Center of Attention: CVHS' Anthony Viveiros

Meet senior and star football player, Anthony Viveiros.

Standing 6’1” and weighing in at 275 pounds, this is one imposing figure!

For the past two years, Viveiros has anchored the offensive line as center for the Trojans varsity football team. As a junior, Anthony was voted as Hayward Area Athletic League’s Lineman of the Year, and was voted onto the First Team All League Offense at center and Second Team All League Defense at defensive tackle.

Viveiros was also voted with Honorable Mention to the All East Bay and All Metro honors.

As a senior, Viveiros was again voted to the First Team All League as center as well as First Team All League at defensive tackle. He recently found out that he was voted onto the prestigious All East Bay Second Team as center.

I met with this mountain of a man this past Wednesday at the Village Starbucks to discuss the Trojans’ 2011 football season and his goals for the future. Viveiros is articulate and polite. The maturity and focus that he displayed are evidence of his determination to succeed in life.

You will appreciate his honest assessments, for better and for worse, of both his teams’ offensive and defensive efforts. When you’re First Team All League on both sides of the ball as a graduating senior, you have a license to say whatever is on your mind and have the respect of others involved to listen carefully.

And above all, you will feel the impact that the game of football has had in the game of life for Viveiros. It’s much more than a game.

For starters, the next major life event post high school is obviously college. Is there a desire to carry over the high school success on the gridiron to the next level?

“College football. Definitely," Viveiros said. "And I don’t know where. I’m still … have my doors open. I’m waiting to find the right school that fits my style. I’m focusing on criminal justice. I’d like to be in school for four years and enjoy it.”

After protecting his team as an offensive lineman most of his life, criminal justice appeared to be a fitting profession for the 18-year-old

"Protecting people is my thing; my whole," he said. "I would like to move into the FBI; a little farther into the government.“

Viveiros began playing football in seventh grade when he played in the Pleasanton Junior Football League (PJFL)

"That was the closest league with weight limits," he said "I was always a big kid; good at football. I fit it and met with some coaches who bonded with me. They taught me about discipline and hard work; to understand how football relates to the game of life. Teamwork is a big thing in the world. You’re always going to be working with people. It’s just all the little things that help shape everything.”

He found that he not only enjoyed protecting his team but hitting and tackling the other team as well.

“I always liked hitting people. That got me into it," he said. "I could hit people every Friday night and everybody cheers for me. It’s a totally different feeling."

He said once he began playing football and working out, he began to notice himself slimming down and getting into shape.

“Freshman and sophomore years were big for me," he siad. "I didn’t really work out before the season. But then having morning workout, summer ball, and then the season is when I noticed the increased strength. My training and preparation in the gym gave me extra confidence when I hit the field. It decreased my injuries during the season because I was very committed to my time in gym.”

What is your normal routine in the gym?

“I usually go a week schedule. Monday would be upper body. Tuesday would be lower body. I basically switch every three days. Saturdays are running and conditioning to alleviate the soreness. Sunday is my day off. Everything gets back to normal and then straight into it on Monday.”

How important is your dedication to working out as an athlete on the Trojans football team?

“What I see is more dedication to the team. When everybody starts showing up to morning workouts, you know that’s your squad. You build a trust with the guys you’re working out with and running with. The guys who just came out in August and started training had to build that trust, but we were already a group. Eventually they would catch up, but you can see the difference between the people who work out regularly.

“Everyone has always said I would naturally be a good football player. I have things to work out and things I strive for. I still have to work out. I don’t see how it could just come naturally.”

You mentioned earlier your academic goals for college. Have you been thinking about where you would like to play football next year? Which universities play ball that fits your style?

“The University of San Diego. They run more of a downhill offense; not like a spread. I’m always the guy who comes out hitting every play. I hate when we pass the ball.”

“San Jose State. They have a similar style. They all run straightforward.”

He also mentioned that it wasn’t really until his junior year that he began to approach the game of football much more seriously. He was offered scholarships to play high school ball for private schools including the storied program at De La Salle High School.

