San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
JUST LOOKING FOR A CHANCE TO PLAY ON
Prep seniors have plenty on the line as football returning to play 5-6 games
Tacked firmly to the wall in Nicholas Gardinera’s bedroom is a poster of Saquon Barkley.
It’s there as a reminder of what could be.
“We’re the same body type, have the same running style,” Gardinera said of the All-american from Penn State who rushed for 1,003 yards for the New York Giants in 2019 before tearing his ACL in the second game of last season.
“I consider him one of the top backs in football.”
Gardinera, a senior running back at Scripps Ranch High, would love to follow in Barkley’s footsteps.
There problem.
Despite rushing for 1,783 yards, averaging 6.9 yards on 258 carries, scoring 24 touchdowns and fumbling just twice on a Falcons team that finished 2019 12-1, the 5foot-10, 200-pound Gardinera doesn’t have an offer from a major college.
The knock is that the powerfully built Gardinera lacks breakaway speed.
Despite rushing for more than 100 yards in 11 of 13 games with highs of 208 against Mira Mesa and 197 vs. Patrick Henry, he had just two runs of more than 30 yards last season, a 33-yarder against Del Norte and a 35-yarder vs. Fallbrook.
Gardinera is one of dozens of San Diego County players who have five or six games in this long-delayed 2020 prep football season to prove himself to college recruiters, get some senior film as the recruiters like to say.
“We were a run-happy team last season,” said Gardinera, who plays for his father Marlon at Scripps Ranch. I’m not knocking it because it worked, but our opponents stacked the box against us, and if I did break free, it seemed like there was always a linebacker or safety there. It was frustrating, but it seemed like I could consistently get 10 yards.”
Marlon Gardinera plans to open up the Scripps is one major
20 seniors looking to impress
Kamron Beacham, WR/DE, Oceanside: Great size at 6-foot-5, but motor needs to run on every play.
Travis Bennett, QB, Vista: Great size at 6-foot-6. Threw for 1,048 yards with 10 TDS and 1 interception.
Richard Colmenero, QB, Saint Augustine: Threw for 1,98 yards and 15 TDS, but only 6 feet tall.
Manai Hazlett, RB, Del Norte: Had big sophomore year, but missed last season while battling cancer.
Logan Hicks, OL, Steele Canyon: 6-foot-6, 260-pounder who should be a recruit.
Vance Jefferson, WR, Poway: Has offers from Nevada and Central Michigan.
Ava Leota, TE/DE, Torrey Pines: 6-foot-7, 265-pounder with multiple offers.
Kevin Luong, QB, Crawford: Has size and arm strength, but only D3 and NAIA offers.
Mackavelli Malotumau, TE/DE, El Camino: 6-foot-1, 300-pound, 3-star recruit with no offers.
Robbie Ramos, QB, Escondido: Three years of potential need to come to front.
Michael Richter, DL, Santana: Undersized at 6 feet, but had 95 tackles and 191 ⁄2 sacks.
Kris Sanchez, LB, La Costa Canyon: Speedy and physical, has an offer from Chadron State.
Zach Schipper, LB, Vista: Drawn interest from South Dakota and Valparaiso. Should get more.
Dylan Smith, OL, Carlsbad: Big man at 6-foot-6, 280-pounds, has several Pac-12 offers.
Mckyle So’oto, LB, Oceanside: Undersized but extremely talented.
Jackson Stratton, QB, La Jolla: Has offers from Florida International and Columbia, but could get more.
Carson Taumoepeau, QB, Mt. Carmel: Talented but erratic, has improved all parts of his game.
Robert Tucker, RB, Grossmont: Had nearly 2,000 yards total offense. A 2-star recruit.
Kavika Tua, RB/LB, Oceanside: Great two-way player. 1st-team ALL-CIF.
Elijah Waldon, FS/WR, Mira Mesa: Got caught in a numbers game when Northern Arizona went another direction.
Ranch offense this season, trying to create more running lanes.
Nicholas, however, isn’t relying solely on a change in the offense to get yards.
He has worked hours with former San Diego State All-american and track coach Rhan Sheffield to improve his speed.
“We worked on getting the arms and legs in synch,” said Nicholas Gardinera, who added he has never been clocked in the 40-yard dash. We worked on flow, proper technique.
“There were a lot of track workouts, repetitions, weights, running. I love running downhill. I have powerful legs, and I want to use my size and speed. If it wasn’t there before, I feel the breakaway speed is there now.”
Part of the problem Marlon Gardinera explained is that many colleges have third-year freshmen returning.
“A lot of colleges redshirt their freshmen,” said Maron Gardinera. “Those redshirt freshmen played last season, but every college player gets last year back.
“So you could have a 21-, 22-year-old freshman player with two years of experience. A running back might have played 1012 games with maybe 150 carries. “So schools are only looking for elite players now.”
One recruiter said colleges are holding scholarships back for players in the transfer portal.
If a transfer doesn’t fit, then a college would look to California players to fill rosters.
“I think I’m a fit at an FBS school,” said Nicholas Gardinera, whose only offer is from Valparaiso, an NCAA FCS school in Indiana. “I can play in college, but I have a 4.0 GPA, so I’d be a good academic fit.
“There are a lot of really talented seniors across the county who are excited to play, excited get some film and see if they can get a scholarship.”
Marlon Gardinera was a leader of the Let Them Play CA movement and won a lawsuit against the State of California.
“Obviously, we want more than five games, but honestly, we’d take one or two just to be back out on the field with our friends and teammates,” said Nicholas Gardinera. “I appreciate everything my dad did to get us back on the field. It was a crazy experience to be part of a lawsuit. But we’re back now and guys are going to give it their all every snap.
“So it’s going to be a very interesting, very crazy next few weeks.”
john.maffei@sduniontribune.com