With each Lamorinda team making it to the playoffs, Acalanes in Open/Division I, making it to the second round, Campolindo getting the No. 1 seed in Division II, also making it to the second round, it was Miramonte in Division 4 with the No. 3 seed that went on to win their NCS Championship, before losing to Calaveras in the regional finals.

MIRAMONTE

    Coming into the season, head coach Nick Safir was optimistic at the prospects for his team. His optimism may have been challenged with the injury to his all-league quarterback Carson Blair but that was not to be the case as the season evolved.

    At the start of the season, Safir was pointing toward their rivalry games versus Acalanes and Campolindo, but would come up short in those games by a combined 13 points. “Our players have been hearing their whole careers that we’re not good enough and the other teams don’t even care about playing us. We went into the Acalanes game with a great game plan, keeping the ball away from their offense and we held them to 21 points which was the fewest points they scored in the regular season. That game was 14 to 10 with three minutes left, and it proved to our boys that they can hang with anybody.”

    The Campolindo game was closer than anybody expected. “It's been almost two decades since we beat Campolindo so we really took that one to heart and they may have underestimated us a little bit, knowing that Carson Blair was out. Our JV quarterback Lane Dalton stepped in and played really well and we only lost 25-22 and the Campolindo fans then rushed the field.” Miramonte player David Roman took that as a compliment because it showed that “the game mattered to them and it showed us respect from their fans.” 

    The elevation to the varsity and ultimate success of Lane Dalton was a surprise to most. “Nothing rattles Lane and that is him in a nutshell,” Safir said. “The experience starting four games (technically five, but Dalton was injured on the third play of the NorCal game) and winning three playoff games will help him for next season. He’s going to be a really good one for us.”

    Freshman Gus Millstone stepped in when Dalton was injured and led Miramonte to the first score of the game, though they ultimately lost to the ultimate state championship team, Calaveras 35-7. “Gus gave it his all with his 10 games of freshman football and I have nothing but good things to say about Gus,” Safir said. “I couldn’t be prouder of those guys.”

    In the end, it was the NCS championship game against Hayward that brought the team the most satisfaction. Miramonte quickly fell behind 14-0. “Our boys never panicked and when we went into halftime tied at 14, nobody on the team doubted that we would win the game,” Safir said.

    With the score 28-14 in the fourth quarter, Miramonte controlled the ball with a long final drive, running out the clock, and preventing Hayward from getting another opportunity to score. 

    Safir had played in and coached five NCS games and had never been on the winning side of any of those games. ”It’s been something I’ve been striving for, for a long time and after coming up short last year and with all we went through this year, winning with these boys almost felt like destiny,” Safir said. “I’m going to remember this championship for a long, long time.”

    Safir teaches at a middle school in Hayward and he heard a lot of abuse from the students there. “I got all these 12-year-olds talking trash to me about how Hayward's going to kick our butt so that made the game even more satisfying for me.”

    Even after Blair broke his collarbone, he still stayed involved with the team. “Carson became our de facto quarterback coach. He would sit with Lane during the QB meetings and would give him advice during the game, showing him stuff on the iPad. He was the epitome of leadership.”

    Safir spoke specifically about the seniors on the team: “I feel they can leave here feeling proud about what they accomplished.” The senior all league players for Miramonte this year were James Rogers, Andrew Bjornson (O&D), Carson Blair, Leo Wampler, David Roman, and Justin Jalowiec. “These guys and the rest of our senior class are the guys who have helped change the culture of the program and how it is going to continue to be moving forward and they’re going to remember this for the rest of their lives.”

CAMPOLINDO

    It was another successful season for Campolindo, finishing with a 9-3 record, losing to Clayton Valley 21-17 in the second round. This was a talented Campolindo team with 10 players making the all-league team, all seniors and one junior Ryan Erickson. Kelly Crosby was first team offense and co-MVP on defense and Micah Parker was first team offense and defense.

    This was a team that played hard but was lacking one thing, according to head coach Kevin Macy: “It seemed that the only identity we had was that we did not have an identity. It seemed like I coached 12 different teams this year, but what we were able to count on was that we went out every game and played hard, fighting and scrapping our way through the season which was a testament to these kids.”

    The offense had a number of weapons, according to Macy. “Everything was spread out evenly. Our QB, Reid Habas stepped in as a junior and did a commendable job for us. Everett Zellmer at wide receiver was the guy we counted on to keep drives alive on third downs. Micah Parker was very solid despite nursing a sore ankle all season and had an impressive career. Zach Tabibian did everything for us playing running back, defensive back, place kicking and kicking off.” Tabibian went from rushing for 16 yards as a junior to rushing for 436 yards as a senior.

    Crosby Kelly, who has committed to play at San Diego State next year, solidified the defense playing both linebacker and defensive end. “Moving Crosby to middle linebacker saved our year and still made an impact when we had to move him back to defensive end,” Macy said. 

    Graduating so many starters, including the entire offensive line, Campolindo will be returning all-league defensive back Ryan Erickson who also was very productive as a wide receiver and running back and upcoming senior Cayden Mulliken will be the team’s starting quarterback. Macy put it simply: “With so many starters graduating we may have to change everything we do and no one is going to recognize us next year.”

ACALANES 

    Having an undefeated regular season takes a talented team, but it was the tragic passing of Amin Noroozi who died in April from an ocean swimming accident that really brought the team together.

    “Our team really had a strong connection with each other and we established our ‘why’ at the start of the season and who we were doing it for, and we said we were doing it for Amin,” junior starting quarterback Tyler Winkles said. “I feel like that really brought our team closer together, and that it pushed us to have such a great season.”

    Winkles, who would go on to be named the Foothill Division co-MVP, had a slow start in the first game of the season against Archbishop Mitty: “I was very confident, but I turned the ball over a little bit in that game, but I decided to forget about it and trust the preparation I put in and we went on to win the game, and I didn't turn the ball much after that game.”

    With an undefeated regular season there were particular highlights that Winkles focused on: “It was our third game of the season against St. Ignatius (who ultimately won the Division 3-AA state championship) and our first away game. We fell behind by two scores at the end of the first half and we really felt some adversity. It was the first time that we really got kind of punched in the face but were able to come back and fight in the second half (winning 42-35). I think that was a huge turning point season, especially against a great team like St. Ignatius.”

    After finishing the regular season 10-0, Acalanes was named the fourth seed in the top Division I Open section and won their first-round game against Marin Catholic 51-21. The Dons would lose their next game against Cardinal Newman 52-17 but Winkles still saw the positives in that game: “We were tied at halftime against Cardinal Newman but we made some mistakes in the second half and unfortunately lost. I think we can compete with those teams in the future, and it was a great experience playing in Division 1 for the first time.”

    After the game, the head coach pointed to the future. “He thanked the seniors and said that it’s like a new era and we’ve got to keep it going,” Winkles said. “We’re going to keep playing in Division I and that’s how it’s going to be and the work for next season starts in a couple of weeks. The offseason is important and we just have to be prepared for this next year.”

    Winkles is already looking ahead to the next season. “We start with morning weights in January and we’re already trying to get in the weight room as a team like before. We’re losing some key guys to graduation but I think we’re going to be set for next year with a bunch of players returning.”