Will C. Wood High School football

Little suspense in MEL football

Welcome to the annual race for second place, otherwise known as football in the Monticello Empire League. Let’s cut to the chase and concede the 2023 championship to Vacaville High without making the Bulldogs play five games.

Vacaville has won six consecutive MEL titles, so the only suspense each season is which team will take second. And even that has not been exciting with Vanden finishing as the runner-up in each of the past five seasons.

**Tanner Donaldson contributed to** **the Bulldogs’ success as a player and now hopes to do as an assistant coach.**

Will C. Wood was second in 2017, the first season after Napa and Vintage left the league. Vanden and Fairfield joined the MEL when the Superior California Athletic Conference folded.

Vanden is the only MEL team to come within 20 points of Vacaville in three of the past four years. The Vikings lost 35-17 to the Bulldogs two years ago, their last loss on their way to the state 3-AA championship.

If Vanden lost twice to Vacaville with Tre Dimes at quarterback, what chance do the Vikings stand without him?

Will C. Wood lost 34-31 to Vacaville in 2018, three years after the Wildcats humbled the Bulldogs in a 49-26 victory. The Bulldogs’ last MEL loss was 28-21 to Napa in 2016. Vacaville has won 27 consecutive MEL games since then.

Vacaville’s average margin of victory during that winning streak is 33.6 points. That includes a 40-10 victory against Napa in 2017, a parting gift for the only team that could give Vacaville a run for the money.

The 2023 MEL season kicks off Friday night with Vacaville welcoming Rodriguez to Tom Zunino Stadium, Fairfield traveling to Wood and Vanden visiting Armijo. The closest the Mustangs have come against the Bulldogs was a 49-42 loss in 2008.

Rodriguez has come within 30 points of Vacaville twice in 14 meetings since then. The Bulldogs’ average margin of victory against the Mustangs is 40 points, including three games decided by 50 or more .

Armijo is the only unbeaten team at 5-0, but three of the Royals’ victories have come against teams with a combined record of 1-14. Fairfield’s five opponents are a combined 7-16. The Falcons did manage to beat Davis 27-26, but let’s not forget the Blue Devils were routed 43-0 by the Bulldogs in the first week.

Two of Wood’s three victories have come against 0-6 Sacramento and 0-5 Dixon by a total of 14 points. Armijo routed Dixon 42-7 two weeks after the Rams gave the Wildcats all they could handle in a 19-8 loss.

Vacaville can afford to look ahead to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs because no MEL team will pose a threat to the Bulldogs’ reign. The playoffs have not been kind to the Bulldogs, who are 6-9 in the postseason since winning the section Division II title in 2011. They have reached the semifinals once in 10 years since then.

Two section championships in a span of six years (Vacaville won its first in 2006) raised the bar for the Bulldogs. MEL titles are nice, but they lose their luster when they become as certain as death and taxes.

Football forecast for Week 2

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Clay Ford is straightforward when he speaks and carries the football. That was evident last Friday when the Will C. Wood High School senior had 22 carries for 92 yards in his first varsity start at running back as the Wildcats pulled out a 19-8 victory over Dixon.

His running style will never be described as flashy. Ford takes a handoff from quarterback Kimani Dokes and runs to the designated hole. If the hole is plugged, Ford lowers his shoulders and plows ahead for whatever he can get.

**Colby Ford rushed for 92 yards on 22 carries in Wood’s 19-8 victory over Dixon last Friday.**

Ford’s longest run against the Rams was 11 yards. Eight of his carries were for 3 or fewer yards. What matters to offensive coordinator Nick Voight was Ford did not lose a single yard on any carry. Ford also did not have one carry in which he was stopped for no gain.

His remarks after the game were just as straightforward when asked how Wood took control of the game. Dixon scored its only touchdown with 6:08 to go in the first quarter. Wood’s Josiah Chavez returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards, but two penalties wiped out the touchdown. Wood did not flinch and drove 90 yards in 12 yards to score.

A fake PAT failed, leaving the Wildcats with an 8-6 deficit, but Ford was not concerned. “After that,” he said, “we knew we could handle them.”

Ford will get more opportunities to run tonight when Wood hosts Sacramento. The Dragons, who will join the Monticello Empire League in 2024, blew a 27-0 lead last Friday at Rodriguez in a 43-33 loss. Sacramento has a talented back in Lamar Radcliffe, who has committed to Utah, but he gained just 55 yards on 10 carries against the Mustangs.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Radcliffe ran for 2,109 yards and 23 touchdowns as a sophomore, but he missed last season after tearing two knee ligaments.

Vacaville, Vacaville Christian and Vanden also have home games tonight. Dixon will travel to Winters. Here is a look at each of those contests.

Vacaville vs. Sheldon: The Huskies belong to the Elk Grove Unified School District even though the school has a Sacramento address. That explains why the Huskies had two passing attempts last Friday in a 26-7 victory over Capital Christian.

There must be an ordinance in Elk Grove that prohibits throwing the ball more than five times a game. Elk Grove had a total of five passing attempts in playoff victories over Vacaville in 2019 and 2021. Then again, the Thundering Herd could afford to pass on passing by running for a total of 951 yards and 13 touchdowns in those two games.