However, early on he was not interested in a rigorous schedule. Instead, he wanted to get used to high school and enjoy the friendships he’d developed through the years as a Trojan.

As you will learn, Viveiros is a hometown boy. He is proud of his CVHS colors. Not everyone can turn down a DLS invitation and still go on to receive top honors for their program and in the region like Viveiros.

He is the type that will grow where he’s planted and make the very best out of it. If only more athletes, and people in general, would strive to have the character, loyalty and genuineness as Viveiros has, our town would be that much stronger.

“Coach tells us about the olden days when people would be tailgating in the parking lot. That would pump up everybody a lot more for the games. That would be incredible.”

So what will it take for our school to compete with the big boys of Bay Area football over the hill?

“We do have a lot of people at our football games. It’s not like everybody doesn’t show up. But if we had a junior league in Castro Valley, say, like what they have in Pleasanton, or the Crusaders, that built kids, people would rally around football. If we want to build a good football team, we have to start young and build from that."

“We could hop into leagues with teams in Pleasanton. We have a stadium. It’s not like we don’t have a stadium. Because when we go over the hill to play San Ramon, it was raining, but it was still packed. When it rains here, our stands are empty.

“Same thing at California High. Their stands were packed; people were cheering.

“The culture of our town is around baseball and soccer in Castro Valley. If we had a team to build our little Trojans in Castro Valley, football could become king.”

Does this sound like a guy who could make that vision a reality? I think so. I hope people are reading and listening and working on this. You have a poster child for your program. That would be the one and only Anthony Viveiros.

Reflecting on the Past Season

It was a very interesting season, to say the least. This team hit a low point early, thankfully, and then seemed to go all the way to the top of the mountain with an amazing six-game winning streak, before ultimately getting the rug pulled out from under their feet in the NCS playoff opener.

Lessons were learned throughout all the games, however, and that is another impressive trait I recognized in Viveiros: the ability to see the good in the bad; to learn from mistakes and work towards improvement. He is a forward-thinking individual that sees the best that people and situations have to offer.

Game No. 1: Monte Vista High School (41-27 loss)

“Our offense was slow. We all looked like we were in slow motion. They were just running past us. That game was a turning point for us. We saw how much we had to work to win. We just gave up a couple of plays”

Game No. 2: California High School (45-14 loss)

“It was more of a game that our offense started to come together. We found out what plays worked and what plays to throw out of the playbook. You basically find out what plays you can trust on the football field, like if we had to adjust blocks to break a play open.”

Game No. 3: Bishop O’Dowd (36-17 loss)

“We’re coming in high-headed. This is our biggest rival. Their passing killed us. Their running started opening up. Our D-line got tired. We were tied at half I want to say. I’m not sure when, but we went for it on Fourth down and didn’t make it and we saw their momentum go up and they took over the game out.”

So you have now lost three straight games. How was this wearing on you and the psyche of the team?

“I was frustrated. I was starting to think, ‘I might as well make myself look good.’ I thought about what we needed to do during the week: talk to coach. I realized that  best way to do it was winning as a team. No one wants to watch a kid on a losing team."

“I tried to get everybody moving; going. It worked! We went in Monday and had the best practice our team has ever had. Everybody was tired of losing. We walked around campus. People told us we sucked. We have that million-dollar stadium and we weren’t filling it. What’s the worst that could happen? Lose another game. Be 0-and-4 to start the season?”

Well, as it turns out, a lot worse could happen than just losing the next game. Lightning struck during the game followed by

Game No. 4: Newark (7-0 - postponed)

“We were winning before the lightning struck and the riot started. We were going to win no matter what. We needed this win. My friend David Valladares’ uncle had passed away and I was going to do anything in my power to win for him. David’s a linebacker and the other team captain and he put his helmet on every week and was ready to play. It was a feeling like he deserves to have this win.

“I heard the boom of the lightning. They said to get off the field and that was basically it. We were in the locker room and the riot broke up. It went from the high school all the way over to Lake Chabot Road. The vice-principal got punched in the face a couple of times."

