Injury bug biting Hornets: Alameda's roster has already been decimated by injuries, but this week the Hornets took their biggest blow yet. The Oakland Tribune's Jimmy Durkin reported that running back Michael Cunningham is done for the yearwith a torn ACL. Hornets coach Steve Rochlin did not immediately return a call seeking confirmation Wednesday morning, but assuming Cunningham's season is over, Alameda will struggle mightily to replace him. Cunningham had carried the Hornets' offense at times in the early portion of the season, rushing for more than 200 combined yards in losses to San Lorenzo and Encinal. Alameda had already lost starters in nine of 22 positions. The hits just keep coming.
Attacking from all angles: In Encinal's 59-17 blowout of Piedmont on Friday, nine different Jets players carried the ball as the team rushed for 405 yards. Nine ball-carriers is impressive regardless, but it's remarkable when you consider the fact that the Jets have only 25 players on their roster. So more than a full third of the team pitched in on the dominating ground game. Jets Coach Joe Tenorio constantly preaches that he wants to build his team in such a way that it's never dependent on one or two players, and his philosophy plays itself out on the field in impressive fashion. Jonathan Allen leads the team in running yards with 408 on the season, but Friday night he was their fourth-leading rusher, as Jon Trodder led the way with six carries for 151 yards.
Late bloomer: Albany High's Akwasi Agyekum waited until his senior season to decide he wanted to try to play football. If he'd made that decision sooner, the Cougars might have won a few more games in recent years. A 6-foot-1, 180-pound running back, Agyekum has seen his role increase throughout the season. He gave Albany a lift in the second half of its season-opening win against Campolindo and continued to get more touches as the season went on, culminating in his . "He's realized that he can play this game, and now he's putting more and more effort into it," Albany coach Scott Shevelson said by phone this week. "Now, he's hungry to do more."
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Bursting onto the scene: Talking to coaches around preseason practice at El Cerrito, there was a buzz in the air about freshman wide receiver Jalen Harvey. Coaches said he would be an impact player the minute he turned 15 and got called up to varsity. They were right. Two weeks ago in his first varsity game, Harvey caught four passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns as . Harvey continued to impress in the Gauchos' win over Hercules to open Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League play, contributing in the passing game and rushing for a touchdown. In a text message, Kahn said of Harvey: "not to inflate his head too much, but if it wasn't for his age... he would have been on varsity from the jump." He added, "he's got talent, no question... we're doing our best to keep him humble."
Doomed by special teams: For a disappointing season continued to get worse as the Panthers lost to St. Patrick/St. Vincent last week. But this time, it wasn't the Panthers' porous defense that let them down. It was their special teams, which allowed two touchdowns on kickoff returns in the first half. Those scores proved to be the difference in a 35-21 win for the Bruins, who at 4-0 have the best record in the BSAL.
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A wild one in the valley: The best finish of any game in the ACCAL or BSAL last week came at Pinole Valley, where the Spartans' James Lewis caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Craig Campbell on the game's final play to give Pinole Valley a 16-14 win. The victory gives Pinole Valley immediate control of the league and shows that Berkeley's early-season struggles were no fluke.
Player of the week: With his 278-yard game, Albany's Agyekum turned in the area's best performance, even in a losing effort.
What to watch this week: Not many big games in the ACCAL this week, but the game with the most interesting story lines will be Berkeley at Alameda. The Yellowjackets need a win to prove that they're still a force in the league, and it will be interesting to see how Alameda responds to the news that Cunningham is out for the year.
It's a similarly weak slate of games in the BSAL, but the only matchup between two teams who are currently 1-0 in the league will occur Friday night at Encinal, when Swett comes to visit.
Where they rank: Three teams from the ACCAL and BSAL are ranked in this week's Patch NCS rankings. Pinole Valley ranks sixth in Division II, Encinal sits at fourth in Division III, and St. Patrick/St. Vincent is second in Division IV.
Current football standings:
BSAL
St. Patrick/St. Vincent 1-0 (4-0 overall)
Moreau Catholic 1-0 (3-0-1)
Encinal 1-0 (3-1)
Swett 1-0 (1-3)
Kennedy 0-1 (2-2)
Albany 0-1 (1-3)
St. Mary's 0-1 (0-4)
Piedmont 0-1 (0-4)
ACCAL
Pinole Valley 1-0 (4-0-1)
Alameda 1-0 (2-3)
El Cerrito 1-0 (2-3)
Richmond 0-0 (2-1)
Hercules 0-1 (3-2)
Berkeley 0-1 (2-3)
De Anza 0-1 (0-5)
