Monday Morning Lights: San Jose school playing with heavy hearts after death of former coach

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GUNDERSON: GRIZZLIES PLAYING FOR LATE COACH

Gunderson football is playing with heavy hearts as the 2024 season unfolds.

The Grizzlies are playing without assistant coach Chris Ruane, who died from cancer on Sept. 28. Ruane had been an assistant at Gunderson since the 2020 season.

“He’s been a huge supporter of the kids doing stuff the right way, handling your business,” said Gunderson coach Jason Harrison. “It’s been a process when you want to change culture. And he was right there with me, saying, ‘Coach, I believe in you. I got your back. Whatever we want for these kids, I support it. I’ll back you up.’”

Harrison met Ruane while playing semiprofessional football around 2010. The two became fast friends when they won a national championship with the Pacifica Islanders in 2011.

Ruane was Harrison’s right-hand man in many respects, serving as Gunderson’s equipment manager and special teams coordinator. When his health declined in the past few years, Ruane shifted to an off-field role and tried to remain involved however he could.

“Our equipment room is a mess now, but he kept it organized,” Harrison said. “He did it all. The start of this season, he told me, ‘Hey, Coach, you be on the field and coach. I can do other things, take care of social media posts. Give me your Twitter accounts, and I’ll help you guys that way. So he was always looking for a way to help.”

Numerous players and coaches attended Ruane’s funeral service last Monday in Mountain View, and one theme emerged as they discussed his impact on their lives.

“All the kids said the same thing. He would text, he would DM them and say, ‘I hope you guys are taking care of business,’” Harrison said. “These are kids that haven’t been coached by Chris for two years now. He was reaching out, making sure they were going to college, making sure they were working on their career.

“He wanted the best for the kids. Even if they weren’t playing anymore, he was still in communication with them, just to make sure that they’re successful moving forward.”

Gunderson’s coaches will honor Ruane for the rest of this season by wearing pins with a picture of Ruane in the uniform of the California Buckeyes, a semipro football team he founded and played for as a long snapper.

“We’re playing for coach Chris,” Harrison said. “Every game, we talk about coach Chris. What would coach Chris do? Long live coach Chris.”

The Grizzlies have been using the hashtag #LLCC on social media to honor Ruane.

– Christian Babcock

CAMPOLINDO: FOLLOWING BIG WIN, COUGARS FINALLY FEELING CONFIDENT

Campolindo’s 30-7 win over Las Lomas was, by far, its most dominant, most complete showing this entire season. There wasn’t a single area of the game where the Cougars failed to execute, the type of victory that’s given them something they haven’t had all year.

Confidence.

“We haven’t had confidence at all this year,” said head coach Kevin Macy. “So now, we finally got a taste of it. … The kids can finally sense what confidence is, because you have to have a performance like that. You can’t make up confidence out of thin air. You need some big performances, and a lot of kids played well. There were a lot of good performances, so we can spread the good feeling around.”

As Macy said, Campolindo had no shortage of standouts in its decisive victory over Las Lomas. Running back Micah Parker had an explosive 74-yard touchdown, the highlight of a night where he had 151 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Quarterback Reid Habas had his own explosive play, finding Joe Revelos for a 72-yard touchdown as he passed for 233 total yards.

Junior Sean Parker and senior Blaise Clancy ended up with interceptions, the latter running for a touchdown as well, while junior Zach Tabibian hit all three of his field goals.

“There’s a lot of confidence gained from this game, and I think moving forward, we’ll be way better,” said Micah Parker. “This game is helping us a lot going into our next games.”

— Justice delos Santos 

JFK-RICHMOND: EAGLES HAVE ‘ALL WE NEED’

Kennedy-Richmond shouldn’t be this good at football. The JV team was 1-9 last season, and with only five returning starters and 27 new varsity players, the Eagles were relying on those JV athletes to make a massive step up.

Coach Greg Marshall said that early on, they tried to get their new players to learn two or three positions simultaneously, which did not work as the team started 0-2. 

“Once we started limiting the kids to one position, we quickly realized that we have a ton of young guys that can play,” Marshall said. “Senior lineman Noah Faataui leadership has helped. He stays on the young guys and constantly preaches to them, ‘I don’t want to hear what you’re going to do, this is your time to show me.’ And the younger guys have answered the call.”

Once Marshall simplified things, Kennedy took off. The Eagles are 5-3 and winners of three straight.

Leading the way is Treshawn Ellis, a dynamic freshman with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Sophomore Julius Campos is one of the team’s leading tacklers, and freshman Sulusi Pekipaki is a force on the offensive line that paves holes for rusher Ranndey Urbina.

“Our motto is, ‘We all we got, we all we need,’ and the kids really believe in that,” Marshall said. “As long as we have each other and we’re all on the same page, we truly believe we can take on whatever obstacle is in front of us.”

– Joseph Dycus

BEREAN CHRISTIAN: QUARTERBACK IS UNDERRATED GEM 

There are a plethora of talented quarterbacks in the East Bay, and Berean Christian’s Joshua Werner is slowly making his way to the top of that list. 

The 6-foot senior has been the Eagles’ best player this season, throwing for over 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns through seven games. 

“I know I’m overlooked,” Werner said. “I haven’t really gotten out there a lot and this year has really helped us.”

BC coach Giles Chapman credits Werner’s preparation for his success.