“We finished the game the Saturday before our playoff game. We played Tennyson Thursday and the Newark game on Saturday. That was a hard week because we played Saturday, Thursday, and then Saturday again. We ended up beating them 27-7 win.”

Game No. 5: San Leandro (26-21 loss)

This game was a heartbreaker-of-a-loss for the Trojans who dropped to 0-4 after a tough break against San Leandro. The Trojans had the lead and were driving at their own 30-yard line when they came to a fourth-and-two. Punt and force the Pirates to move the ball down field or go for it and run out the clock? It’s just two yards, right? They went for it, deep in their own territory.

“The play coach chose we’ve never gained a yard on it. We ran a counter on fourth-and-two and we’ve never gained a yard. We decided to do it. We could have punched in a wedge, but we ran a counter and got stopped in the backfield.

“Our defense was slacking that game. San Leandro ran this one play the whole game that we could not stop."

Speaking about the controversial fourth-down decision at the game’s end, Viveiros continued: “I see where coach was coming from, but it was just the wrong play. We kept running on the outside and were killing them; averaging eight yards on the sweep outside.

“We were up by maybe two touchdowns. If we could have won we would have had a first-round by in the NCS. We gave them the ball and then one of our corners got burned and our D-line did not get enough pressure on them.”

So the Trojans hit rock bottom. Entering the season with optimism and enthusiasm to play hard and succeed, Castro Valley was staring at a 0-4 record with their one potential win marred by a riot and wacky weather. Not exactly a pretty picture.

But just when you might think it couldn't get any worse, the winning streak started.

“Then the glory train started. Our team played, lost (to San Leandro), realized [we] can’t change what happened, and we came out Monday and start fresh.”

Game No. 6: San Lorenzo (42-8 win)

“This was a breakout game for us. Nick Lima had a great game that day. David Valladares had a great time. We had them. I actually didn’t play. I got sick the week before. I played four plays and tore my UCL and elbow. Now I have Tommy John elbow. If I want to play baseball I have to have it surgically repaired. I had no part in winning that game. That was a great breakout game for us."

“The whole team. O-line and D-line were solid. Offensive plays were breaking out. Plays that weren’t supposed to work were working. Our wedge plays were working."

“We have a 'hungry group.' We have Trevor Trammel (6’2”, probably like 235 pounds), he’s playing running back. David’s a fullback (6’2”, 225 pounds), and at wing is Brandon McWilliams (6’1”, 235 pounds). I think we were on the 15-yard line and it was like thurd-and-two and we punched it in. Trevor made one move and he’s in the end zone. It’s called the 'hungry group' because it’s a bunch of big boys.”

Game No. 7: Arroyo (41-14 win)

“Homecoming, everybody’s pumped up. Just, it was incredible. You only get this feeling on Homecoming. Everybody is in the stands. It’s packed. Every seat’s taken. Everybody is cheering. It is phenomenal.

“I have a little beef with the coach on Arroyo, Oscar. He told us he was going to blitz six guys down the middle. He tried to scare me. I just took over. I had a great game that game."

“Patrick Cheek had a great game. Nick Lima had a good game. Defense came up big on plays. It was incredible. We lost to them at their home pretty bad last year and so we came into this game with a chip on our shoulder and wanted to be them.”

Game No. 8: Mt. Eden (49-0 win)

“D-line was getting tackle after tackle. Linebackers were coming up. The first drive they went back 20 yards. We drop stopped them on the five. They couldn’t move forward. Their first two drives were like that."

“Jesse Sellers had a great game. Luke, our quarterback, was having a good game. Coach said, 'Mt. Eden runs the ball much better than us.' We came into that game like, ‘No way they run the ball better than us.’ That was a big thing for us. No, not happening."

Game No. 9: Tennyson (41-8 win)

“We were tired of losing. Our whole team knew we were going to win. Coaches were trying to focus us. They were coming into that game with their best record in the past 10 to 15 years."

“Coach said, 'Speed and conditioning will win us the game.' A lot of players applied that to the game. We just went out there, I think, and we ran our first play and just broke out. Patrick ran 'Sucker' — right down the middle — and scored on the first play of the game. We would get an interception or stop them."

