Dedy Cooper out of Harry Ells.Spider grew up around the corner,literally,though he was several years older than me.Both Cooper and Spider were world class hurdlers.Spider went to U of Washington along with another Kennedy player named Lance Theodele. He played with Warren Moon and that team got to the Rise Bowl in 1978. He made the KC Chiefs roster.
Most dominant prep players you've ever seen/played against?
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Regarding Drew- He is a huge guy, he's just short. Andre Carter and The Wilhites were amazing. Wasn't it Phil that was supposed to be the best but had a severe knee injury.
I saw Landri take care of Justice and Manuel from Poly and was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen. He was outweighed by 30-40 pounds but his technique and motor was special.
Ummmm......I'll also go with Larry Allen. Played on a crappy Vintage High School team, and was never in great shape in High School, but was absolutely dominant. Vintage rarely put LA on defense, but when they did, he killed people. Butte and Sonoma St. turned this raw talent into NFL material in just five short years. The rest is History.
I agree that he underachieved. Can you imagine if he had "bought into" things at DLS?
Quite an impressive list we've got going on in this thread.
I thought of a couple other guys that are certainly worthy of an "honorable mention" and to be added to my original reply:
Tony Cline and Jason Fisk of Davis High (Davis, CA).
Those guys all but carried the Blue Devils to a section title back in 1988. They were as dominant a duo along the lines as I've seen. Both made it to the NFL and played 5 and 12 years respectively.
Circling back to my mention of Aaron Garcia of Grant. I don't think people realize how good he was, especially for the time. He threw for 40 TD's and 3,500+ yards back in a time (1987) when a 2,000 yards and 20 TD's was considered excellent. He was every bit as good a high school QB as Jake Browning was last year. If he had played during this pass-happy era, he was certainly a guy that could have matched (or exceeded) the ungodly numbers were seeing put up today.
I believe he is the all-time leader in TD's by a professional QB. He never made it past NFL training camps, but played in the Arena league until just recently at around 45 years old. Garcia, Troy Taylor and Browning are the best QB's I've seen from the Sacramento area. Chad Elliott (Nevada Union/Grant) was pretty close behind.
I thought of a couple other guys that are certainly worthy of an "honorable mention" and to be added to my original reply:
Tony Cline and Jason Fisk of Davis High (Davis, CA).
Those guys all but carried the Blue Devils to a section title back in 1988. They were as dominant a duo along the lines as I've seen. Both made it to the NFL and played 5 and 12 years respectively.
Circling back to my mention of Aaron Garcia of Grant. I don't think people realize how good he was, especially for the time. He threw for 40 TD's and 3,500+ yards back in a time (1987) when a 2,000 yards and 20 TD's was considered excellent. He was every bit as good a high school QB as Jake Browning was last year. If he had played during this pass-happy era, he was certainly a guy that could have matched (or exceeded) the ungodly numbers were seeing put up today.
I believe he is the all-time leader in TD's by a professional QB. He never made it past NFL training camps, but played in the Arena league until just recently at around 45 years old. Garcia, Troy Taylor and Browning are the best QB's I've seen from the Sacramento area. Chad Elliott (Nevada Union/Grant) was pretty close behind.
Mike Carnell. It is hard to take the top few guys and say one guy was over another. But Carnell set a standard among aficionados, at least the guys I know. I was talking to his high school coach one day about ten years ago, and this is a coach who had a couple of pros go through his (successful at the time) program, and I asked him who was the best. I expected a comment on Kevin Turner or one of his other kids. He said head and shoulders Carnell. He lamented that Mike couldn't keep it together at Cal, and I don't know that story. I get the impression that coach Randall viewed Mike to football talent as many view Jason Kidd to basketball talent. An extraordinary athlete to see in action.
Played against: Jeff Maehl paradise high school. Was an absolute freak at free safety for them, some of the nastiest hits I have ever seen plus the most incredible interception I have ever seen in a football game. Was a beast at wr in the wing t, very hard to stop even in double coverage, also played rb in the goal line sets and would either run right through you or just jump over the top of everything. But as I said defensively he was truely special, I have never seen anyone fly to the ball the way he did, in coverage or in run support. Actually went to Oregon to play safety and actually started as such before ever playing wr for them.
He was a beast, played against him.
