Redell & Alberghini ready teams for big stage 
September 17, 2009 10:32 PM
Unless something strange happens, Oaks Christian and Sacramento Grant head coaches will win the 200th games of their prep careers this season. Redell could reach No. 200 in ESPNU-televised showdown on Friday against Skyline of Washington. Grant also faces nationally-ranked foe in a Seattle area matchup this weekend.
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
The first time Oaks Christian of Westlake Village football coach Bill Redell met hockey legend Wayne Gretzky took place a few years ago when Gretzky and his wife, Janet, were looking into where their son, Trevor, would go to high school.
Redell was in for a surprise.
"I've met you before,” Gretzky said.
Redell couldn't remember and was starting to feel embarrassed since Gretzky only happens to be the best player in the history of his sport.(Read full post)
CA, football, Bill Redell, Oaks Christian, Mike Alberghini, Grant, Trevor Gretzky
Gridiron Feature: Devontae Butler
July 22, 2009 2:00 AM
CalHiSports.com continues its preseason football coverage with a profile of a returning gridiron star who not only hopes to lead his team to another bowl game win, but has some lofty individual goals as well. Football coaches can email ronnie@studentsports.com or call (800) 660-1334 Ext. 4414 for details on how to make sure your program is included in our upcoming series of team previews for the 2009 season and considered for our preseason state rankings package.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
When you're the leading rusher as a junior on a team that wins the CIF Open Division bowl game, setting ultra-high goals for your senior season would seem only natural.
Ultra-high is one thing, but the goals Grant of Sacramento running back Devontae Butler has set are astronomical.
Especially after he ran for 1,964 yards on 197 carries (9.96 yards per carry) with 37 touchdowns, including 114 yards and one TD in the Pacers 25-20 upset of Long Beach Poly in the CIF Open Division Championship Bowl Game.
"My personal goal is to break the (school) record of Onterrio Smith and rush for 3,500 yards and 55 touchdowns,” Butler told CalHiSports.com after summer school classes and a two-plus-hour workout in mid-July.
Smith, who went from Grant to a checkered pro career with the Minnesota Vikings, rushed for a school record 3,125 yards and 53 touchdowns in 12 games for the Pacers during the 1998 season.
"The team goal is plain and simple,” Butler said matter-of-factly. "Go back to state and win it again.”(Read full post)
ca, football, Grant, CIF Bowl games, Long Beach Poly, Onterrio Smith, Mike Alberghini, Devontae Butler
2008-09 Stories of the Year: Tyler’s Tale is Tops
June 20, 2009 2:00 AM
Basketball star Jeremy Tyler's decision to turn pro after his junior year at San Diego High was the most talked about story in the state during the 2008-09 school year. Other stories among our top 15 include Sacramento Grant's historic win over Long Beach Poly in the CIF Open Division state football bowl game and one of the most stunning upsets any team in any sport in state history has ever pulled off.
By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores
Contributing: Paul Muyskens
1. Jeremy Tyler Leaves High School For Pros
This one is a no-brainer at the top of our list and might be the biggest story of the school year nationally, too. In a move orchestrated by summer basketball pioneer Sonny Vaccaro, San Diego High's Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 junior who previously committed to Louisville, decided to skip his senior season of high school to play professionally in Europe for two years before entering the 2011 NBA Draft.
One year earlier, Vaccaro aided EA SPORTS National Player of the Year Brandon Jennings in skipping college to play professional ball overseas, but Tyler's decision was different and drew stronger reactions since he actually has not yet finished high school.
Recently, Las Vegas High baseball sensation Bryce Harper decided to skip his final two years of high school so there is no telling where this trend is headed. While many in the local basketball community opposed Tyler's move, it was pretty obvious he was not going to finish his prep career at San Diego High, regardless. What happened with the Cavers and the players that were supposed to be playing alongside Tyler is another story.
2. Grant Wins First CIF Open Division Bowl Game
One of the biggest stories of the 2007-2008 school year came when the CIF Federated Council approved the expansion of the CIF State Championship Bowl Games from three to five games for the 2008 season. It wasn't much of a surprise, but two events that transpired from that decision were eye-openers, that's for sure.
The first came when Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II champion Grant of Sacramento was selected to play in the Open Division bowl game, which was created to pit the best team in Northern California versus the best from SoCal regardless of enrollment. Grant's selection proved the CIF Bowl Games were not just created for an annual match up of De La Salle of Concord versus the best Southern California has to offer.
