The El Camino Division is the second “B” league in the Peninsula Athletic League, just a notch below the Ocean.
The El Camino is a collection of teams that are either moving up or moving down a division, based on last year’s results. Woodside and El Camino high schools, which finished 1-2 in the Lake Division last year, along with Fremont-Sunnyvale, which was fourth in the Lake, are the only teams that posted winning records in 2022.
Carlmont is the other newcomer in the division, joining up with holdovers Los Altos and Santa Clara.
The El Camino Division receives two automatic Central Coast Section bids.
Carlmont Scots
Carlmont looks to be rebuilding in 2023 after graduating their starting quarterback, along with their best running back and receiver. The good news is, they do return some pieces and will have an influx of juniors from a junior varsity team that went 6-4 last season.
Coach: Eric Rado
2022: 1-4 Ocean Division, 4-6 overall
Against rest of the division since 2004: 15-11
Key players: defense may be the Scots’ strength early with the return senior Quinn Giacomini — a 5-10, 150-pound linebacker who finished with a team-high 53 tackles. Joining him will be junior linebacker Dylan Cummings, who head coach Eric Rado said was a regular during summer workouts. Rounding out the linebacking corps is senior Dylan De Bono, who appeared in seven games last season.
Sean Chopoff — a 6-4, 187-pound junior — will give Carlmont a big receiving target from his tight end position. He will also see time on defense at linebacker.
Carlo Campobello, a senior, has the inside track at quarterback. He was the backup to Jack Wiessinger last year and saw limited time. He made one start, leading the Scots to a 17-14 win over Los Altos, throwing for 81 yards.
Rado expects the running game to be one by committee, but 5-11, 187-pound Braedon Kumer, who saw limited action as a junior last year, should be among the among the lead backs this season.
Carlmont will have some experience on the offensive line with the return of 5-11, 197-pound center Gino Demauro. Expecting to see work on both lines is junior Aedan Ryan, who Rado says at 6-1, 205 pounds is probably the strongest player on the team.
Season opener: Friday Aug. 25 at Castro Valley, 7:30 p.m.
El Camino Colts
El Camino stayed in the family with the re-hiring of Rustin Mayorga, a 2009 graduate, for his second head coaching stint last year. He made the move pay off with the Colts’ best season since they went 6-4 in 2013. For the first time since the 2008, the Colts will play in a division other than the Lake after a second-place finish in 2022.
Coach: Rustin Mayorga
2022: 6-1 Lake Division, 7-3 overall
Against rest of division: 6-13
Key players: Gabe Rocha, who was the Colts’ best athlete last year, will get to focus solely on quarterback this season. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior worked with Chris Zografos, the Colts’ new quarterback coach and offensive coordinator, and a 2011 graduate of San Mateo.
“Last year we relied heavily on Gabe and his athleticism,” Mayorga said. “He still has his athleticism, but to look at his throwing last year to now, it’s day and night.”
Senior Jaden Ledesma — at 5-10, 165 pounds — was an all-league defensive back last season with the expectation that he will contribute more on offense as a wide receiver in 2023. The No. 1 receiving target will be junior Noah Flores, who significant playing time as a sophomore last year.
“We have a lot of expectations of him,” Mayorga said.
Senior lineman Nate Mascalino (5-10, 205) was an all-league center last season, but will move over to right tackle in 2023. Season opener: Thursday Aug. 24 vs San Mateo, 7 p.m.
Fremont Firebirds
Fremont is looking to end a playoff drought that extends to the 2014 season that saw them go 5-1 in the SCVAL El Camino Division and 9-2 overall. Since then, they bounced between the El Camino and De Anza Divisions — never quite good enough to win an El Camino title, nor competitive enough to hang with the tougher SCVAL De Anza Division teams.
Coach: Rob Swartz
2022: 4-3 Lake Division, 6-4 overall
Against rest of division since 2004: 8-18-1
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Key players: 2023 may be the year Fremont snaps its streak of non-playoff seasons as the Firebirds return their top-three rushers from a year ago. They return one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the division. Junior Henry Buenrostro enters his second season as the starter and will look to build on a 2022 season that saw him lead the team in rushing with just over 500 yards and nine touchdowns. He also threw for nearly 500 yards and five more scores.
Jordan McKinney begins his senior season as the No. 2 rusher from last year, running for 462 yards and six TDs. He also had 191 yards receiving.
Don Martinez, another senior, added 447 yards rushing last year, including eight scores.
Season opener: Friday Aug. 25 at Palo Alto, 7 p.m.
Los Altos Eagles
Los Altos’ high-water mark of the last decade came in 2021, when they went 5-1 in capturing the SCVAL El Camino Division title, advancing to the CCS semifinals and finishing with an overall record of 8-4. It was their second winning season in 10 years since going 8-3 in 2016.
The 3-2 mark in division play was only their third winning record since 2014.
Coach: Mike Garrity
2022: 3-2 El Camino Division, 4-6 overall
Against rest of division since 2004: 17-13
Key players: Senior Noah Beedon returns for his second season as starting quarterback. Drew Rafferty, a 6-2, 178-pound senior running back, along with 6-2, 240-pound senior lineman Brock Bowman, are both three-year varsity players.
Season opener: Friday Aug. 25 vs Monte Vista Christian-Watsonville, 7 p.m.
Santa Clara Bruins
Santa Clara has been that classic “tweener” team in the SCVAL: one of the best teams in the El Camino Division, but almost non-competitive in the tougher De Anza Division. Santa Clara won El Camino crowns in 2015, 2017 and 2018. In six De Anza seasons, they were 3-33.
Coach: Nelson Gifford
2022: 2-3 El Camino Division, 2-8 overall
Against rest of division since 2004: 14-7
Key players: The Bruins return a couple of key components, with quarterback Matthew Conklin entering his third season under center. Also returning is running back Matt Nguyen.
Season opener: Friday Aug. 25 vs Terra Nova, 7 p.m.
Woodside Wildcats
Woodside is coming off their first division title since Julian Edelman led them to the 2004 Ocean Division championship and it culminated a significant time of struggle for the program. From 2014 to 2018, Woodside was just 4-23 in division play, between the Ocean and Lake divisions.
But the Wildcats had a talented crop of players emerge in the last couple of season that helped them to the Lake Division crown and a move up a level to the El Camino Division.
Coach: Justin Andrews
2022: 7-0 Lake Division, 8-3 overall; first round of CCS
Against rest of division since 2004: 13-7
Key players: Woodside’s fortunes begin and end with 6-1, 195-pound junior running back Evan Usher. He missed the first two games of the 2022 season due to injury — both Woodside losses. When he returned for Week 3, it started a streak of eight straight wins, with Usher featuring heavily. He finished the season with 1,739 and 23 touchdowns, averaging 194 yards per game.
Oliver Lyssand did a bit of everything for Woodside in 2022.
Daily Journal sports file
Fortunately for the Wildcats, Usher won’t go it alone. Also back for his senior year is Mr. Do Everything Oliver Lyssand. Not only was he the team’s second-leading rusher with 460 yards and five scores, he also was one of its best tacklers, finishing with 39 stops.
Senior linebacker Mason Furtado (6-1, 185) will anchor the defense and is coming off a 2022 season that saw him lead the team in tackles with 51, despite playing in just five games. That included 40 solo stops and a team-high three sacks.
Season opener: Friday Aug. 25 vs Jefferson, 7 p.m.
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