Coast Conference football play begins Saturday at 1 p.m., when two potential champions, De Anza College and Gavilan, compete on the Dons' field.
Directed by former Gavilan coach Dan Atencio, De Anza carries a 3-2 mark into the showdown. Coach John Lango's Rams are 2-3, with each loss coming within seven points or less.
Lango has had considerable success against the Dons, fashioning a 6-2 mark. A five-game winning streak was snapped last season with a 28-25 Dons victory at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex in Gilroy.
"This is going to be a big one," Lango said. "Monterey may be the top-rated team among the six in the conference, but there's good overall balance. De Anza's right up there with Monterey. The championship is up for grabs."
Atencio agrees that the conference appears to have enough good teams to have the title determined on the final weekend of play.
"That's what I like about the Coast Conference - it's so balanced," he said. "Everyone can throw the records out the window now and start over. I was able to watch Gavilan play Sacramento City last weekend and the Rams should have won that one. They play hard right to the very end."
Atencio will use converted free safety Isaac Dawid (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) at quarterback. The Dons have lost two quarterbacks to injuries and Dawid, a signal-caller in high school, was placed into the leadership role two weeks ago.
While Lango suggested that the Dons have almost as big a front line as Sacramento City showed last week, De Anza use scatback Lawrence Taylor (5-7, 170) out of Overfelt High to handle the bulk of the running chores. He is currently averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
Wideout Kevin Gonzalez (5-8, 160), formerly of Bellarmine Prep, leads De Anza with 18 catches for 316 yards and five touchdowns. Gavilan counters with its own playmaker on the outside in Doug Stewart. The receiver leads the Rams with 26 grabs for 297 yards and three scores.
Both coaches labeled strong safety AJ Alvarez (5-11, 195) of Valley Christian De Anza's top defensive player, which could limit Stewart's production if the Dons consistently give double coverage over the top.
The Rams might not have the services of starting cornerback Arthur Pittman. The Portland, Ore., product was injured against Contra Costa and sat out the Sac City loss last week.
Bob Burch Bob Burch covers sports for South Valley Newspapers.
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San Benito Score: Rodeo and youth baseball
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