Prep football rankings and notes: Franklin gets a game, Kennedy wins one for Manny
At long last, a game.
The Franklin Wildcats celebrated their 32-30 victory over Pleasant Grove on Saturday as if it meant something, and it did. The strain and angst of COVID-19 testing frustrations and scrambling to find games finally reaped some positive results — the good kind of positive, mind you — for Franklin and coach Evan Boylan.
While some schools have already played four games after participating in a game-like scrimmage, some programs have had one game in four weeks, or none. Elk Grove is the only team in The Bee’s Top 25 that has not had a formal kickoff (the Thundering Herd was able to squeeze in Burbank for a scrimmage Friday).
Franklin was scheduled to host Elk Grove, but that has been scratched due to COVID-19 testing issues with the Thundering Herd. Franklin on Saturday afternoon will now host Grant.
“We got to play a football game!” Boylan texted with emphasis. “So happy that our kids got to experience that.”
Denzen Cortez hit Cincere Thomas for two touchdown passes, Ian Charles rushed for two scores and the defense came up with a late stop to seal it for the Wildcats over a Pleasant Grove team that was led by quarterback Devin Hall. Franklin hopes to host Elk Grove on Saturday, fingers crossed, as all games are “subject to change” with as many cancellations dotting the schedule.
Franklin senior linemen Jake Gatmaitan, Tyler Keinath, Michael Lloyd, Kyle McCartney, Christian Salinas and Hosea Wheeler targeted this season as a farewell bash in the trenches.
“When we found out we were going to have a season, I jumped out of my chair and started jumping,” Keinath said.
Boylan is in his third season coaching the Wildcats, having learned a lot about leadership from his mentor Dan Carmazzi at Jesuit from his Marauder quarterbacking days in the early 2000s. Boylan is a young coach flanked by old-timers in Al Hooker, in his 55th season of area coaching, and Ron Kerkes, who has coached locally since 1973.
“Evan is super,” Hooker said. “The best thing is how he treats the players. He’s in it for the kids.”
For Manny
Kennedy played its first game since an opening-night contest against Johnson that ended with beloved Cougars senior center Manny Antwi getting rushed to the hospital after collapsing during the fourth quarter.
He died for reasons still not known.
On Thursday, Kennedy regrouped and beat Cordova 38-12 behind touchdowns from Xavier Calvin, best friend of Manny, Kywan Cook, Mekhi Callahan-Gray, Xzavier Sablan, Nemo Smiley and Dushawn White. Cook, a 3.8 student, dazzled on a hard-charging short-yardage play.
Antwi’s sophomore brother, Jude Antwi, played defensive end as a vow to finish the season in his honor. Kennedy players wore stickers on their helmets with No. 77, Antwi’s number that coach Brian Lewis said will be retired, unless Jude wants it.
Kennedy took a knee to run out the clock as. “we kept it classy,” Lewis said. “It was a great game. for us. The boys loved it.”
TO THE WIRE
Down a quarterback due to COVID-19 exposure in facing Antelope, Oakmont coach Tim Moore plugged in junior Danny Myles, who can play it all and is the younger brother of tackling machine linebacker Sean Myles.
Danny had a solid game, his brother, too, and Kannon Rosko saved the day with a blocked field goal as time ran out to secure a 16-14 win.
COVID-19 issues prevented Oakmont from playing the previous week. The Vikings are 2-0 and ranked 18th by The Bee.
Showdown week
Top-ranked Folsom, unbeaten in Sierra Foothill League play since entering the league in 2012, hosts No. 3 Rocklin on Friday.
Monterey Trail is No. 2 and is the last team to defeat Folsom, in the 2019 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals. Folsom and Monterey Trail were scheduled to open the 2020 fall season before the pandemic pushed the season into the spring.
Folsom is in an SFL-only schedule, playing each member twice, including opening with a spirited late-drive rally to beat preseason No. 1 Oak Ridge. Monterey Trail has played local teams, including Cosumnes Oaks on Friday, and went to Concord for a game against Clayton Valley Charter.
