Peninsula Athletic League Lake Division football preview

All eight teams in the Lake have consistently dealt with low turnout, school apathy and more questions than answers:

“Will x-school field a football team this season?”

Or:

“Will y-school make it to the end of the season?”

The combination of the two leagues was the best way to save many of the football programs playing in the Lake Division. The hope is that by making games more competitive, it will drive renewed interest in football at these schools and help lead to stronger programs.

While the intent of the Lake remains the same — to give the least competitive teams an opportunity to play competitive football games — it is different this year. Instead of the usual six teams, there are now eight teams. El Camino, Mills, South City and Woodside are holdovers from the traditional PAL and they will be joined by the bottom four of the SCVAL’s old El Camino Division — Fremont-Sunnyvale, Lynbrook, Monta Vista and Saratoga.

“Obviously the allure of more competitive games is a big plus,” said Woodside head coach Justin Andrews. “This year, we’re in position to take advantage of it. … [The Lake crown] is kind of up for grabs. Why not us? We’re in a good position, numbers wise. Getting a whole offseason was huge for us.”

The Wildcats, which went 2-2 in Lake play in 2021 and 3-6 overall, might be one of the deepest teams in the division in 2022. While Andrews said there was a quarterback competition going on between senior Joey Artale and junior Kyle Cotes, they should have plenty of offensive weapons from which to choose.

Andrew Norgren is a two-way senior returner at receiver and defensive back. He caught 12 passes for 194 yards and three scores last season.

“Explosive player. Good hands,” Andrews said. “We predict he’s going to find the end zone and make plays on defense.”

Oliver Lyssand will serve as the Wildcats’ utility knife, with the ability to line up almost anywhere on either side of the ball. A junior running/slot back/receiver who saw plenty of varsity action as a sophomore, he’s just as versatile defensively.

“He’ll bump around from linebacker to safety to cornerback,” Andrews said. “Realistically, we can put him anywhere on the field.”

Senior Gio Presotto is back from a knee injury that cost him his junior season, but he played varsity during the spring 2021 COVID season.

Many teams seem rejuvenated for 2022. Coaches said there seemed to be renewed and increased interest in football this season. Seeing how all the teams in the Lake are all in the same boat, anyone could step up and take control.

“The team with the best record we play this season had a (2021) record of 5-5,” said Mills head coach Rick Angelini. “The next best was 3-7. … We’re looking at Sept. 2, Game 1. We expect to win. It’s our approach that we will put ourselves to be in position to win. I think it’s realistic, so long as the players put in the work.”

Angelini served as an assistant on last year’s 0-8 team and takes over as head man this year and was pleasantly surprised by the work put in over the summer. Angelini said the offense played better than expected in passing league games, which he hopes bodes well for his offensive system.

While there was still a competition at the quarterback spot at the start of the season, Angelini thinks he has the receiving end covered with senior receiver/defensive back Antonio Sacco, who attended Nike summer camp at University of San Diego.

“He’s a skilled athlete,” Angelini said. “He’s a football player.”

Angelini said he plans a steady rotation at running back to start the season, but is looking forward to watching the progress junior Kai Fernandez has made entering his second season of varsity ball.

“He can just run like the wind,” Angelini said. “The experience he got (last season), more than anything, was a level of confidence (playing varsity).”

Most of the South City team will have no such confidence as the Warriors will try to resurrect its program under former head coach Frank Moro, who coached the team from 2002 to 2013. South City did not field a varsity team last season and struggled mightily in the years before that, having lost 24 games in a row.

“The last time I was in the game, we were in the Bay (Division). … [Football is] not a popular thing at school anymore,” said Moro, who is also an an-campus teacher. “The numbers aren’t big. … (but I have) about 20 guys who are a good core group we can count on.”

And after a scrimmage with Cap and Mills last week, Moro is hopeful about the Warriors’ potential. He has a stable of running backs to implement his fly offense. Troy Ramirez and Nico Tanguan are both seniors who played with the junior varsity squad last year. They’ll be joined by sophomore Elijah Fields.

“[Fields is] a good-sized kid. Lot of power. Lot of speed,” Moro said.

Moro said two-fifths of his offensive line is solidified with senior Isaac Galvan and junior John Langi. But he said the team recently lost its center to injury, the Warriors’ second center to go down before the season even starts.

Moro likes what he sees in receivers Damien Eik (senior), Payton Jackson (junior) and sophomore Darren Miller. Working under center will be Justice Goodman.

While Moro believes his team has the talent to compete, he doesn’t know if their football skills are sound enough at this point in the season.

“There were a lot of questions with fundamentals. We don’t have a lot of the playbook in,” Moro said. “Talent-wise, we have some ability. (The question is) can we keep them here?”

Just up the street from South City, rival El Camino believes it is quietly waiting in the weeds. With a new offensive system and a squad that is big, size-wise, and maturing, head coach Rustin Mayorga thinks the Colts may catch some teams off guard after going just 1-8 in 2021.

“I think we’re under the radar,” Mayorga said. “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of teams. I think we’re really athletic this year. We have decent size.”

That size starts with 6-3, 200-pound senior tight end/receiver James Stam, who Mayorga said “can do anything.”

Manuel Deanda is a 5-11 senior receiver, while utility player Jeffrey Gamboa is back from a knee injury that cost him the 2021 season. Nick Santi will move from fullback to running back.

The line features 6-0, 245 senior Chris Anguino, who was an all-league selection last year.

“He just doesn’t leave the field,” Mayorga said.

Running the show is senior quarterback Gio Carrera, who has been in the program for four years.

“This is the year he has grown into the position,” Mayorga said. “He’s got a talented arm. He’s also really mobile.”

“You can definitely feel the energy within the school and program,” Mayorga continued. “I think we have something special going on.”

SCVAL players to watch: Lake Division

Fremont Firebirds

• Don Martinez, Junior RB/WR/DB. A third-year varsity, Martinez is the team's leading returning rusher, running 247 yards, 4 touchdowns in 2021. He also caught eight passes for 196 and two more scores. Defensively, he finished with 23 tackles, two interceptions and two pass break ups.

Monta Vista Matadors

• Greyson Mobley, senior QB. Mobley is a quarterback in name only. He threw for only 317 yards in 2021. But he was the SCVAL leading runner last season, piling up 1,133 yards on the ground, with 11 touchdowns.

Lynbrook Vikings

• Dylan White, junior RB. With a senior-heavy RB rotation in 2021, White was the only non-senior to get any carries. He had 14 carries for 33 yards. He will move into a starting role almost by default.

Saratoga Falcons

• Shane Timmons,junior QB. Started last season as a sophomore.

• Joey Schoonmaker, senior OL/DL. Returning lineman.