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They never played against each other in high school, but Tully Banta-Cain, Jared Allen and Nate Jackson certainly have plenty in common.
They all played high school football in the Santa Clara Valley--Banta-Cain at Fremont, Allen at Los Gatos and Jackson at Pioneer--and they all played in the Charlie Wedemeyer Silicon Valley Youth Classic summer all-star game.
They all had brilliant collegiate careers--Banta-Cain at Cal, Allen at Idaho State and Jackson at Menlo--and they all played in the East-West Shrine Game.
Now they're all now playing in the National Football League.
But there's one difference ... Banta-Cain owns two Super Bowl rings.
The former Fremont star is a back-up linebacker and special teams star for the New England Patriots and playing for the Pats in the 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers in 2004, then played again in the 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last January.
Banta-Cain (6-foot-2, 254) begins his third season with New England and is third on the club's depth chart at outside linebacker. He started his football career in Sunnyvale at Fremont and starred as a linebacker and running back (he gained over 1,000 yards for the Firebirds as a senior). He went on to become an all-Pac 10 defensive end and second team All-American for the Golden Bears.
He has discovered a niche as a special teams player for the Patriots. He led the squad with 23 special teams tackles in 2004.
While he doesn't yet have a Super Bowl ring, Jared Allen is making a name for himself as a defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs. Allen (6-foot-6, 265) is in his second year with the Chiefs and is currently a back-up at rushing end. He started 10 games in his rookie season.
Allen played just one year at Los Gatos after transferring from Live Oak. He was all-league honors that season and was the league's Outstanding Defensive Player.
Allen won All-Big Sky Conference, All-West Region and second team All-American honors at Idaho State. He led the team with 102 tackles and set a school record with 17.5 quarterback sacks. He was the winner of the prestigious Buck Buchanan Award, a college award named for the former Kansas City Chiefs star.
Allen finished with a team-high nine sacks last season, leading all rookies in the NFL. He was also active on special teams. A popular young player, he is scheduled to host his own weekly television show in Kansas City during the football season.
He won't host his own show, but Jackson is certainly to get some TV time as he enters his third season with the Broncos. Things will be a little different for Jackson this year, though. He's trading in his No. 14 jersey for No. 89 and moving from wide receiver to tight end.
Jackson (6-foot-3, 235) began his football career at Pioneer High School where he was an outstanding receiver for the Mustangs. He moved around after high school before finding a home at Menlo College, and the Division III school was glad he did. Jackson caught 105 passes for 1,520 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to a Division III All-American honors as a senior. He finished his three-year career at Menlo with 261 catches for 3,976 yards and 43 TDs.
Last year, Jackson caught eight passes for 73 yards in 12 games, including four grabs in a Monday Night Football game against Cincinnati. Like Banta-Cain and Allen, he also saw considerable action on special teams.
Big Game for Cats
The Big Game between Stanford and Cal will be especially big for Los Gatos football fans this fall. Former teammates Trent Edwards and John Allen will line up on opposite sides of the field for the annual Bay Area classic.
The Cardinal is led this season by Edwards, a junior redshirt who just recently won the starting nod at quarterback. An admitted Cal fan who said in the Stanford media guide that he "absolutely despised Stanford" while growing up has now changed his allegiance as he returns for a third year as the Cardinal starter.
In two seasons as the Stanford starter, Edwards has completed 225 of 441 passes for 2,468 yards and 13 touchdowns, despite missing a number of games with injuries.
Allen is a sophomore at Cal and at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds plays a back-up role on the defensive line for the Golden Bears. He has yet to see any action at Cal, but is currently working with the second defensive unit.
The two were teammates as Wildcats, and you can be sure that when Stanford and Cal meet on Nov. 19 in the 108th Big Game in Palo Alto, Allen will do everything he can to have a class reunion with Edwards in the Stanford backfield.
Other Cats still playing
Three other Los Gatos football players are still on the field, now playing in the collegiate ranks. Chris Danser is at San José State University, Drew Hoffman is playing at Northern Arizona University and Chris Cuthbert is a freshman at the University of San Diego.
East Coast, West Coast
A year ago, Collin McCarthy and Rolando Gomez were high school teammates on the Pioneer football team. They're both playing football again this season, but 3,000 miles apart.
McCarthy is a freshman linebacker playing at Princeton University in New Jersey, and Gomez is a freshman on the football squad locally at San José State University.
Bells still ringing
Four Bellarmine Prep football players have taken their game to the next level and continue to pull on the pads at the collegiate level. John Gill is playing at Northwestern, Anthony Arch at Dartmouth, Tyler Anthony at the University of Pennsylvania and Steve McGovern at Carnegie Mellon in Pennsylvania.
The Menlo connection
Cupertino High School has five players off playing football at four-year colleges, and two of them are pretty close to home at Menlo College.
Bronson Farr and Scott Mueller have continued their football careers at the collegiate level as players as Menlo. Michael Whalen plays for Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Andre Seritta plays for Claremont College and Mitchell Andrade is playing at Mayville State University in North Dakota.
Andrew Reese is a former Cupertino football player who has turned to rugby at St. Mary's College.
One Strong Duck
Former Fremont and Homestead star Garren Strong is making a bid to move into the starting line-up as a wide receiver at the University of Oregon. The 6-foot-3, 184 pound redshirt sophomore caught a 65-yard touchdown pass during the 2005 spring game in Eugene.
Strong's Homestead teammate, Craig Maynard, has continued his collegiate career at St. Mary's University in Kansas.
Ich bein ein Kirchdorfer
It may not have the same ring as President John F. Kennedy's famous line, "Ich bein ein Berliner," delivered more than four decades ago in Germany, but it works for Josh Kerley.
The former Leigh and West Valley College football standout is one of two Americans playing for the Kirchdorf Wildcats, a European League professional football team.
Griffin is a Trojan
Former Saratoga star running back John Griffin is a tailback for the two-time NCAA champion University of Southern California Trojans. Griffin, who got his start in the Los Gatos Pop Warner Football organization and was a three-year starter for the Falcons, won a national championship ring playing for the Trojans.
In there kickin'
Just a year ago Louie Sakoda was a two-way starter for Branham, but now he finds himself as a punter at the University of Utah as just a freshman. Sakoda is currently No. 1 on the depth chart for the Utes as a punter.
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