M-A’s NFL connection

And then playing for Denver, who caught a 2-point conversion to give the Broncos a lead midway through the fourth quarter, was Troy Franklin, a 2021 M-A grad who starred at University of Oregon.

That got me doing a semi-deep dive in M-A football and there was about a seven-, eight-year stretch when the city of East Palo Alto was a cradle for big-time college and future NFL players.

And before Franklin and Blackmon put EPA on the map, it was running back Jordan Mims who starred at M-A before going to have a spectacular career at Fresno State and is currently with the Tennessee Titans.

The first big name to come out a city that was once the murder capital of the nation in the 1980s was receiver Davante Adams, who graduated from Palo Alto High School in 2011 before starring at Fresno State and in the NFL, first with the Green Bay Packers.

Mims and Blackmon helped set the foundation that turned M-A into a state power, one that saw the Bears make it to a state championship game in 2016 and 2018, winning the 3-AA state title, 21-7, over Lincoln-San Diego in 2018.

Mims finished his M-A career with more than 4,000 yards rushing to go along with 46 touchdowns. Franklin played just seasons, sitting out his senior year, which was the COVID season. But in those two years, he amassed nearly 2,000 receiving yards and scored 28 times. Blackmon, in his senior year, grabbed six interceptions.

***

Seeing Mims, Blackmon and Franklin playing on Sundays got me thinking how many NFL players have I watched play in high school since coming to the Peninsula prior to the 2001 season.

I can’t possibly remember all the names, but there are several that immediately popped into my head.

Obviously the biggest name would be Julian Edelman, the 2005 Woodside grad who went on to win three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and is a fringe Hall of Fame prospect.

Edelman might be the best known player out of the Peninsula in the last 25 years, but he’s not the only one.

Ben Burr-Kirven, a 2015 graduate of Sacred Heart Prep and the Daily Journal’s 2014 Football Player of the Year, played for the Seattle Seahawks as a linebacker in 2019 and 2020.

“Big Play” Eddie Williams, a 2005 Aragon graduate, played with both the Seahawks and the Cleveland Browns as a running back.

And if we go back a year before that, there was Paul Fanaika, a 6-6, 300-plus pound lineman who graduated from Mills in 2004 and walked on at Arizona State. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and played for the Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.

***

The College of San Mateo football team had a bye last week, but that didn’t keep the Bulldogs from being the unanimous No. 1 team in the state in the JC Athletic Bureau’s coaches’ rankings.

And the Bulldogs will be No. 1 as they enter Bay 6 Conference play this week.

Below CSM, however, there was a lot of movement. Butte, which was ranked No. 2 in the state, tumbled after getting beat by College of the Sequoias, 42-38, two weeks ago. That loss, coupled with Golden West’s win, moved Golden West (5-0) into the No. 2 spot in the rankings.

CSM and Golden West are two of the six teams still undefeated in the state — that includes Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, who will face CSM Saturday in San Mateo.

***

Serra announced last week that Nick Carrara will take over the school’s soccer program.

Carrara, a 2009 Serra graduate, takes over for Mike Keller, a 1998 Serra alum who coached the Padres the previous seven seasons.

Carrara, who was the 2009 WCAL Offensive Player of the Year before starring at San Jose State, was an assistant to Keller for several years before becoming the Aragon varsity head coach for the previous two seasons.

Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal. since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.