Football preview: Talent not lacking at Claremont
Each year there is a team loaded with college prospects. As has been demonstrated in the past, it doesn't mean that team will succeed, but a truck load of talent is a pretty decent starting point.
This year that team is Claremont. With no less than six Division I prospects, Claremont has more star power than any team in the Inland Valley. Defensive tackle Brandon Tuliaupupu already has 12 scholarship offers. Quarterback Daniel Kessler is the best at his position in the area. There are Division I prospects at running back and receiver... the list goes on.
The Wolfpack is coming off a rough stretch - it claimed two wins combined in 2007 and 2008 - but after a 5-5 season I think Claremont is well on its way back. It doesn't take long to turn a team around in high school football.
"If people really look at it, we played pretty well last year," Claremont head coach Mike Collins said. "It came down to the last quarter of the year with Upland to see who made the playoffs, and they went on to win CIF. But we don't think people have a reason to give us preseason respect. We need to go out and earn it."
One of those six Division I prospects just arrived last week. Running back Taj Teague, who already has a few scholarship offers, transferred from Pomona and just happens to fill the lone void the Wolfpack had on offense.
Collins was so desperate for a running back he was prepared to move star receiver Tanner Kuramata to the backfield in obvious running situations. With Teague and the 6-foot-4 Kessler (2,419 yards, 24 TDs, 7 int in 2009) operating behind an all-senior offensive line led by another D-I prospect, 6-foot-3, 255-pound tackle Shaquille Davis, there is an abundance of production to be had.
The only glaring concern for Claremont is depth. But the starting lineup reads like a college football magazine. Fortunately for the Wolfpack, its deepest unit is the secondary. The linebackers are a solid unit led by the 6-foot, 230-pound Darius Andres, that unit's college caliber player. With Tuliaupupu and Davis on the defensive line, Claremont has plenty of muscle up front. There really isn't a unit on this team that is lacking.
All that said, Claremont has to put it together - and stay healthy - in a very tough league. I firmly believe the lone team that left the Baseline League is in a better situation, but it isn't as much better as Claremont could have hoped for when it escaped the league that has established itself as the best in the Inland Valley. Charter Oak and South Hills are storied programs but they haven't been playing with the likes of Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Chino Hills and Los Osos. Claremont is being overlooked at this point for the teams with all the rings, but with all due respect, Charter Oak and South Hills won their titles in lower divisions.
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About Clay
Clay Fowler has been covering high school sports for six years in California and Texas. He was born in Dallas, attended the University of Texas and worked in Central Texas before joining the Daily Bulletin staff in 2006.
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I'll be glad when claremont finally earns all this great press you give them they got shut out by damien last year when they had alot of hype also charter oak BEAT!!! Etiwanda from baseline twice in route to those rings.I guess winning and rings dosn't make you a good team anymore just well like players with money and powerful parents,what has high school football become?
I'm not saying Charter Oak doesn't deserve immense respect for the program it has developed, but winning a CIF championship in the Southeast Division clearly isn't as difficult as winning one in the Central. Playing teams like Etiwanda and Rancho Cucamonga a couple times a year is quite different than facing teams like that week after week in league play - then facing them again in the playoffs.
I think Claremont is going to Surprise some people this year. They have a solid QB, some good receivers and got a transfer RB who was all league @ Pomona last year. Their linemen looked solid at the Los Osos linemen comp. I predict they will take 2nd or 3rd in the Sierra league this year. I have Chino Hills winning the league and Claremont, Charter Oak & South Hills battling for the #2 & 3 spots.
I agree with Clay. Props to Charter oak for winning back to back CIF titles, but the competition is much tougher in the sierra league compared to what they are used to. There are no Bonita, Los Altos or Wilson to beat up on in the Sierra league. Their Division was WEAK. They barely beat Muir (who was 4-7) 20-19, West co. who was 7-5, and D-ranch (7-7) in the finals........ There will be no weak teams in the playoffs this year in their new division.