In beating Cosumnes Oaks, Monterey Trail rushed for a school-record 503 yards behind linemen Andreas Argumedo, Xavier Powell, Kelepi Talakai, Uvante Usher and Jasdev Banwait and tight ends Fata Puloka and Marcell Wilson. Otha Williams rushed for 214 yards and four touchdowns, Chris Lands went for 157 and two and returned an interception for a score, and the defense allowed one yard in the second half while coming up with four turnovers.
Jamauri Jackson had two interceptions for the Mustangs (3-0). Monterey Trail will on Friday host St. Mary’s of Stockton, a longtime section power that is 3-1 this season, opening with a 35-27 loss at De La Salle before beating host Jesuit 43-20.
DE LA STOMP
De La Salle of Concord beat Jesuit 42-7 on Thursday by doing what it always does: run, defend and play the game the right way without an ounce of anyone insisting the Spartans run it up or taunt. They do not, now, then or ever.
De La Salle has gone a remarkable 312-0-2 against Northern California teams since the start of the 1992 season. In the last 10 years, that run includes two wins against Jesuit, three against Del Oro, six against St. Mary’s of Stockton, one each against Granite Bay and Central Catholic of Modesto and four against Folsom, including the 2012 and 2013 NorCal Open Division finals when Folsom was 14-0 (a game since dropped due to DLS’s overwhelming dominance).
Coach Justin Alumbaugh coached his 100th game for De La Salle on Thursday and has 91 victories that includes rigorous nonleague scheduling and CIF Open Division title bouts. He played for famed DLS coach Bob Ladoucuer, who hand-picked him to take over as coach. It was class taking over for class.
Alumbaugh and Serra of San Mateo coach Patrick Walsh were driving forces in advocating that prep sports be given a shot to compete this academic year.
THE BEE’S TOP 25
1. Folsom (3-0)
2. Monterey Trail (3-0)
3. Rocklin (3-0)
4. Granite Bay (2-2)
5. Oak Ridge (2-2)
6. Elk Grove (0-0)
7. Cosumnes Oaks (0-1)
8. Vista del Lago (3-0)
9. Lincoln (3-0)
10. Inderkum (2-2)
11. Placer (1-1)
12. Vacaville (2-0)
13. Franklin (1-0)
14. Pleasant Grove (1-1)
15. Davis (1-1)
16. Capital Christian (1-1)
17. Yuba City (2-0)
18. Oakmont (2-0)
19. Antelope (1-1)
20. Jesuit (1-2)
21. Christian Brothers (2-2)
22. Casa Roble (2-0)
23. Del Campo (2-0)
24. Roseville (1-1)
25. El Dorado (3-0)
Bubble teams: (alphabetical order): Amador (1-1), Bear River (2-2), Bradshaw Christian (1-1), Colfax (2-0), Del Oro (0-3), Dixon (2-0), Grant (0-0), Highlands (0-0), Kennedy (2-0), Laguna Creek (1-1), Natomas (2-2), Nevada Union (1-1), Pioneer (2-0), River City (1-1), Sacramento (2-2), Sheldon (0-1), Union Mine (2-1), Vanden (1-0), Whitney (0-3), Woodcreek (0-2), Woodland (2-0). - Joe Davidson
This week’s schedules
(subject to change with COVID-19 testing)
All games 7-7:30 p.m., unless noted
Thursday
River City at Sheldon
Friday
El Dorado at Burbank, 5:30 p.m.
Rocklin at Folsom
Pioneer at Dixon
Ponderosa at Placer
El Camino at Del Campo
Argonaut at Amador
Vanden at Armijo
Mesa Verde at Foothill
Colfax at Bear River
Oakmont at Rio Linda
Lincoln at Nevada Union
Yuba City at Roseville
Highlands at Natomas
Granite Bay at Oak Ridge
Christian Brothers at Vista del Lago
Woodland at Casa Roble
Whitney at Del Oro
Florin at Cordova
Bella Vista at River Valley
Kennedy at Woodcreek
Grant at Monterey Trail
Antelope at Inderkum
Rodriguez at Vacaville
Saturday
Laguna Creek vs. Pleasant Grove, 1 p.m.
Linden at Sacramento, 1 p.m.
Cosumnes Oaks at Davis, 1 p.m.
Elk Grove at Franklin, 1 p.m.
Jesuit at Monte Vista, 5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 6:34 AM with the headline "Prep football rankings and notes: Franklin gets a game, Kennedy wins one for Manny."