I actually saw Tom Brady play at Serra. You could tell he was good, great high school QB but never would have guessed he would accomplish what he has
Onterrio Smith- beast
Delaney Walker- stiff armed 8 guys to score
Junior Adams-unreal playmaker
Trent Edwards-crazy accuracy
Mercedes Lewis- bigger and better than everyone on the field
Darnell Bing- monster hits, crumbled people
Xavier Burgess- crazy fast to contact. Great linebacker, career ended early I think at UCLA
Delaney Walker- stiff armed 8 guys to score
Junior Adams-unreal playmaker
Trent Edwards-crazy accuracy
Mercedes Lewis- bigger and better than everyone on the field
Darnell Bing- monster hits, crumbled people
Xavier Burgess- crazy fast to contact. Great linebacker, career ended early I think at UCLA
Basketball-Leon Powe and Tyson Chandler. Girl:Mia Fischer
Baseball: Troy Tulowitski, Dontrelle Willis, Brad Bergeson.
Baseball: Troy Tulowitski, Dontrelle Willis, Brad Bergeson.
Donald Rogers- Norte Del Rio
Ken O'Brien- Jesuit
1977....yup I am old....
Ken O'Brien- Jesuit
1977....yup I am old....
Wasn't he the one who wore new cleats for that game as well? They tore up his feet in the first half and he used someone else's for the second?
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I would have to put Stallworth over Barnes, when they went head to head Barnes was absolutely man handled by Stallworth.
Best players I have played with or coached:
Lamar Herron- Natomas and Oregon St (multiple hamstring injury's ended career)
Levar Seagraves- Mira Loma (Dominant on defense played for Urban Meyer at Bowling green)
Larry Hardy- Inderkum (best play maker I have coached Natomas/Inderkum)
Torey Watson- Mira Loma (only played one year of high school football averaged almost 20 yards per carry, set D1AA int record for season)
Vince Mays- Hiram Johnson (his senior year was special)
Best players I have played against or coached:
Onterrio Smith- IMO, best to come out of Sacramento as a high school football player
Parris Warren- the 2nd half of his senior year he was a stud
Lucca- Jesuit (went on to play for UNR)
Sammie Stroughter- Granite Bay/Oregon St
Michael Johnson- Rodriguez/UNLV
Best players I have seen in person:
Jerimiah Pharms- Valley
Damion Wheeler- Valley
James Kidd- Elk Grove
Dante Stallworth-Grant
Chad Elliot- Grant
Dano Graves- Folsom
John Boyett- Napa
Justin Bannan- Bella Vista
Kevin Basped- Florin/UNR/NY Jets
Best players I have played with or coached:
Lamar Herron- Natomas and Oregon St (multiple hamstring injury's ended career)
Levar Seagraves- Mira Loma (Dominant on defense played for Urban Meyer at Bowling green)
Larry Hardy- Inderkum (best play maker I have coached Natomas/Inderkum)
Torey Watson- Mira Loma (only played one year of high school football averaged almost 20 yards per carry, set D1AA int record for season)
Vince Mays- Hiram Johnson (his senior year was special)
Best players I have played against or coached:
Onterrio Smith- IMO, best to come out of Sacramento as a high school football player
Parris Warren- the 2nd half of his senior year he was a stud
Lucca- Jesuit (went on to play for UNR)
Sammie Stroughter- Granite Bay/Oregon St
Michael Johnson- Rodriguez/UNLV
Best players I have seen in person:
Jerimiah Pharms- Valley
Damion Wheeler- Valley
James Kidd- Elk Grove
Dante Stallworth-Grant
Chad Elliot- Grant
Dano Graves- Folsom
John Boyett- Napa
Justin Bannan- Bella Vista
Kevin Basped- Florin/UNR/NY Jets
I've got to add that boy Antoine Custer to my list. I've witnessed some damn good backs on that team....Tillman Pugh, Lucas Dunne, Tiapepe Vitale, Terron Ward, Tyler Anderson and even Maurice Drew.....outside of maybe Drew I dont ever remember any of those guys being the baller Custer is. Good lord!
Marcus Cotton - 6'5 , 240 pound LB from Castlemont High. He went on to star for USC and played in the NFL for a few years.
Brian Johnson - 6'2, QB from Skyline. His team went undefeated, including a win over DLS, 21-14 in Concord! DLS went on to win the CIF championship but everybody knows who the real champs were then as they showed up to DLS's championship game to let them know they were just paper chaps that year 1985. Johnson went on to star at Stanford in both baseball and football, breaking HR records along the way. He then had a long career in MLB, a few with the Giants.
