg Haubner appears to have enough returning to be considered the EBAL Valley favorite. The headliner is WR Chris Lawson, a 6-0, 175-pound sophomore who has already garnered offers from Cal, Arizona, both Oregon schools, Washington and Utah. “He’s special,” Haubner said. “He has a chance to play big-time college football.” Lawson caught 46 passes for 698 yards and eight TDs last season. He won’t have Nick Walsh throwing to him. Walsh has given up football to concentrate on baseball at Chabot, Haubner said. But junior Erik Olsen passes the eye test at 6-3, 190. “He’s more of a traditional dropback passer,” Haubner said of Olsen. “He is athletic.” Olsen will have a nice set of running backs in juniors Jackson Chandler and Samear Lattier. Chandler rushed for 335 yards and three TDs last season. Kade Millard, the younger brother of new Monte Vista coach Johnny Millard, is an inviting target at tight end, and senior Luke Haviley offers experience at wideout. Leading tackler Jake Patterson returns on defense. His 71 stops included 6.5 sacks. Millard had 9.5 sacks and 45 tackles. Chandler and Lattier each had more than 40 tackles last season, and Lawson contributed 32.

Season opener: Aug. 26 at Castro Valley, 7 p.m.

No. 2. GRANADA

Coach: Marc Moses

Fall 2021 record: 4-7

What to expect: Football appears to be making a comeback at some schools, none more so than at Granada, where new coach Marc Moses will have rosters of at least 50 players at all three levels – varsity, JV and freshman. “People are moving into the area and we had an undefeated JV team,” said Moses, who spent 15 years as the junior varsity coach. Others have noticed the talent on Granada’s roster. Said a rival EBAL coach, “They have a super talented group. The only question is how big a jump do they make?” The Matadors aren’t ducking anyone. Their non-league schedule includes Riordan, Heritage, San Leandro, Amador Valley and California. Moses said previous coach Tim Silva, who stepped down after last season, arranged that schedule. Moses believes his young team can give Foothill a run in the division. The junior class is particularly loaded. Granada also has size. Seniors Logan Tucker (6-3, 270) and Joey Keeler (6-2, 245), and juniors Villiami Fisiiahi (6-2, 285) and Brandon Phan (6-2, 230) bring plenty of beef up front. Phan’s specialty is nose guard. “He’s the best I’ve seen in a while,” Moses said. The tight end is 6-6, 240 senior Thomas Schnapp, who on his Twitter account says he has an 84-inch wing span. Junior Quin Boyd will be the quarterback. Senior Kekoa Barcinas is one of the Valley Division’s better receivers.

Season opener: Aug. 27 at Riordan, 2 p.m.

No. 3. LIVERMORE

Coach: John Wade

Fall 2021 record: 6-5

What to expect: Add Livermore to the list of schools experiencing a football resurgence. Coach John Wade welcomed about 140 players, easily enough for at least 45 players at all three levels. “For us, it’s a rebound collectively from COVID,” Wade said. That and Livermore High just opened an athletic complex that includes new bleachers for the football stadium, a 44,000-square-foot basketball gymnasium, an expansion of the track from six to eight lanes, and a new swimming pool, among other amenities. Total cost: $40 million. Wade expects his team to be competitive with Foothill and Granada. The Cowboys are the only team in the division with two returning all-leaguers in first-team center Ashton Baswell (6-1, 295) and honorable mention kicker Donovan Umeki. Joining Baswell up front will be highly-touted junior tackle Xavier Thorpe (6-5, 262). Three seniors round out the offensive line. Quarterback is a two-way battle between Tyler Trudeau and Jack Prusso. Tyler is the nephew of former Granada and Indianapolis Colts QB Jack Trudeau. Justin York and Dominic Johnson will likely be the starting wideouts. Elijah Hodgers will get most of the early carries at RB. Wade said the offense will be the strength of the team.

Season opener: Aug. 26 at Livingston, 7 p.m.

No. 4. DUBLIN

Coach: Brandon Black

Fall 2021 record: 6-5

What to expect: The Gaels lost 24 seniors from a team that beat Heritage and Liberty last season and lost to Amador Valley by seven points. Among those were seven all-leaguers. But fourth-year coach Brandon Black likes his young team, which has plenty of strength on the offensive line and talent at the skill positions. “Last year was the first year we had dudes on the offensive line who could stand toe-to-toe with other teams,” Black said. “We’ll be undersized this year, but our offensive line is one of the strongest groups I’ve had.” Guard Josh Lijesen and center Ben Florkowski will lead the muscle up front. RB Brady Steadman should get a lot of work carrying the ball behind that line, and the Gaels do have a quality stable of receivers in Garrett Esomonu, Anthony Pickens and Adam Moore in the slot. Senior Angel Barraza is the likely starter at quarterback. Dublin will be a running team, but Barraza has the potential to be a dangerous passer. Black admits he scaled back the non-league schedule, but the Gaels play Heritage and Castro Valley in their first two games. That should give the coaching staff an idea of what it has to work on to prepare for league play.

Season opener: Aug. 26 at Heritage, 7 p.m.

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No. 5 . DOUGHERTY VALLEY

Coach: Roberto Clemente

Fall 2021 record: 5-4

What to expect: For Dougherty Valley coach Roberto Clemente, much of the optimism he feels for the 2022 season is based on numbers. No, not the number of touchdowns his team will score. Or defensive takeaways. The Wildcats will have about 40 players on the varsity. For the first time in seven years, Dougherty Valley will be able to field varsity, JV and freshman teams, something the other nine EBAL schools already do. That might not be enough to escape the Valley Division cellar for the first time since 2018, but it’s a start. “The EBAL has been a murderer’s row for us,” Clemente said. This year the Wildcats plan to run the ball from their Wing-T formation. Fullback Joseph Halim, a 6-0, 195-pound junior, will pave the way for Aryan Gaur and Devin Garcia. Gaur was second-team all-league in 2021. There are some good-sized bodies up front to help open holes. Arch Gill (6-2, 239), Faris Rayes (5-10, 217) and Omaid Rahimi (6-0, 266) were among the many Wildcats who spent considerable time in the weight room getting stronger. Dougherty Valley will be tested right out of the box when it hosts Milpitas in its opener.

Season opener: Aug. 26 vs. Milpitas, 7 p.m.

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