“Tennyson’s quarterback was taken out of the game with an [arm] injury. Jesse had a great game. He ran phenomenal that game.”

GAME HIGHLIGHTS — Click here.

Game No. 10: Hayward (38-13 win)

“The first couple of drives were just back and forth and then we just took over the game. They got a couple of lucky plays. I’d say that our defense and backfield won that game. They ran hard, took big hits and threw them right back at the guys.”

Game No. 4 continued: Newark (27-7 win)

“Six wins in a row. We were on top of the world; thought no one could touch us.

“And then, we got touched.”

NCS PLAYOFFS — Round I

San Ramon Valley (42-14 loss)

Game Highlights - Click here

“It was cold. It was freezing. Every time we got hit, you knew you got hit. It was pain right through your body. I had two ankles barely holding me up. I was barely moving any more."

“I knew we could win this game. I knew why, because our offense is by far — when we’re on, we’re on; no one could stop us. We marched the ball to the 10-yard line three times but we could not punch it in. That’s three touchdowns right there."

“People started getting comfortable. We blew through six teams, but HAAL is kind of a joke to some people. We see the people who didn’t work that hard in practice just watching, not trying to bust their ass and win the game. I don’t know, I was disappointed in the team a little but I knew the players that had my back the whole game.”

Although the Trojans missed a few opportunities to improve their chances in the NCS during the season, they enjoyed some outstanding moments, highlighted by the 49-0 shutout over Mt. Eden. What an outstanding achievement for the defense and special teams to prevent the opponent from scoring, while at the same time putting seven touchdowns on the scoreboard. 

The team will lose some key leaders to graduation this year. But this group, anchored by Viveiros, has some advice for next year’s group, which will apparently no longer play in the HAAL.

“Come out January ready to play. Put your hard hat on," Viveiros said.

“They’re going to have a harder schedule than we ever had. They’re going to have to play hard teams all year long. They play Encinal, Amador. CVHS is getting out of the HAAL. A new league is being formed. Bishop O’Dowd may be the only team joining Castro Valley.”

Who will be at center in your spot next fall?

“I don’t know yet, but either Joey Tognalini or Derrick Chan will take over at center.”

What makes a good center?

“You have to be smart. You have to watch linebackers; make quick calls on the line. Running a pass you have to call for the line movements. You control the offensive line. It’s the most important part of the team. The QB is not getting the ball off.

“A good exchange from the center to the quarterback is important to executing a play. You have to be talking and get everyone pumped up in the huddle before the quarterback calls the play. You’re in control of the huddle.

“The center either leads them off a bridge or to success.”

And how do you feel about the coaching staff and their performance?

“The offense Coach is running is perfect. We have solid running backs. We are doing more misdirection stuff. We used to run the ball right down the middle. It won’t work with a 125-pound running back. Now we’re running to the sides.

“Castro Valley is not known for having big offensive linemen. We usually have some smaller players. Take Austin Gale, for example. A little man with a big heart. If he had my body he’d be twice as good (laughter). There’s nothing stopping him. He’s the happiest kid you’ll ever meet and the strongest kid on the football field."

“For me, I look up to Gale. For his size, he has the work ethic that I strive for. What I have, he already has. He has a bigger heart than I probably do. And I knew he’s my right guard. I’d be blocking left, and I knew he’d have my back every time. My guards and tackles have my back. They always stepped up. That’s just the way it is. We’re basically a family."

“Coach always tell us, ‘There’s bruises and there’s broken bones. You can’t really play with broken bones. You can play with a bruise.” That’s Coach Nic.”

With his common sense, down-to-earth likeableness and refreshing honesty and candor, I cannot imagine that any college program would not be honored to give a shot to this outstanding athlete.

Decorated with All League, East Bay, and Metro honors, here’s to a bright future in law enforcement and any and all worthy goals that you set your mind to, Anthony. Congratulations on a job well done.

And to the Trojans football team, here’s to your success as our team in our town.