Second, Grant showed the prep football world that quality football in Northern California does exist outside the Spartans' legendary program, as they upset a Long Beach Poly team that was looking to become the first program to win a CIF state championship in the early era (1915-1927) and the modern CIF bowl game era.
With its 25-20 victory, Grant was the first victorious NorCal team in the expanded bowl game setup. And to say that Grant's win boosted the prestige of the entire Sacramento community would be an understatement. It is arguably the biggest win any team in the city's history has ever had.(Read full post)
CA, basketball, Jeremy Tyler, San Diego, Renardo Sidney, Fairfax, football, Mike Alberghini, Grant, Dalton Dyer, Placer
State Coach of the Year: Mike Alberghini
January 6, 2009 12:54 PM
He's the rock at Grant of Sacramento with 40 years at the school under his belt, including the last 18 as head football coach. The 2008 season culminated with historic win over Long Beach Poly.
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Days before his Grant High football team of Sacramento took the field to play favored Long Beach Poly in the first CIF Open Division state championship game, Pacers' head coach Mike Alberghini talked about how the stars seemed to align just right for his squad to gain selection into the contest opposite the undefeated Jackrabbits.
But it was more than astrology than pushed the Pacers into that game. It was Alberghini, who then fired up his team for a 25-20 triumph, a final 14-0 record and a final No. 10 national ranking in the ESPN RISE FAB 50.
As a result of that victory, plus all that he's done in both football and baseball during an admirable career at the Del Paso Heights neighborhood school, Alberghini has been selected today as the CalHiSports.com State Coach of the Year.
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| | Scott Kurtz |
| | Mike Alberghini |
The last State Coach of the Year in football from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section was
Wayne Schneider of Tracy in 1982. The last from the Sacramento area was
Ron Lancaster from Cordova of Rancho Cordova in 1979.
With all of the recent hoopla surrounding Alberghini's football program, people forget just how good he was as a baseball coach at Grant before he switched head coaching positions in 1991.
During the 1980s, in fact, Albergini's Grant teams won more baseball games than any other school in the state other than nearby Cordova with a record of 247-107-3.
Alberghini's 1989 team won the Sac-Joaquin Section title and finished 37-7-1, which is still the state record for most baseball wins in one season. His 1984 team also finished among the top five in the state with a 35-4 record, including a 27-0 start.
In that season, the Pacers were dueling with fellow California school Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (which also started 27-0) for the No. 1 national ranking before they stumbled at the end. They still set a state record for most hits in a season with 424 that still stands.
Since the 1991 season, when Alberghini took over the Pacer football program, Grant has normally been at the top or near the top of the Sac-Joaquin Section.
Two years ago, he had his most talented team, based on the number of players who signed letters of intent, but the lack of a strong schedule plus the fact that De La Salle of Concord had another unbeaten team led to the Spartans and not Grant being selected to appear as the North representative in the first CIF Division I state bowl game.
Following that season, Alberghini needed young players to step up in 2007. Despite winning seven games, they weren't quite ready and ended up only 7-4, including a first-round playoff loss to Ponderosa of Shingle Springs.
That poor showing was one reason why the Pacers didn't start out this year's preseason state rankings that high. Twelve starters were returning, though, and Alberghini knew he had something special brewing so he tried to line up a stronger schedule. That move paid off more than he could have imagined since two teams that Grant beat Highland of Pocatello, Idaho, and Alta of Sandy, Utah wound up winning championships in their states.
After the Long Beach Poly win, Alberghini raised his own football head coaching record to 192-32-1, which is a winning percentage of 85.33 percent. The only coaches in state history with at least 100 wins and a higher winning percentage are
Bob Ladouceur of De La Salle and
Mike Glines from Central Catholic of Modesto.
The 61-year-old coach is a graduate of Mira Loma High in Sacramento and played himself in the late 1960s for legendary Matadors' coach
Don Brown. Amazingly, two other recent state football coaches of the year also are from Mira Loma
Kevin Rooney from Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (2002) and
Randy Blankenship from Clovis West of Fresno (1998).
Alberghini's list of football coaching accomplishments at Grant also includes six Sac-Joaquin Section titles, 15 league championships and 18 straight playoff berths.
Among his former players are wide receiver
Donte Stallworth and running back
Onterrio Smith. Stallworth is still in the NFL and played in the Super Bowl last January. Smith, who led the state with 53 touchdowns in 1998, once starred for the Minnesota Vikings. Alberghini also was the high school coach of former Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners baseball player
Ricky Jordan.
Current college football players and Grant alums
Worrell Williams (senior linebacker at Cal),
Syd-Quan Thompson (junior cornerback at Cal) and
Christian Tupou (freshman defensive tackle at USC) all look like they will have legitimate NFL opportunities down the road as well.
