By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Oaks Christian Reloading
Despite parting ways with one of the nation's top senior classes, which included Division I-bound stars Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), Marshall Jones (USC), and Marc Tyler (USC), head coach Bill Redell isn't expecting 2007 to be a rebuilding year for California Division III state champion Oaks Christian.
"The expectations are the same," Redell said. "We should have a real good football team."
The Lions saw a total of 10 players sign with major college programs in February, but Redell believes there are still as many as 11 Division I prospects on the roster, led by a trio of seniors who have received plenty of attention this spring.
Christopher Potter is expected to replace Clausen at quarterback, but is being courted by the likes of Boise State, Colorado State, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Troy - who have all extended scholarship offers - as a wide receiver or defensive back. Potter was Oaks Christian's second-leading pass catcher a year ago after hauling in 49 passes for 822 yards and eight touchdowns.
Potter will have a talented target in Christopher Owusu, who caught 33 balls for 747 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Owusu, a straight-A student, has offers from Duke, Nevada-Las Vegas, Stanford, Virginia, and Washington. The 6-2, 180-pounder doubles as a defensive back.
Up front, 6-6, 276-pound offensive tackle/defensive end Trace Biskin will be counted on to help fill the void created by the loss of Mike Ebbitt (Texas A&M) and Duke Lemmens (Florida). Biskin has already been offered by Purdue.
Sophomores Malcolm Jones and Zach Stout headline a talent-rich sophomore class. Jones, the brother of aforementioned Marshall Jones, could be Redell's next high-profile, superstar recruit.
"We have some others, but he will be up there the same as Marc Tyler or Jimmy Clausen," Redell said.
Oaks Christian begins its spring session in mid-May and will enter the fall riding a 46-game winning streak, giving the new-look Lions a sizeable target on their back. But the goal remains the same - getting back to California's sophomore installment of the state championship bowl games.
There has been plenty of talk about the format and selection process for the North vs. South pairings, but Redell is a proponent of the CIF's current system of crowning state champions.
"I would have liked to play De La Salle, but we were lucky to beat Cardinal Newman," Redell said. "It would have been nice to have the No. 1 and No. 2 teams, but I think in the long run, this is the best way to do it with three state champions in three divisions. It was well-run and well-organized and it (Home Depot Center) was a great facility."
The Lions' 2007 schedule will be a carbon copy of their 2006 slate, including non-league clashes with St. Bonaventure and Venice.
New Era at Prosser Minus Moore
Replacing an experienced, productive quarterback is never easy, particularly when that departed signal caller threw for 11,367 yards and 173 touchdowns during his high school career.
That's the situation facing perennial Washington power Prosser, as the Mustangs will look to fill the shoes of Boise State signee Kellen Moore - a second team MaxPreps All-American last fall.
Head coach Tom Moore, Kellen's father, has identified a pair of candidates as the next-in-line to run the high-powered Prosser offense.
"We have two kids, Cody Bruns and Jordan Durbin, those two are working out at quarterback and both of them are going to be playing on Friday night," Moore said. "We are going to have both of them take turns and play the one that makes us the best team."
Bruns is already a familiar name to high school football fans. The 5-11, 160-pound senior-to-be led the nation as a junior with 109 receptions for 1,891 yards and 28 touchdowns, earning first team MaxPreps All-American honors. His has been on the receiving end of 50 touchdown passes in his career and accumulated over 3,500 yards.
Moore admitted some reluctance in taking Bruns away from the position he has been so productive at over the past two seasons.
"There is good and bad. Part of me wants to leave him (at receiver), because that gives us two of the best wideouts in the league and in the state," Moore said. "But it will just depend on who gives us the best combination of players and makes our team better."
With Durbin at quarterback, Bruns would join 6-3, 200-pound junior Kirby Moore (Kellen's brother) at receiver to give the Mustangs one of the best pass-catching tandems in the country.
Senior tight end Kellen Crawford, who missed nearly all of the 2006 season due to injury, also returns to bolster the Mustang receiving corps.
"We will be better at tight end and more physical up front," Moore said. "Our throwing game will be a little more spread out with the quarterback running more. We will probably run the option a little bit."
Regardless of who is under center when Prosser opens the season against Southridge in September, it will be a strange sight for Moore, who has coached and watched son Kellen become the most prolific quarterback in state history over the past three seasons.
"It's not just the last few years, he has been standing next to me since he was five years old," Moore said. "I don't know what it's going to be like. It will be unusual."
The Mustangs piled up 56 points per game a year ago en route to a 12-1 record and a trip to the 2A semifinals.
"Hellfighters" Debuts Friday
Jon Frankel's documentary, "Hellfighters - A Season in Harlem," featuring Harlem's first high school football team in more than 60 years will make its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival Friday night.
The film chronicles the 2006 season of the Harlem Hellfighters under the leadership of head coach Duke Fergerson. The Hellfighters are comprised of players from a variety of schools that do not field a football team (only 43 of 305 public schools in New York City play football).
"Hellfighters" follows the ups and downs of the head coach, his team, and a devoted band of supporters.
"I knew from experience how difficult it is to commit to any sport under the best of circumstances, let alone football," Frankel said. "I am passionate about the sport. I love to see kids sharing my excitement. I wanted to see how Coach Duke and his boys could indulge that love while facing so many obstacles even before they stepped on the field."
Frankel credited the Sebastian Telfair documentary "Through the Fire" as one of the inspirations behind this film.
The Hellfighters scratched out a 6-4 record in 2006 after starting the season 0-3.
For more information on the world premiere and additional screenings of the film, visit the Tribeca Film Festival's official site.
Quick Hits
Rio Rancho (N.M.) named Mike Worley, a former defensive coordinator at Artesia, its head coach this week. Worley inherits a promising situation, as the Rams won five of their final six games a year ago and feature one of the state's best all-around athletes in running back/defensive back Marcus Williams.Add John Curtis (La.) vs. Longview (Texas) to the list of intriguing early-season, out-of-state showdowns. John Curtis, coming off a 14-0 state championship season, will travel to Longview for Sept. 21 game. The date appears to be open-ended as the schools could shift to Thursday or Saturday to accommodate television. Longview was 9-3 last fall.Chad Conine of the Waco Tribune-Herald outlined what is sure to be a controversial proposal in Texas today, shifting the current classification structure of six-man through 5A to a six-man all the way through 12A (yes, 12) setup. No changes would be made until after the 2007-2008 school year.
