Lowell leads list of turnaround teams this season
In head coach Danny Chan’s 17th season, Lowell appears to be the class of the Academic Athletic Association.
The Cardinals are 4-2 and coming off another blowout win, 53-6 over Burton. They opened by overwhelming Galileo 55-0.
Leading the way for Chan’s team are go-to running back
Adrian Navarro (77 carries, 729 yards, eight touchdowns) and an accurate passer in senior Reese Miller (66-of-95, 798 yards, 14 touchdowns), who spreads the ball superbly.
Jake Medicoff (17 catches, 167 yards, five touchdowns),
Stevie Rivas (9, 161, 4) and
Nicolo Chiera (27, 313, 2) are Miller’s targets.
The Cardinals have been either very good (195-20 edge in their four wins) or very bad (95-13 deficit in two losses). They haven’t had a winning season since 2007, and in the past five seasons — because of the pandemic, AAA teams didn’t play in 2020 or spring of 2021 — Lowell has gone 8-37.
Chan credits longtime assistant Al Gamboa for part of the turnaround, but largely “the commitment from our senior group,” Chan said. “They saw how last year’s seniors lost their senior year to COVID. They met on their own in the spring. … After coming out of a powerless situation, they are now empowered by knowing their work by themselves has contributed to their success.”
Chan and the Cardinals lead a short list of top comeback or surprising teams:
⏩ Monte Vista-Danville, under first-year coach and former NFL running back C.J. Anderson, is 5-0 and ranked ninth after going 0-6 in the spring.
⏩ Eighth-ranked Bellarmine (5-1) was a combined 11-26 the previous four seasons and not competitive in the rugged West Catholic Athletic League, but has turned it around under Bellarmine alum Jalal Beachman.
⏩ No. 15 Windsor (6-0), a combined 17-20 the previous four years, was expected to improve under former Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa coach Paul Cronin, but having outscored its opponents 279-67 is remarkable.
⏩ St. Vincent-Petaluma (6-0) figured to rise when former Casa Grande-Petaluma coach Trent Herzog took the job in 2018, but went 6-23 the previous three seasons. This season, running back Kai Hall (709 yards rushing, eight TDs) has helped turn the Mustangs into one of the top smallschool programs in Northern California. In 21 career games, Hall has topped 2,800 yards and scored 32 touchdowns.
⏩ After a winless spring, Keith Minor has EncinalAlameda (5-1) back to its usual standard behind senior quarterback Garrett Deatherage (1,287 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, 2 interceptions).
⏩ Tennyson-Hayward (6-0) certainly had high hopes after a 4-0 spring. With John Pangelina replacing Terry Smith, a 33-29 upset over then-ranked James LoganUnion City to start the year set the tone. The Lancers haven’t let up, winning their past three games by a combined 143-20.
⏩ Shaking off an 0-6 spring, Jeff Scheller has San Mateo (6-0) rolling in the PAL Lake Division. A stout defense has allowed just 35 points, and the ball-control offense features four ball carriers with more than 200 yards led by Tevita Kioa (490 yards, three TDs) and quarterback Giancarlo Selvitella (11 rushing touchdowns).
Recruiting news: Serra running back Hassan Mahasin, who tore his ACL on Oct. 2, announced Friday on Twitter he has committed to San Diego State. The state’s No. 29 senior recruit according to 247Sports — who had accounted for almost 500 total yards and 10 touchdowns in four games — picked the Aztecs over nine other reported offers, including from Arizona State, Boise State and Colorado. … De La Salle-Concord’s Zeke Berry announced last week he has decommitted from Arizona. The 6-foot, 185-pounder, the state’s No. 11 senior recruit, has 18 offers, according to 247Sports, including Cal, UCLA, Oregon, Michigan and Tennessee.