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A championship is hard enough to come by, but two in a row can be extremely difficult, especially for a team playing in the tough West Catholic Athletic League.
That's exactly what the Valley Christian football team will be attempting this fall. Valley is coming off a WCAL championship season, and the Warriors backed up that title by winning a Central Coast Section crown. Valley finished 5-1 in league play and 12-1 overall, and now they have to defend both titles.
"We're strong at the skill positions and we're athletic with good speed, but we'll have to replace some of the offensive line as well as the D line," head coach Mike Machado said.
Despite the loss of some key players to graduation, Valley has many all-league players returning from last year.
Returning at quarterback for Valley is senior Dante Perez (5-foot-10, 180 pounds). Perez was an all-leaguer last year and is looking to repeat that performance.
Senior Dominique Hunsucker (5-foot-10, 190) will be returning to carry the football and will also start in the defensive secondary this year. Hunsucker was also an all-leaguer last year.
Senior Bryan North (6-foot-1, 175), another comeback all-leaguer, is back as a defensive starter at cornerback and returns to the offense as a wide receiver.
A.J. Alvarez (6-foot, 195) and J.J. Kulusich (6-foot-2, 255) won all-league honors last season, but for different teams. Alvarez was an all-league linebacker at St. Francis who transferred to Valley, and Kulusich was an all-leaguer for the Warriors. The two seniors will start as linebackers. Senior Cameron Compton (6-foot-1, 225) is another Valley starter at a 'backer position.
Mark Piethe (6-foot-4, 220) is a big, talented tight end who returns from last year's championship squad.
Valley is also getting a transfer from Baltimore in junior Matt Singletary, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound defensive end.
Junior Ryan Gardner (6-foot-2, 220) will lead the cast of Valley returners in the offensive and defensive lines. A guard on offense, Gardner was an all-league pick as a sophomore for the Warriors.
Along with the returning varsity players, Valley has some promising juniors coming up who won all-league honors on the frosh-soph team last year: junior Mike Giancola (6-foot-3, 190), a wide receiver and linebacker; Ben Moreno (5-foot-10, 170), a running back and defensive back; and Anthony Schmidt (6-foot-3, 210), a tight end and defensive end.
Tanner Burns is the only sophomore who will be joining the varsity squad for Valley this season. Burns (6-foot, 175) is a wide receiver and defensive back.
Valley Christian was to open the season on Sept. 2 at San Benito and will remain on the road to face Milpitas, Grant and West before opening league play at home on Oct. 1 against Mitty.
Along with head coach Machado, Valley Christian has a number of assistant coaches: Eric Scharrenberg is the defensive coordinator, Jason Snodgrass is the offensive line coach, Mike Scialabba will be handling the running backs and linebackers, and former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield will be coaching the defensive line.
KEY RETURNERS
Cameron Compton (6-1, 200), Sr., LB
Ryan Gardner (6-2, 200), Jr., G/DT
Dante Perez (5-11, 180), Sr., QB
Dominique Hunsucker (5-10, 190), Sr., RB/DB
Bryan North (6-1, 175), Sr., CB/WR
J.J. Kulusich (6-2, 225), Sr., LB
Mark Piethe (6-4, 220), Sr., TE
VALLEY CHRISTIAN 2005 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 2, at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 9, at Milpitas, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 16, at Grant, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23, at West, 7:15 p.m.
Oct. 1, Mitty, 7 p.m.
Oct. 7, Riordan, 7 p.m.*
Oct.15, at St. Ignatius, 1 p.m.*
Oct. 22, at Serra, 1 p.m.*
Oct. 28, Bellarmine at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.*
Nov. 4, St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.*
* Denotes West Catholic Athletic League game
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