El Cerrito Football Preview: Gauchos Looking to Claim ACCAL Title

Returning Starters: 10 (4 offense, 6 defense)

Top Offensive Players: Byron Thomas, QB; James Savage, RB; Kris Jackson, WR; Lyonel Louis, TE.

Top Defensive Players: Lyonel Louis, MLB; Charles Conner, DT; Kris Jackson, CB.

Team Strengths: Quarterback, offensive playmakers, run defense.

Areas to Improve: Experience on offensive line and in secondary.

Mark the Calendar: at Berkeley, Oct. 29

———————————

He led his team to a winning season in his first year and a league co-championship in  his second, but as Kenny Kahn enters his third season on the job, the El Cerrito coach has his sights set higher.

"We want the championship all to ourselves," he said. "And we want to win at least one more game last year. That's always the goal."

Easier said than done.

El Cerrito High School plays eight of its 10 games on the road or at neutral sites. To win a league championship, it'll likely have to beat Berkeley, a team that has topped the Gauchos three-straight years, including a 50-0 drubbing last October.

"We think we're just as good as Berkeley," said senior tight end/linebacker Lyonel Louis. "They have a lot of size, and we had a bad game against them last year, but we'll be confident."

The Gauchos are led offensively by Byron Thomas, a cool-headed, accurate quarterback who led the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League in passing yards (1,813), touchdowns (22) and quarterback rating (168.3) last season.

"He's calm, he's patient, and he's confident in the pocket," said senior Charles Conner. "He's not scared out there. He not only has the skills, he has the confidence to be able to use them."

Thomas loses his biggest weapon, all-purpose back Andre Williams, who now plays at Eastern Washington University. Receiver Kris Jackson, who also plays defensive back, will be counted on to emerge as the team's biggest offensive playmaker.

But the biggest key to the Gauchos' offense will be the development of their offensive line, where all five 2009 starters are being replaced. The rebuilt line includes former junior varsity players now stepping into starting varsity roles, and several defensive players who are changing to the other side of the ball.

"I have complete confidence in the line," said Thomas. "In practice, I haven't been touched all year."

Hyperbole, perhaps, because the Gauchos' defense boasts one of the best front sevens in the league. Conner, a defensive tackle, occupies blockers in the middle, enabling senior linebacker Lyonel Louis to fly around the field making plays.

"I love my line," said Louis, who has scholarship offers from Arizona and Utah State. "They're the team's strength."

The philosophy is simple, according to Louis. Shorten the pass; stop the run. The Gauchos did it with success last year, allowing 21.3 points per game.

"If you get anything running the ball against us," said Conner, "it's because you got lucky."

But for the Gauchos' defense to emerge as one of the East Bay's most dominant units, they'll need an inexperienced secondary to jell quickly. Jackson is the only starting defensive back that returns from last year.

"I have to help the younger guys maintain our composure," he said. "We have to keep our heads cool when things get tough."

They may get tough regularly with so many games on the road. But El Cerrito's players relish the challenge.

"We love it," said Conner. "It just means we get to go into somebody else's house and deliver a whooping."

———————————

Schedule

9/3 vs. Kennedy at Contra Costa College

9/10 @ Encinal

9/17 @ Campolindo

9/25 @ Lincoln

10/1 @ Hercules

10/15 @ Richmond

10/22 @ De Anza

10/29 @ Berkeley

11/5 @ Pinole Valley

11/12 @ Alameda

———————————

Follow Patch Sports East Bay on Twitter