Rickey Henderson - people forget he was a stud at Oakland Tech and would have been better than Lynch if he continued to play football. I didn't play against him but he's an OAL legend.
No doubt the OAL produces and has produced some of the best athletes in the entire Bay area!
Brian Johnson - 6'2, QB from Skyline. His team went undefeated, including a win over DLS, 21-14 in Concord! DLS went on to win the CIF championship but everybody knows who the real champs were then as they showed up to DLS's championship game to let them know they were just paper chaps that year 1985. Johnson went on to star at Stanford in both baseball and football, breaking HR records along the way. He then had a long career in MLB, a few with the Giants.
Rickey Henderson - people forget he was a stud at Oakland Tech and would have been better than Lynch if he continued to play football. I didn't play against him but he's an OAL legend.
No doubt the OAL produces and has produced some of the best athletes in the entire Bay area!
The Callen brothers, Kevin Simon, DJ Williams, and Patrick Walsh were all better IMO.
Best athlete out of the Eastbay is Jack Del Rio. Could have been a Major League Baseball player and all state in hoops at Hayward. If you are talking Serra, don't forget Lynn Swann. And let's qualify by saying players, not athletes. Brady not a great athlete but maybe best QB ever in some eyes. Btw, very good left handed hitting catcher.
You are so right! Btw, Jason Kidd was an amazing outfielder. Jimmy Hines from Mack was the 100 yard WR holder. How about three of the best center fielders in MLB history in Lou Brock, Vada Pinson, and Gary Pettis. Berkeley athlete Gene Ransom was another three sport star. MLB MVP and multi gold glove and all star Jimmy Rollins who could also fill it up on the hardwood. Wilber Stargell and Dontrelle Willis also Encinal products.
I always thought if Gene Ransom had his little brother Jeff's height, he'd of been in the NBA. Jeff did have a cup of coffee with SFG. Gene couldn't pass Subject A in three years at Cal and was shipped to Reno.
Willie McGee, Tiny Felder and his twin Matty were cream of the crop in the East Bay 1976-80. Willie would get on, and we'd let him steal 2nd and 3rd as a Cs errant throw would easily lead him to circling. Jahvid Best fast.
My dad said the "best" he ever saw, working at Live Oak Park, was Alfred Manuel Martin, better known as Billy. Martin was a street savvy Berkeley boy who used to play pickup games even after making the show. Russell and KC Jones would come over from the City/USF to Live Oak, which had some of the best street ballers. Dad said several times he had to kick Billy off the court for inciting skirmishes with the college guys.
Willie McGee, Tiny Felder and his twin Matty were cream of the crop in the East Bay 1976-80. Willie would get on, and we'd let him steal 2nd and 3rd as a Cs errant throw would easily lead him to circling. Jahvid Best fast.
My dad said the "best" he ever saw, working at Live Oak Park, was Alfred Manuel Martin, better known as Billy. Martin was a street savvy Berkeley boy who used to play pickup games even after making the show. Russell and KC Jones would come over from the City/USF to Live Oak, which had some of the best street ballers. Dad said several times he had to kick Billy off the court for inciting skirmishes with the college guys.
I'm gonna go with Rickey Henderson as the greatest "athlete" to come out f the Bay Area. When he got to 1B, he literally changes the game by himself and holds an "individual record" that may never be broken. He was a stud on the football field too.
Jake Browning, lets not easily forget how dominate he was. Freshman First Team All American at Washington. It will be exciting to see what him and Myles Gaskin can accomplish the next few years with that young Washington team. Hats off to De La Salle and their continued dominance in California. Its incredible what that program has been able to achieve.
I'm pretty sure he's off enjoying the money he's making in baseball at the moment. I saw him play a couple of games his senior year. Blows my mind that teams kicked to him. He was a real big kid who moved like a tiny slot receiver. No doubt in my mind he would have been in the NFL if he stuck with football.
Hopefully he's working hard to get to the next level. You don't make much in the minors. Time for him to take a jump.
Gerald ended up the best out of school. Which brother was it that had the severe knee injury and was the top RB in the country? Kevin or Phil?
I saw Carnell carve up SRV in 1977 with at least 4 TD's and way over 200 yards. Heck, he ran over and around my brother a bunch of times. Best back I saw besides Jahvid Best who is the fastest I've ever seen.
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