They can all thank Coach A for starting them on their way, but the entire Sacramento prep football community is now thanking him as well.
Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
football, Mike Alberghini, Grant, Sacramento, state coach of the year
Grant more than belongs on same field as Poly
December 21, 2008 4:01 AM
Pacers come through in the fourth quarter to beat favored Jackrabbits, 25-20, and make history for school, city and Sac-Joaquin Section to win CIF Open Division football title.
By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor CalHiSports.com
It took the California Interscholastic Federation 79 years to implement state championship bowl games in 2006 after discontinuing the state format following the 1927 season amid financial concerns.
It took Polytechnic High School of Long Beach even longer, 89 years, to return to a state football championship game. The Jackrabbits were looking to make history as the first program to win CIF state titles in the early era and the modern CIF State Championship Bowl Games, but Grant of Sacramento made history of its own as the Pacers pulled out a thrilling 25-20 victory over the Jackrabbits in front of 14,122 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
The win was not only the first for five Northern California teams that traveled South in the first year of the expanded bowl games that included the addition of a small schools and an open division, but the biggest win ever for a Sacramento area prep football team.
"We won this football game because of our character," said Grant head coach Mike Alberghini.
The Pacers were a surprise pick for the open bowl game going up against a Poly team that came in ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation in the ESPN RISE FAB 50, but they came in well-prepared and with confidence fueled by those that felt De La Salle of Concord should have played the Jackrabbits.
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| | Scott Kurtz |
| | In a historic game for Sacamento area prep football, receiver Darvin McCauley of Grant (right) played the best game of his prep career. |
The Pacers proved they were more than a deserving selection and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard touchdown reception by
Darvin McCauley to cap a eight-play, 65-yard drive that began with 1:11 remaining in the game.
"They shut down our run and we felt early on we had to go to the pass," Alberghini explained. "We just had the answers. We felt the one thing coming in here is everyone said they're more athletic. Well, we're athletic, too."
The game didn't start out too well for Poly (14-1) as the Pacers drew first blood. On the second offensive possession for Grant (14-0), quarterback
Kipeli Koniseti caught Poly cornerback
Lazari Middleton looking into the backfield and hit McCauley in stride on an out and up pattern for a 54-yard touchdown with 6:59 remaining in the first period.
The CIF Sac Joaquin Div. II champions had great field position throughout the first half as Poly played its customary game catch up. The Jackrabbits actually dodged two major bullets as Grant had two great opportunities to put points on the board and came away with zero.
Following a fumble on a kickoff return by Poly's Jordan Johnson that Grant recovered at the 20-yard line, the Pacers were facing a fourth and four from the 16-yard line and Koniseti just over shot a wide open receiver who got behind Middleton in the corner of the end zone.
With 1:30 remaining in the first quarter, Poly allowed a 40-yard reception by Ronald Fields in the middle of the field, but its defense toughened up and forced a fourth and ten from the 15-yard line. On fourth down, junior wide receiver Xavier Amey hauled in a pass near the left corner on the end zone but came down out of bounds.
Poly has not been known as an offensive juggernaut in recent seasons, but its offense was just plain anemic in the first half. The ground-oriented Jackrabbits gained a total of six rushing yards and picked up five first downs. It was only a matter of time before a team as talented and tough as Grant capitalized on the Jackrabbits' lethargic play.
Again the Poly defense forced a third and long (15 to be exact), but again Middleton allowed a wideout just enough space to pull down a Koniseti pass as
Howard Warren hauled in a 38-yard reception down to the Poly one-yard line. On the next play, Koniseti scored on a quarterback sneak to give Gran a seemingly commanding 13-0 lead with 10:44 remaining in the second quarter.
"Everyone said I'm not a passer," remarked Koniseti, who finished with 236 yards passing on 13 of 26 pass attempts with two touchdowns. "That's all I needed was motivation by the doubters. We may have a lot of different guys on this team, but we have a lot of chemistry and we all speak the same language."
Poly eventually made a defensive adjustment by sliding safety Stan McKay over to right cornerback and placing senior Tylor Showe at McKay's safety spot. The adjustment didn't allow Grant to execute long pass plays, but it still took an extraordinary defensive effort to help Poly get on the scoreboard.
With Grant driving once again towards Poly's red zone, all-state defensive end Iuta Tepa not only stripped the ball from junior back Devontae Butler, but actually ripped the ball right from his possession and began rumbling downfield the other way. Tepa actually fumbled on his return, but the ball was recovered by teammate Juwuan Brown at Poly's 35-yard line.