Vacaville Christian vs. Delta: The Saints are hardly what they were in the 1970s. Delta dominated the old Superior California Athletic League in those days with three future NFL players: quarterback Tony Eason, safety Bo Eason and offensive lineman Dan McQuaid. Delta routed San Juan 50-0 last week, while Vacaville Christian lost 52-0 at Redding Christian.

Vanden vs. Campolindo: The Cougars, who did not play last week, are rebuilding after losing their quarterback, top four rushers and top receiver to graduation. Campolindo has two solid receivers in seniors Steve Lyon and Tim Daugherty. Lyon caught 46 passes for 457 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. Daughtery added 33 receptions for 567 yards and six scores.

Dixon at Winters: The Rams squandered a scoring opportunity in the second quarter last Friday after reaching Wood’s 15-yard line. A 2-yard run was followed by Dixon being penalized for illegal procedure. Quarterback Easton Valenzuela dropped back to pass on second-and-13 at the 18, was sacked by Kevin Butters and fumbled. Jamir Collins recovered for the Wildcats.

Fatherhood before football

Features

Holding his daughter in his arms means more to Carson Strong than gripping a football with his right hand. The 2018 Will C. Wood High graduate’s football career will only last so long, even if he makes it to the NFL one day, but he will Zephyr’s father forever.

Zephyr was in her father’s arms April 30 after Strong threw his first USFL touchdown pass for the Michigan Panthers in a 28-13 loss to the New Jersey Generals. His daughter will not remember the special moment, but Strong will never forget it despite the loss.

**Carson Strong holds Zephyr on the field in Detroit on April 30.**

“It was her first game and my first touchdown,” said Strong, who had Zephyr and his girlfriend Isabella Cibulsky staying with him in Detroit at the time. “It was great to see here and I got her down on the field. There are things more important than football.”

His life will no longer be defined by his success in football. Strong has enjoyed more than his fair share, becoming the first University of Nevada player to be named Offensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference in 2020. The quarterback appreciated the award so much that he won it again in 2021.

Strong’s three seasons of directing the Wolf Pack offense were nothing short of sensational. He passed for 9,368 yards and 74 touchdowns – 4,135 of those yards and 36 of those touchdowns came in 2021. Those numbers prompted the junior to forgo his final year of eligibility at Nevada and declare for the NFL Draft. He had every reason to believe he would be picked with some folks predicting as early as the second round.

Seven rounds came and went without his name being called. That a quarterback was the 262nd and last player selected – Brock Purdy by the 49ers – only added insult to Strong’s injury. And it was likely an injury that convinced NFL teams to pass on Strong.

His right knee is the cause for concern. Strong did not play football or basketball as a senior at Wood after having surgery to repair damaged bone and cartilage in his knee. Nevada honored its commitment to Strong after being the only Division I program to offer him a scholarship, but the large brace he wore on his right knee was not for show.

Strong did not do himself any favors at the 2002 NFL Combine by deciding not to run the 40-yard dash, do any agility drills or lift weights. He feared his knee would not take that much pounding with NFL coaches and general managers evaluating his every move. It did not matter because Strong “got a poor medical grade from most every team.”

The Eagles gambled on Strong by signing him after the draft with a guarantee of $320,000. Strong threw just four passes in four preseason games, however, but at least he could say he earned $80,000 per attempt. The Cardinals signed Strong to their practice squad in December only to send him packing after a week when he failed a physical.

Playing in the XFL would have been an option if not for his guaranteed contract with the Eagles. Strong would have had to repay the Eagles for every dollar he earned in the XFL, so he would have essentially been risking his knee for nothing. The NFL kicked off its new league year on March 15, so Strong no longer has to repay the Eagles.

His USFL contract runs through 2024, but another season of playing behind San Jose State product Josh Love will not do Strong any good. He needs to play in order to prove his knee is safe and sound. Nothing is wrong with his right arm, which he showed off April 27-29 at the 2023 NFL Combine by throwing passes to prospects in assorted drills.

Strong’s volunteer work caught the eye of the Commanders, who invited him for a workout. “They liked me out of college,” Strong said of the Commanders, who sent Strong home before putting him through the paces because their “doctor didn’t pass my knee.”

Cashing his reality check has made it easier for Strong to deal with each dose of disappointment. He has had to accept that he is a second-string quarterback in the USFL with a bum knee. Strong has had to accept that no matter how far he can throw a football, the NFL may never be within his reach. He has had to come to peace with that.

“I’m just playing football at this point. I’m not worried about getting picked up (by an NFL team),” the 23-year-old Strong said candidly. “I’m not guaranteed to pass a physical. They know there’s something going on (in the knee) for sure. I have a few limitations.”

Zephyr spells relief for her father when his knee is throbbing and he is not playing as much as he would like. That was never more evident than when Strong smiled as he held his daughter after the Panthers lost to the Generals on April 30. Strong outplayed Love, who completed 15 of 31 passes for 101 yards. Strong was 4-of-9 for 66 yards, including a 28-yard strike to wide receiver Trey Quinn for the Panthers’ only touchdown.

“It was a pretty special moment for sure,” said Strong, who aspires to be a Division I college coach once his playing days have come to an end. He is already learning how to coach a family with his girlfriend. Zephyr will always be the couple’s No. 1 draft pick.