While Stanford Football is without a head coach and uncertainty pervades
every aspect of the program, the biggest recruiting weekend thus far this year
proceeded nonetheless. With Bob Bowlsby still in search of the next head man for
Stanford football, a number of Stanford commits, undecided targets, and
under-the-radar prospects descended upon the campus for visits. Kellen Kiilsgaard, Matthew Masifilo, David Green, Eddie Morgan, Matt Bentler, Matt Conrath, Thomas Keiser, Doug Baldwin and Coby Fleener all visited this weekend. The weekend obviously shapes up as one of the
pivotal events for Stanford's 2007 recruiting class. Meanwhile, a few Stanford
prospects were still playing for the chance at championship glory:
* The absolutely dominant Oaks Christian team won their 45th consecutive game
with a 46-7 win in the CIF Southern Section Northwest Division championship, their fourth championship in a row. They
will now presumably advance to the California bowl game played next weekend,
where they will try to secure their place among the greatest high school
football teams of all time. In the most recent game, Notre Dame quarterback
commit Jimmy Clausen completed 19-of-25 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns. Stanford wide receiver commit Sean Wiser had
six catches for 110 yards and two of
those touchdown catches. He also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. Said
Wiser, who also stars at safety, “Our defense played really well. All week in
practice we focused on swarming to the ball and hitting hard. It's getting near
the end of our season, and we wanted to give everything we have left."
* Tyler Mabry, Gino Gordon and the Francis Parker football team came up
short in their bid for a championship, losing 14-10 in their CIF division
championship game. Running
behind Stanford commit Mabry, Gordon averaged 157 yards rushing per game on the
season. In the final game of their high school careers, however, Gordon was
limited to 94 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Gordon nearly tied the game
with a long return on a blocked field goal, but he was caught after scampering
for 85 yards, seven yards short of the end zone. Parker ended up settling for a
field goal and lost the game by the difference of that play.
* George Halamandaris and Moorpark dropped to the powerhouse Canyon team
24-22 in their CIF division championship game. The game was a heartbreaker for Moorpark, as Canyon
won the game with a field goal with eight seconds left in regulation. Moorpark got to
the championship on the strength of the running of Darrell Scott, whose 3,194
yards rushing and 46 touchdowns on the season established him as one of the top
players in the nation as only a junior. In the championship, however, Scott was
held to a season-low 118 yards rushing and one touchdown on 29 carries. Halamandaris' attention now turns to an off-season program designed to prepare
him to be a Pac-10 offensive lineman.
* Jamaine Olson, Owen Marecic and the dominant Jesuit football team
steamrolled their way to an undefeated season and the Oregon state championship
with a 56-7 win at Autzen Stadium. Like Oaks Christian, Jesuit has a legitimate
claim in the debate over the nation's top programs. In the championship game,
Olson caught a 71-yard touchdown pass, and Marecic added a goalline touchdown
run. Marecic also did what he did all season long – provide huge blocks that
opened holes for Jesuit's star running back, who had about 280 yards rushing and
four touchdowns on the game.
* Brandon Clear, Byron Clear and Hoover lost 35-21 in the Alabama state championship. While Hoover came into the year as the top ranked team in the nation, they
didn't quite live up to the hype. Losing in the state championship is still a
very impressive accomplishment, but few would have forecast two losses for this
highly-touted squad. The Clear twins now move fully into a pair of recruitments
that have really heated up, as programs see their senior film.
* Matt Howe also saw his high school career end with a playoff loss. Colleyville Heritage lost 33-7 to Texas powerhouse Southlake Carroll.
* With that, the prospective Stanford football recruits who won championships
in 2006 are: Matt Conrath, Sean Wiser, Jamaine Olson and Owen Marecic. A number
of other recruits won league or district championships, but those four won it
all. Sean Wiser and Oaks Christian still have a chance to become the winners of
the inaugural California bowl game.
Are you fully subscribed to The Bootleg?
If not, then you are missing out on all the top Cardinal coverage we provide
daily on our website, as well as our full-length feature articles in our glossy
magazine. Sign up today for the biggest and best in Stanford sports coverage
with TheBootleg.com (sign-up)
and The Bootleg Magazine (sign-up)!