This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

DFAL Football Notebook: Lamorinda Schools Stay Perfect, Far West Showcase Entertains in Dublin

A weekly look at football action from around the Diablo Foothill Athletic League.

Jim Mannion, Neighbor

Posted Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 9:28 pm PT|Updated Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 9:34 pm PT

'Jamboree' Re-cap: Dublin hosted the first annual Far West Showcase on Saturday, which gave fans four consecutive games throughout the day, with eight teams from around Northern California participating in the event. Three Diablo Foothill Athletic League teams played their second games of the season at the eventand two came away with victories. In the day's opener, Acalanes knocked off Hayward with another stellar defensive effort. Miramonte faced a scrappy Fortuna squad in the third game, but came away with a 35-21 victory with quarterback Ross Anderson accounting for four touchdowns (three rushing and a one passing to wide receiver Anthony Piganelli). In the most electric action of the day, host Dublin lost a competitive 44-36 game to Galt and their standout, running back Haran Piggee.

Worth the wait: Even though the night-cap of the event started after 9 p.m., the finale pitting Dublin and Galt displayed the 'high school football vibe' at its finest. The team bands dueled from opposing bleachers, constant drumbeats filled the air, a lively crowd cheered their teams on and players were flying around the field with intensity. It's why there are books, movies, and tv shows based on 'Friday Night Lights' and high school football — could have been any town, any team, anywhere across the country — Good times!

Blazing Start for Lamorinda Schools: Even with the past football success between the three schools, it has been more than ten years since Acalanes, Campolindo and Miramonte all started the season undefeated after two weeks. Their upcoming opponents: Acalanes draws the toughest match-up of the three, in undefeated San Marin (2-0); Campolindo hosts El Cerrito (0-2), who had high hopes for the year, but has struggled out of the gates; Miramonte travels to Fremont to take on winless Mission-San Jose (0-2).

Find out what's happening in Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

They Said It: "Our kids are playing with some intensity that we didn't have last year." — Campolindo head coach Kevin Macy, after the Cougars victory over Mt. Eden.

Keep an eye on: Dublin running back Ondre Rudolph. The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder is only a sophomore, but runs aggressively, and shows great vision between the tackles. He picked up 126 yards and a touchdown in his team's loss 44-36 loss to Galt. Add Rudolph to the list of impressive running backs in the DFAL.

Find out what's happening in Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Iron-Man Award: Miramonte RB/LB John Coupin. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior ran the ball well on offense (112 rushing yards and a touchdown) and made an athletic play on an interception that secured the win. Coupin is a physical presence and makes an impact on both sides of the ball — two great attributes for one of your team captains.

Like a snowflake: Check out my video link of Miramonte quarterback Ross Anderson's one-yard touchdown run against Fortuna for something I'm claiming has never happened in the history of organized football. As Anderson crosses the goal-line, his cleat gets knocked off his foot, at the same time the defender's helmet flies off, and the cleat gets STUCK in the helmet. Check it out, and I'll bet you play it a few times over.

Thoughts from the Sports Editor: Patch.com's Regional Sports Editor for the East Bay, Kyle Bonagura, was on hand for two of the games at Dublin on Saturday, and came away impressed with Acalanes running back Joe Dreyer. The junior picked up 151 rushing yards on 20 carries in his team's win over Hayward, and his running style suits the team's offense well. "He runs like a power back even though he is around 160 pounds," Bonagura said.

Top Billing for this Friday: Northgate travels to Dougherty Valley on Friday night, which should be a competitive, hard-fought game. Both teams are undefeated, and pack an offensive punch: Northgate is led by the duo of Cameron Stover and Matt Butler, while Dougherty Valley boasts wishbone trio of Michael Spivey, Lucas Raventos, and Edsel Snoddy.

Alumni Watch: Former Alhambra-standout Brandon Rutley started the season as San Jose State's top running back, and has picked up 88 rushing yards on 25 carries over the first two games of the season — both losses to ranked opponents, Alabama and Wisconsin.

Parting Shot: Props to the Dublin High staff at the Far West Showcase: coordinating four games, eight teams, and hundreds of fans is not easy, and although the final game started late at 9:05pm, it was a great environment, and event that can stick. The snack bar was running on all cylinders through out the evening, and the Tri-tip sandwich meal deal hit the spot around 5 p.m.

Parting Shot II: Feel free to email me at mannion.jim@gmail.com with anyone playing at the college or junior college level that we should be following, or if you have pictures from games that can be included on the site.

Kyle Bonagura and Kyle Yamamoto contributed to this report.

—————————

Complete Patch East Bay Football Coverage from last week

Friday Sept. 10

San Ramon Valley 16, Mitt-San Jose 13. By Kyle Bonagura

Campolindo 35, Mt. Eden 14. By Kyle Yamamoto

Encinal 59, El Cerrito 20. By Jordan Conn

Marin Catholic 20, Las Lomas 8. By Richard Paolinelli

Serra-San Mateo 28, Monte Vista 21. By Jim Mannion

Dougherty Valley 31, Kennedy-Fremont 13. By Bill Soliday

Foothill 37, Novato 12. By Steve R. Waterhouse

Cal 45, College Park 3. By Adam Berke