Galileo, 3 others help boost AAA’s reputation
Stop the presses. Tossing aside Mission’s forfeit loss, Academic Athletic Association football teams went a combined 4-0 last week and outscored opponents by a cumulative 173-22 count. What the heck? “Very impressive week,” San Francisco Section Commissioner Don Collins said.
Especially considering the AAA has gone a cumulative 43-117 in nonleague games the past five seasons.
Lincoln, the AAA co-favorite, was in control throughout and won 26-14 at Capuchino-San Bruno.
Defending SFS, Northern California and State 6-A champion Galileo rolled Hoop Valley 52-6, and Balboa and Burton, a combined 1-17 last year, won 47-0 and 48-0 over Lynbrook-San Jose and Madison Park-Oakland, respectively.
“Wow, I guess we scheduled well,” Lincoln coach Phil Ferrigno joked. “I told you it will be more competitive this year.”
Perhaps that’s because Galileo set the bar last season, shocking most with NorCal and state crowns.
Granted, it was the lowest division of the 13 the state has instituted, but bringing home a state championship trophy had some effect.
“It definitely created a little buzz for our league,” said Balboa first-year coach Fred Velasquez.
Said Mission first-year coach Tobias Whitley: “Our kids believe they can do what (Galileo) achieved. It’s definitely a reachable goal.”
But has it helped with participation numbers or getting AAA kids more excited about playing the game?
“It’s too early to say,” Collins said. “There are too many other factors that come into play.”
Said Galileo coach Mark Huynh: “I don’t think us winning affects the league any except that our teams might be more confident heading into state playoffs. It’s validation that we can be competitive.”
They were more than competitive last week. They were dominant.
Burton, under longtime coach Dwayne Breaux, led 30-0 in the first quarter before easing off the gas. Velasquez, a former assistant at Riordan and Balboa, took over the program just a month ago. He already has started to turn around the culture at a place from which he graduated in 1989.
It helps to have players like dual-threat quarterback Brandon Norori, who accounted for four touchdowns against Lynbrook, and versatile Anthony Nuñez, who was forced to play running back because of injuries and responded with two scores and more than 100 yards on the ground.
Velasquez, who in 2009 co-founded the San Francisco Warriors, an unlimitedweight youth squad, also has some very big and strong interior linemen, led by Vaiuli Siolo (6-foot-5, 290), Fasi Fotu (6-0, 250) and Kaleo Vaifale (6-2, 320). Linebacker/ center Xavier Haro (5-10, 220) offers more strength and brawn to a roster of 35, a healthy number by AAA standards.
Velasquez replaced Poutoa Fuega, who led the Buccaneers to the 2015 Turkey Day Game, only to lose 14-13 to Mission. Fuega coached for four seasons but left for family reasons. Velasquez, a San Francisco native, was part of his staff.
“So much has changed for kids in San Francisco over the years,” Velasquez said. “First, it’s the most expensive city in America, so families are moving out and taking great athletes with them to Sacramento or Pittsburg and Concord.
“Besides that, we’re facing an uphill battle because kids don’t want to play sports anymore. They want to be video gamers or performers or bloggers. Walk around San Francisco and there’s not a lot of outdoor activities.
“I’m trying to help change that culture. I want the kids to be excited to play sports for their school.”
It doesn’t help, Velasquez said, that college recruiters don’t come by the city to eyeball potential players. “Hopefully, we can open some eyes,” he said. MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.