With the Jackrabbits not able to run against Grant's strong defensive front, quarterback Morgan Fannell went to the air. He finally converted on a 65-yard touchdown reception to a streaking Kaelin Clay after misfiring downfield on first and second down. That made the score 13-7 in favor of the Pacers, but the Jackrabbits failed to gain any rhythm offensively.
Only another fumble recovery, this one by Corey Walker after Koniseti scrambled and coughed up the ball on third and nineteen play, kept Grant's off-balance and unable to put up any more points in the first half.
In the third quarter, the tables were turned and it was Poly that enjoyed the good field position. On one possession Grant took over at its own two-yard line and escaped with a punt. But on the Pacers' next possession that started at the eight-yard line, disaster struck when Grant had its punt blocked on a surge led by Brown, linebackers Kenny Tuiloma and Matthew Jones. The ball was scooped up and returned six yards for a touchdown by 'backer George Dailey-Lyles to give the two-time CIF Southern Section Pac-Five champions a 14-13 lead with 3:16 remaining in the third quarter.
"I was on the weak side and thought I might have a shot and just went for it," Jones said. "I'm glad I did. I was even happier to see George pick it up."
The Pacers got the break it needed to put itself in scoring position after Poly's special team touchdown when Fennell (11 of 28, 164 yards passing, 1 TD, 1 INT) had a pass picked off. It was returned to the Jackrabbits' 15-yard line by defensive back Marvin Lamb when Johnson, the intended receiver, slipped and the ball floated up in the air for much too long for one of Grant's speedy skill position players not to pick it off.
The Pacers capitalized and took a 19-14 lead when Butler, who finished with 114 yards rushing on 22 carries, scored on a six-yard touchdown run on fourth and inches with 10:36 remaining in the game. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
Poly, accustomed to playing from behind in this year's playoffs, finally found daylight on the ground and answered Grant's score with a 55-yard touchdown run by senior back Melvin Richardson. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound bulldozer, who entered the game with eight postseason touchdowns, accounted for most of Poly's rushing yards on his scoring gallop that gave Poly a 20-19 lead after Fannell over shot a wide open Corey Westbrook on a two-point conversion attempt.
On Poly's other 24 rushing attempts, the Jackrabbits gained 49 yards as their vaunted defense was wearing down from being on the field much too long in the second half.
Poly, the state's all-time winningest program with 684 football victories, was trying to win the school's second CIF state title so it was only fitting that its defense was on the field to perhaps secure the win.
In 1919, coach Eddie Kienholz led Poly to a 21-14 victory over Berkeley at Tournament Park in Pasadena. Similar to Keinholz's team, which allowed just 13 points in its first 11 games heading into the title game with Berkeley, head coach Raul Lara's club was spearheaded by its defense. They allowed a paltry 8.9 points per game heading into the open division bowl against the Pacers, but all that didn't matter as Grant kept it composure and exploited Poly's fatigue in trying to cover McCauley.
Defensive back Darius Williams-Fox was giving the 5-foot-11,180-pound receiver much too cushion and outside of one tackle for loss by Daily-Lyles, the interior defense was not crisp in tackling a relatively fresh Butler on the game-winning drive. Koniseti drove the Pacers down to the 15-yard line of Poly and hit McCauley on a pass where he split Williams-Fox and Showe to score the biggest touchdown in the history of Grant's program.
"I could have done this all year, but we're not a passing team so I sat back and waited for my chance," said McCauley, who finished with eight receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. "Coach A (Alberghini) gave it to me tonight and I did what I had to do."
Grant, which came into the game ranked No. 5 in the state, will move to at least the No. 2 spot with its five-point victory when the CalHiSports.com final state ratings for the 2008 football season are released next week.
Centennial of Corona, which recorded a 21-16 over previous No. 3 De La Salle in the Div. I bowl game, could be the team to take over the top spot.
Alberghini and his troops probably won't be worrying much about it after the magnitude of Saturday night's victory is felt when they return home.
"Our defense was worn out," Lara said. "Usually we move the ball in the second half and are able to rest our defense, but Grant did a great job. We were No. 1 and they beat us so I guess they're No. 1 but Centennial is very good, too. We didn't execute, we had our chances, but Grant came to prove something."
And prove they did.
Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and make sure to comment so others can read what you have to say.
football, CA, Football, CIF Bowl Games, state rankings, Sacramento Grant, Long Beach Poly, Raul Lara, Melvin Richardson, Mike Alberghini, Darvin McCauley, Kipeli Koniseti
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