“We train to execute, and Josh really handles that,” Chapman said. “He really held it down from a leadership standpoint. I’m really pleased with what I saw from him.”

— Nathan Canilao

YGNACIO VALLEY: BLOWOUT LOSS IS FLASHPOINT MOMENT FOR WOLVES

Saturday’s 52-6 loss to Berean Christian was a gut punch for red-hot Ygnacio Valley, which won its previous three games. The Wolves struggled to find success in any phase of the game, leading to YV’s biggest loss since its 70-point defeat at Alameda in Week 1. 

But head coach Rae Jackson Sr. Is hoping this can be a learning lesson for his young team.

“I think the pressure of the game got to us a little bit,” Jackson said. “But it could happen like that. It was a big game with league championship implications and playoff implications. So, it was going to be tough.”

Winning one game this season would have been a victory in most people’s eyes with the Wolves holding the state’s longest losing streak going into this season. But Jackson and the team have set the bar much higher this season, which includes a league title.

For now, YV is focused on next week’s game against a tough Concord team. 

“I think it’s going to be a pretty good game,” Jackson said of Friday’s matchup against Concord.

— Nathan Canilao

JEFFERSON: HOW ARE THEY DOING IT?

When opponents visit Daly City to play Jefferson, they can expect a fierce offensive line to emerge from the peninsula fog. 

Coach Imani Stewart has guided the team to a 6-2 record, with the Grizzlies sitting at 6-0 in the PAL Lake Division. He credits a line led by Bryant Martin, Henry Hernandez and Kymani Maumasi as the tone-setters for a physical team.

“We’ve really been coming together on the offensive line, because we’ve had a lot of different players in different positions, and we’re trying to get them in the right places,” Stewart said. 

A path to the playoffs as a league champion and automatic qualifier is a daunting one, though. Matchups with undefeated teams Saratoga and Gunn will decide whether the Grizzlies are postseason-bound.

“We don’t know what is going to happen, but we’re going to put up a fight,” Stewart said.

– Joseph Dycus

SKYLINE: WHEN BEAM’S TITANS BEAT DE LA SALLE

John Beam, who recently announced that this year will be his last as Laney College’s football coach, won plenty of games, league titles and big games while at Skyline from 1987-2004.

But perhaps his most impressive victory came when he was an assistant coach in 1984 as the Titans defeated De La Salle in Concord. Brian Johnson was the star QB on Skyline and had given the Titans a lead.

One that seemed ready to evaporate as De La Salle lined up for a late field goal.

“It was a Saturday afternoon game because they didn’t have lights back then, and they line up to kick what was maybe a 38-yard field goal,” Beam recalled. “It was so windy on that day, but all of a sudden the wind stops.

“Are you (bleeping) me? Divine intervention, because they’re a Catholic school the wind stops … but then they kick it and the wind blows and the ball misses.”

Skyline ended that season 10-0, but was the No. 2 team in the Oakland Tribune rankings. .

“Who was number one? De La Salle,” Beam said. “Can you believe that?”

– Joseph Dycus

DE LA SALLE: HOW THE TECHNICIAN BEATS THE CUT

Matthew Johnson is 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, quick as a cat and strong enough to bull-rush almost any lineman in the Bay Area. So how does an offensive line stop a player like that?

They use cut blocks, a technique where offensive linemen go low and try to trip their opponent. Unfortunately for De La Salle’s opponents, Johnson knows how to deal with that tactic.

“You’ve just got to put your hands out and go over them,” Johnson said. “If you jump, it’s easy because they don’t touch you.”

When San Ramon Valley tried to block him straight up in DLS’s 42-14 victory on Friday, it did not go well for the Wolves. Not only is Johnson supremely athletic, but he also has an advanced array of pass-rushing moves at his disposal.

“He’s a technician, and he just works,” DLS coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “He’s always in the weight room, he’s always working and he’s always thinking about the team.”

– Joseph Dycus

PEEK AHEAD TO WEEK 9

Friday

No. 15 Liberty (5-2) at No. 2 Pittsburg (6-1), 7 p.m.: If there’s any team in the BVAL that can give Pittsburg a competitive game, it’s Liberty. 

Berean Christian (5-2) at Mt. Diablo (5-2), 7 p.m.: The winner of this game will have the inside track to win the DAL Valley title. 

Castlemont (2-3) at Oakland (4-2), 7 p.m.: Should tell us which team will face McClymonds in November’s Silver Bowl.

Arroyo (6-1) vs. Alameda (5-2) at Thompson Field in Alameda, 7 p.m.: The best teams in the WACC Shoreline Division face off.

Silver Creek (4-3) at Piedmont Hills (5-2), 7:15 p.m.: Can Piedmont Hills remain undefeated in the competitive BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill Division?

Palo Alto (5-2) at No. 20 Menlo-Atherton (5-2), 7 p.m.: Can Palo Alto’s explosive offense get going against M-A’s talented defense?

Saratoga (6-0-1) at Jefferson (6-2), 7 p.m.: Undefeated teams in the PAL Lake Division vying for the league’s one automatic qualifier slot into the CCS playoffs.

No. 7 Valley Christian (5-2) at No. 4 St. Ignatius (5-2), 5 p.m.: How will St. Ignatius respond after giving up a 13-0 halftime lead against St. Francis on Friday?

– Joseph Dycus