Friday preps spotlight: Football recruiting expert has eye on Bay Area talent
De La Salle's Matthew Johnson, Clayton Valley's Tony Keck among players on radar. Christopher baseball assistant reaches milestone. Bellarmine football player transferring to Branham. Granada basketball standout headed to Chico State.
Welcome to Friday Preps Spotlight, our new feature that sheds more light on the Bay Area’s high school sports scene. For tips and story ideas, email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com. If you haven’t already, please subscribe. Your contributions keep us going.
FOOTBALL: RECRUITING EXPERT WEIGHS IN
College coaches aren’t the only ones keeping tabs on talented football players during spring high school showcases.
Brandon Huffman, the national recruiting editor for 247Sports, made an appearance at one held at McClymonds in Oakland on Wednesday and another featuring De La Salle and Serra in San Mateo on Thursday. He also plans to visit Monte Vista’s showcase next week, which will include Amador Valley, Clayton Valley and Liberty.
Here is what Huffman told the Bay Area News Group about four of the players he’ll be keeping his eye on:
Matthew Johnson, DL, De La Salle: “He could play as an edge-rusher, he could be a three-technique and he could even be a nose tackle. He’s got that defensive line versatility … you look at the film and you see the size and length and everything college coaches drool over.”
Louis Akpa, OT, Serra: “When you look at the length and the frame, yeah he’s on the skinny side now. But projecting three or four years from now and you look at what he does with his feet and athleticism, and you put 40 or 50 pounds on a guy … he’s a candidate to be special.”
Tony Keck, TE, Clayton Valley Charter: “The pass-catching ability has always been there … He has a 79-inch wingspan, so that’s the kind of guy you want to throw a ball to up over the top of a linebacker. He’s a matchup nightmare, especially when you’re trying to press him and he’s not 200 pounds anymore, he’s 227.”
Sione Vailea, OL, McClymonds: “He’s a guy who could see his stock take off this spring. He had good testing numbers, size and versatility. With him doing one-on-ones with the other linemen, that’s an opportunity for coaches to evaluate him.”
– Joseph Dycus
BASEBALL: CHRISTOPHER COACH ACHIEVES MILESTONE
Two weeks ago, Christopher assistant coach Rich Furtado didn’t think he would reach the big number this season.
Furtado, who had been a part of 294 wins during his career, believed No. 300 would have to wait until 2025.
But since then, the Gilroy school won six straight and celebrated Furtado’s achievement after beating Pioneer on Tuesday.
“The boys really made it happen for me this year,” Furtado said. “The fellas knew we had to win at least five out of six, so the goal from then was to get into the playoffs and get coach Furtado that 300th win. It’s been really neat to see.”
Furtado started his coaching career at Gilroy in the early 2000s, helping develop players such as catcher Chris Gimenez, who went on to the big leagues.
He stopped coaching for a period more than a decade ago, but returned when Ryan Dequin — one of Furtado’s former players — asked if he could be an assistant at Christopher.
Since Furtado joined the staff, Christopher has won two Central Coast Section titles. The assistant said he has learned just as much from the players as they learned from him.
“I think the thing I learned the most was just how to handle players from game to game,” Furtado said. “It’s changed a lot since I was 42 and now I’m 68. Just knowing what guys I have to pat on the back and which ones you have to kick in the butt was something I had to learn. Because at the end of the day, it’s about trying to balance how everyone can win in some way on the field or off.”
– Nathan Canilao
SOFTBALL: ST. FRANCIS ALUM NAMED CONFERENCE’S BEST
Jessica Oakland hasn’t stopped piling up awards since graduating from St. Francis as the 2022 Bay Area News Group Player of the Year.
The University of Minnesota star added to her collection on Wednesday when she was named Big 10 Player of the Year. The shortstop is batting .455 and has hit 19 home runs.
– Joseph Dycus
FOOTBALL: BRANHAM ADDS BELLARMINE RECEIVER
Three-star prospect Zayne St. Laurent announced on X/Twitter that he will transfer from Bellarmine to Branham for his senior year. The second-team all-West Catholic Athletic League wideout caught four touchdowns and has a scholarship offer from Air Force.
He joins a team that went 9-3 overall and 5-0 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa-Foothill Division last fall.
St. Laurent should be a top target for returning quarterback Jack Lewis, who threw for 2,696 yards and 32 touchdowns as a junior.
– Joseph Dycus
FOOTBALL: JAIVIAN THOMAS BACK AT MACK
Seven months after he lay motionless on the field at the University of Oregon with a neck injury, fully healed Cal running back Jaivian Thomas was back smiling at McClymonds for the OAL showcase.
“I’ve recovered very well,” Thomas told the Bay Area News Group. “It was a very scary injury, but I got past it.”
The former Mack superstar who rushed for 2,528 yards and 30 touchdowns as the Bay Area News Group’s Alameda County Player of the Year in 2022 was helping the Oakland public school as a pseudo-coach, helping running backs go through drills in front of college coaches.
He could be seen holding pads, giving pointers on how to catch the ball out of the backfield and talking about proper running form.
“It’s nice to be able to come out here and support the kids,” Thomas said.
– Joseph Dycus
FOOTBALL: CCS APPROVES PLAYOFF CHANGE
The Central Coast Section Board of Managers approved a tweak this spring to the section’s playoff format for this fall.
The top three divisions – Open, Division I and II – will have only A league schools. Divisions III and IV will have a mix of A and B league schools, and Division V will be reserved for B and C league teams.
“By doing this we can keep teams in more similar ‘Weight Classes.’ giving programs on the rise a better chance to win and compete,” the CCS wrote in the board meeting minutes. “This also removes some of the advantages of rewarding an ‘A’ league school for having a subpar season by preventing them from playing in the lowest division.”
– Joseph Dycus
BASKETBALL: GRANADA CENTER SIGNS WITH CHICO STATE
Granada big man Cortevious Taylor will be taking his talents three hours north of the Livermore’s school’s campus.
The all-Bay Area News Group selection committed to Chico State, Taylor announced Wednesday on Instagram.
Taylor played a key role in Granada’s run to the NorCal Division I regional final this past season. He hit every big shot for the Livermore school and anchored the Matadors’ defense, which held opponents to 52 points per game.
The 6-foot-6 center’s commitment to Chico will mark the third straight year a Granada big man has moved on to a college program. Kevin Gad (St. Mary’s), Andrew McKeever (St. Mary’s) and Tyler Harris (University of Portland) all received accepted offers to play college basketball after their senior season.
– Nathan Canilao