East Side, Strong Side

No need for debate, the Bay Valley Athletic League is among East Bay’s toughest slates

  By CHACE BRYSON | Editor

  At some point during his dominant breakout season as a sophomore a season ago, someone inevitably complimented Antioch High running back Najee Harris on his ability to accomplish such feats in one of the East Bay’s strongest leagues.

  At that point, Harris — who was eventually named the Bay Valley Athletic League MVP after his 2,263-yard season and 180 points scored — gained an entirely new perspective on the BVAL.

  “I like competing,” he said. “I didn’t know this was one of the hardest leagues until late last year. I was just thinking, ‘This is fun!’”

  For the past several years, BVAL coaches and players have stewed in the belief they are constantly placed behind the East Bay Athletic League in terms of league strength. They’ve seen it in the press, and they’ve seen it manifest in postseason selections and seeding.

  That chip on the shoulder has helped define the gritty, blue-collar style of play in the BVAL. And it’s led to a very well-rounded, competitive league. Pittsburg coach Victor Galli and Freedom-Oakley coach Kevin Hartwig — the two longest tenured coaches in the league — have maintained for several seasons that their league is just as competitiv
e as the EBAL from top to bottom.

  They may have been right then. They certainly are now.

  In 2014, five of the league’s six teams reached the playoffs. All six teams — Antioch, Deer Valley-Antioch, Freedom, Heritage-Brentwood, Liberty-Brentwood and Pittsburg — produced a combined record of 42-28 last season (including playoffs). Over the past two season’s the league’s overall record was 76-63. That’s a winning percentage of .546. The EBAL’s winning percentage over that span was .504 (82-79 for a seven-team league).

  “There are no gimmes anymore,” Hartwig said. “The quality of our teams is pretty superb. I’d match ours with any league possible. I don’t think there will be an undefeated league champ because we all have the potential to knock each other off.”

  Pittsburg was an undefeated league champ a year ago — but it had to survive a 17-14 win over fourth-place Antioch in the regular season finale to be so. The Pirates defeated a pair of EBAL teams in the postseason before finishing as North Coast Section Div. I runners-up to De La Salle-Concord.

  Due to that success, and a talented group of returning players on defense, Pittsburg will enter the season as a slight favorite to repeat as champions. Jordan Parker, a four-star defensive back who had five interceptions on his way to earning multiple postseason honors, will anchor a very athletic defense. But the Pirates offense is getting a major overhaul as it switches to a no-huddle spread.

  “I’ve seen enough people with less talent score lots of points (with this offense),” Galli said. “And I’d like to score lots of points.”

  Freedom will be right on the Pirates heels thanks to returning experience on both sides of the football. The Falcons shouldn’t have problems scoring points as they return a third-year quarterback in Joey Sweeney, along with electric junior running back Ronnie Rivers and a host of pass-catchers led by senior tight end Giovanni Fauolo.

  “I think we have an opportunity to be more balanced,” Hartwig said. “We can run the ball well and we have some weapons to throw the ball to. That will be a good thing for us.”

  Harris returns to Antioch and immediately makes the Panthers contenders again, though it’s not a one-man show. Look for an experienced defense led by linebacker Kobie Beltram to share some spotlight with Harris and the offense. Liberty has momentum after its most successful season in decades and a new coach at Deer Valley will spice things up as well.

  In the meantime, it’s worth noting that four of the six programs will face off against an EBAL opponent within the first two weeks of the season.

  “It’s going to be fun,” Hartwig said.