9/13/10 — It’s the time of the year again where you hear the helmets crashing, whistles blowing, and fans cheering on game day. High school football in Central Valley has officially kicked off early September and is looking tougher than ever. Although the teams are not nationally top ranked, the highlights and excitement produced high excitement. Teams all over the valley from Tulare to Fresno have been working hard since spring to prepare for the toughest season yet.
All the high schools follow a ten to eleven game schedule and therefore, won’t be playing every team in the valley. To keep an organized and fair play system, teams are divided into six divisions (Division 1 being the toughest) and 17 different leagues. Schools in the same area are grouped in the same league. Schools with a smaller number of students and lower skill level usually compete in the lower divisions while bigger schools like Clovis West High School (Fresno) with about 2500 students and numerous DI Valley titles play in the higher division.
Over the past few years, schools considered low threats grew into recognized competition. El Diamante (Visalia), Tulare Union (Tulare) and Edison High (Fresno) have stunned the football programs for the past few years. Being off the radar, these schools were dominating the lower divisions without much recognition. El Diamante, once being in DIII, clawed its way into DII and has now left with Edison and Tulare Union, to compete in DI football. Each with a DII Central Section Valley Championship title under their belt (El Diamante ‘07, Tulare Union ‘08, Edison ‘09), these teams know what to expect heading into the 2010 season.
“A lot of our young guys stepped up and got the job done before and so they know what to expect,” Jacob Newman, senior Defensive End at Newman (El Diamante) said. As a three-year starter, two-time WYL Champion, 1st Team All-League and Defensive Player of the County Runner-Up, Newman knows what kind of heat he’ll being competing in this year, as well as teammate Brett Cocagne, a senior Tight End and former 2009 West Yosemite League Champion.
“Our team is looking really strong this year,” Cocagne said. “We just need to work hard, stay focused and play our own game.”
Players say they are fired up and ready for what the 2010 high school football season has in store. Edison, El Diamante and Tulare Union have been tearing teams into shreds for the past few years. Now, they’ll be playing on a whole new level with the top schools in the Valley.
