Alexandre's great

Playing with a heavy heart, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback showed his resolve and character in the biggest game amid the most trying time of his life. Johnson isn't just Alexandre's grandpa - he's his mentor, best friend and a role model. Losing him would have been devastating. It's Alexandre's ability to focus and his physical gifts that has junior college powerhouse and Division I producing football factory City College of San Francisco aiming for his services.

Turns out Alexandre can play some baseball, too. The 17-year-old senior tossed a no-hitter with four strikeouts in the Dons' 4-0 win over Woodside on Thursday. Entering the bottom of the seventh inning, Alexandre couldn't help but think back to April 8, when he carried a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a three-run homer - Terra Nova's only hit of the day - as Aragon lost a heartbreaker, 3-2. Alexandre wasn't going to let it happen again.

"You learn a little bit from each experience, and I just wanted to zone in a little more, be aggressive and throw strikes," said Alexandre, who also went 3 for 3 in a win over Capuchino on Wednesday. "Really, it was just another day on the mound. I don't think I pitched my best game, but my defense played great. Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't mind throwing a no-hitter every now and then."

For his efforts, Alexandre is the San Mateo Daily Journal's Athlete of the Week.

Known for his ability on the gridiron to throw the deep ball or over the middle with a Midas touch, Alexandre's arm is no less golden than with a baseball. With a solid 3-3 record, Alexandre uses a snapping fastball and hooking curve to keep hitters off-balanced. He's also working on a change-up and knuckle ball.

"Noel can bring it, and if he's able to locate his pitches, he's very tough to hit," Aragon coach Jesse Velez said. "He's very competitive, knows what it's all about and looks like he's putting it all together."

Alexandre first started playing baseball "ever since I could pick up a bat and swing it," but he didn't take up football until his freshman year because his mom and grandpa feared he would get crunched like a pretzel. They were right. Alexandre's rookie year wasn't a pretty sight. An inexperienced Alexandre was the third-string quarterback on the frosh-soph team and also played middle linebacker. His reads were terrible and his defense even more substandard.

"I struggled at QB and I was getting trucked (run over) all day at linebacker," Alexandre said. "I mean all day. I didn't like it very much and came close to quitting, but my mom said to stick it out for one more year. She didn't want me to quit."

Thank goodness for mom.

In the same way Peter Parker becomes Spiderman, Alexandre morphed from a lost soul on the gridiron to a budding star quarterback. He earned the starting spot as a sophomore on the frosh-soph squad, and suddenly the game didn't seem so foreign. A little wide-eyed and scared as a freshman, Alexandre developed a tougher skin, allowing him to take the hits. He plans on enrolling at CCSF and playing both football and baseball.

"The football coaches there called me and asked me to come out for the team," Alexandre said. "The baseball coach also called me, so hopefully it works out. I know my sport at the next level will be football, and I think after two years with JC ball, I'll be able to land a low D-I or high D-II football scholarship."

Whatever Alexandre does, he knows he'll have a fan following his every move.

"Since his surgery, I want to do what my grandpa wants me to do," Alexandre said. "He's always been in the bleachers watching me play, and he always took me to the batting cages or to the park growing up. He's been an inspiration and I just want to make him proud."

Gene Johnson must like what he sees.