Football: Campolindo Seeks Stability Against El Cerrito

Campolindo High football coach Kevin Macy is concerned with matching up against El Cerrito's speed. El Cerrito coach Kenny Kahn expects Campolindo to play smart and disciplined football, fighting to the very end.

Yes, heading into Friday night's game in Moraga, both coaches are worried about the other team. 

But they're even more concerned with their own.

For Campolindo, preseason injuries have left the Cougars thin at wideout and in the secondary, as the team has patched together speed-position players on a week-to-week basis. 

"We've just been trying to find a way to buy a week at a time," said Macy, whose team is 2-0 with wins overAlbany and Mt. Eden. "We're getting our playbook and personnel figured out, but we're still way behind in certain areas. The past couple weeks have been good because we've found ways to win, but we're not advancing ourselves the way we need to."

El Cerrito's situation looks even more dire, as the Gauchos (0-2) have allowed more than 300 rushing yards per game in losses to Encinal and Kennedy. Kahn turned practice focus back to fundamentals this week, emphasizing tackling and blocking and execution more than strategy.

"We're just trying to get some guys some confidence that they can take out on the field," Kahn said. "You have guys who want to be leaders, and they play really well in practice, but then they don't show up in games. We're trying to get them to bring that intensity into the games."

El Cerrito beat the Cougars 30-28 last year, but Campolindo has won two of the last three meetings.

"Last year we just had no answer for their speed," said Macy. "I'm sure they're looking forward to seeing how their speed compares to ours."

While the Gauchos may have a speed advantage, Kahn believes the Cougars can compensate for any athletic shortcomings.

"Campolindo is always one of our toughest games because of their discipline and because of the way they always play for a full four quarters," Kahn said. "They won't sit back and figure out what we're going to do. They're going to work to execute their assignments."

Campolindo will also be working players who have missed time due to injury. After sitting out the opener, senior wideout Andrew Ahr saw limited action last week, but Macy said he expects Andrew to play a larger role against El Cerrito. Junior receiver/safety James Marvel may also return from injury depending on how he feels before the game.

One certainty both teams share is that they will get consistent play from the quarterback position. Campolindo has rotated senior Nick Zolintakis and Brett Stephens, and both have performed well thus far. El Cerrito's Byron Thomas has been one of the team's lone bright spots in the opening weeks.

But both teams hope to learn more about the rest of their team Friday night.

"It could go either way," Kahn said. "The familiarity is there. The natural rivalry is there. Once you get into a groove, anything can happen."

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