When Gilroy High football coach Darren Yafai went to a San Jose
State passing tournament this summer, one quarterback in
particular
– Burlingame’s Drew Schiller – caught his eye.
When Gilroy High football coach Darren Yafai went to a San Jose State passing tournament this summer, one quarterback in particular – Burlingame’s Drew Schiller – caught his eye.
“Just an amazing athlete,” he said of Schiller. “We got to see him first-hand.”
Now they get to see him again – and this time it counts.
While many high schools don’t begin the 2004 season until next week, Gilroy and Burlingame will kick it off from Mustang Stadium tonight at 7:30
“I’m sure both teams are chomping at the bit to play some football,” Yafai said.
But how excited the Mustangs are about facing Schiller might be another question.
Considered one of the top quarterbacks in the region, the senior has been named all-CCS in football, baseball and basketball and is being recruited in all three.
“You’ve got some quarterbacks who are great throwers and some who just love to tuck it and run,” Yafai said. “He’s incredible at both of them. He’s not only got a great arm, but he’s really fast.”
Strong at running back and receiver as well, the Panthers are “exceptional” at the offensive skill positions, Yafai said.
So the plan of the Gilroy defense is containment.
“We would be foolish if we thought we could completely shut an offense and a quarterback like this down,” Yafai said. “He is going to make his plays and the offense is going to have some success.
“What we need to do is minimize that success as much as we can.”
Playing against Peninsula Athletic League powers like Aragon and San Mateo, Burlingame finished last season 4-6 (3-4 PAL). But other than that, most Gilroy players don’t know much about tonight’s opponent.
To Yafai’s knowledge, a Mustangs’ team has never played a group from Burlingame.
“I know their quarterback is supposed to be pretty good, but we really don’t know much about them,” said senior tailback Eric Rodriguez. “We’ve been going at this since January, though.
“So we’re just ready to play somebody.”
Just who will be playing, though?
To get you prepared for tonight’s season opener, here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the 2004 Mustangs:
Offense
QUARTERBACK: After a year on the freshman team, a year on the JV team and a year on the varsity bench, senior Peter Mickartz steps in to replace TCAL first-teamer Ben Hemeon. Don’t look for nearly as many quarterback scrambles this year. Compared to Hemeon, a starter for two seasons, Mickartz is more of a traditional, drop-back passer.
RUNNING BACK: “We’ve got a lot of them,” Yafai said, “and we’re gonna use them all.” Junior Justin Sweeney, who provided a spark after being called up from JV late last year, will likely begin the season as the starter. But seniors Marty Sustaita and Eric Rodriguez will see plenty of time. The Mustangs also return starting fullback Tim DeLeon and a pair of solid Z-backs, seniors Shea Lemos and Louie Gutierrez.
WIDE RECEIVER: Senior Jorden Newton starts for the second straight year, and will often be joined by fellow senior Jared Gamm, a versatile athlete who will also see playing time at both tight end and linebacker. Two more offense-defense athletes, juniors Steven Quistian and Taylor Micali, join Gamm at tight end.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Three of five starters return, including junior center Bobby Best. On the strongside, it’ll be junior tackle Matt Hunkin and senior guard Armando Franco starting. The other end of the line will be manned by quick guard John Torres and quick tackle Mitch Rodriguez.
Defense
LINE: In charge of clogging up the middle will be senior tackle Rico Loza and junior nose guard Marcus Munoz. Senior Kevin Collins, who started a few games on the O-line last year, will start at one end, while Best and Quistian will split time at the other spot.
LINEBACKER: Four players for three starting positions likely equals a season-long platoon. Micali will spend much of the time in the middle, with senior Joe Cano (weakside) and junior Chris Hernandez (strongside) flanking him. But Gamm will also see plenty of time at the position. “It’s all kind of interchangeable at linebacker,” Yafai said.
SECONDARY: After starting every game last season, Lemos returns at one cornerback spot. Gutierrez and another senior, Titus Karvon, will compete on the other side. A standout on the junior varsity squad, junior Ryan Dickerson will start at free safety. Seniors Jared Kaczorowski and Justin Sabla, who alternated time at strong safety in 2003, will continue that platoon this season.
Special Teams
Junior kicker Neil Martin returns for his second season, while Lemos attempts to replace Hemeon as the team’s punter. Sweeney is the punt returner, but the kickoffs will be handled by committee. Sustaita, Rodriguez and Newton are all in the mix.
