Health is crucial for Menlo Health is crucial for Menlo (September 09, 2005)

Move to Ocean Division should help Knights this year

by Tim Goode

Menlo is short on size and speed but should to make up for that with execution of a unique offensive scheme and placement in a new league.

Playing in the rugged Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division for the first time ever, Menlo last season missed the playoffs by a single game although it was 2-5 in league (5-5 overall). This season the Knights move down to the Ocean Division of the PAL, a league that better suits a team of Menlo's numbers (less than 30 players) and physical size.

"We play a lot of guys, both ways," said second-year coach Mark Newton. "But, we're trying to do it as little as we can this year. It depends on how many guys we can keep healthy."

Competitively, the Knights expect to greatly improve upon last year's record. The senior class competed in the Ocean Division as sophomores and went undefeated on the way to the frosh-soph league title. Newton, who coached that unbeaten team, is hoping the familiar surroundings help carry the Knights.

The Knights figure to compete with league-favorite Half Moon Bay for the Ocean's lone playoff spot but the league is wide open. El Camino and Capuchino have strong teams while Hillsdale features the league's top quarterback and Sequoia has doubled the size of its roster with transfers and new players.

Menlo's strengths will be its unique run-and-shoot offense and its defense, where it has most of its experience coming back. Seniors Todd Yecies (5-8, 191), Phil Leichtle (5-10, 208) and Jon Kirst (5-8, 179) make up a strong, aggressive and smart linebacking corps.

The defensive backfield of senior twins Matt (6-3, 178) and Colin (6-1, 178) Burke, junior Anthony Bouvier (5-11, 172) and sophomore Chase Richard (6-0, 170) is largely untested as is the line with seniors Zac Carson (6-3, 335), Andrew Newman-Dilfer (6-3, 211), Harrison Chow (5-10, 188), junior Brian Flaherty (6-0, 190) and sophomore defensive end Matt Corley (6-2, 185).

Newman-Dilfer, the nephew of NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, actually started out as a quarterback before turning his attention to protecting them.

The offensive backfield is new with senior Andy Gregg (5-10, 170) taking over quarterback for departing all-league signal-caller Jeff Langskov. Gregg threw for 249 yards on 22 of 36 completions during a 20-14 nonleague loss to San Mateo last Saturday in his first varsity start, a good omen for Menlo's fortune.

San Mateo has a lot of seniors who played on the Bearcats' CCS Division III championship team two years ago and figure to contend for the PAL Bay Division title this season. That Menlo came within a touchdown of beating San Mateo is a very good thing at this point in the season.

The Knights had a chance to win the game when San Mateo fumbled on the Menlo 6-yard line with 31 seconds to play. Menlo simply ran out of time before threatening with the winning score.

Receiving Gregg's passes will be the Burke twins, junior Ricky Hawkins (6-3, 170), and Bouvier. Matt Burke caught eight passes for 60 yards and Hawkins had four receptions for 79 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown reception.

Running backs Kirst and junior Leon Ivery (6-0, 189), will carry the ball. The Knights' running game, however, accounted for only 39 yards against San Mateo. That group will have to improve in that area beginning tonight against Sacred Heart Prep in a 7 p.m. nonleague test at Woodside High.

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