28 touchdowns as a senior at King’s in 2010. He accepted a scholarship to USC and played eight games as a freshman for the Trojans before transferring to Notre Dame.
Last year he carried 47 times for 204 yards, including a 45-yard run against Temple.
Locals are Spartans
San Jose State University does not always use a fullback in its offensive sets, but when it does, former Los Gatos High standout Shane Smith usually is the man the Spartans call upon.
Smith, who earned all-state recognition as a high school linebacker, redshirted his first season at SJSU (2012) before moving over to the offensive side of the ball last fall. As a redshirt freshman, the 6-foot-2, 237-pounder played in all 12 games. Used primarily as a blocking back, Smith ran the ball just four times. He did catch five passes for 49 yards, including a short touchdown reception against Wyoming.
Going into the season opener against North Dakota on Aug. 28, Smith was listed as the No. 1 fullback on the depth chart by head coach Ron Caragher, a former quarterback and a 1985 graduate of Bellarmine College Prep (Caragher is also a member of the Bellarmine Prep Athletic Hall of Fame).
Among the runners Smith could lead through the line this season are sophomores Jarrod Lawson (Valley Christian) and Tim Crawley (Bellarmine).
Lawson, a 5-foot-8, 193-pounder, was the team’s top ground gainer (788 yards) in 2013. He racked up more than 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards and scored five touchdowns. Crawley, who figures to spend more time as a slot receiver than a running back this year, had more than 400 combined yards and scored three TD’s as a freshman.
Along the offensive line, the starting right guard will be Nate Velichko, a 6-foot-7, 289-pound redshirt freshman from The King’s Academy. The Spartans lost some depth when redshirt freshman Nico Aimonetti (Los Gatos) underwent shoulder surgery. Aimonetti, practicing as a lineman and a tight end, was determined out for the season.
San Jose’s two-deep chart for the season opener included sophomore linebacker Brad Kuh (Bellarmine).
Others who played locally prior to going to SJSU include seniors Sam Tomlitz (TE, Mitty) and Adrian Blake (DT, San Jose City), juniors Victor Vernon (DT, De Anza), Epie Sona (LB, Bellarmine, De Anza) and Mark Amann (LB, Willow Glen, De Anza), sophomores Mitch Ravizza (QB, Willow Glen), Nick Oreglia (DT, Willow Glen), Lemaki Musika (DE, Milpitas), Alex Manigo (LB, Bellarmine), Dominic Barnes (CB, Pioneer) and freshmen Charles Nelson (C, Valley Christian), Drew Mount (S, Mitty), Delshawn Mitchell (RB, Wilcox) and David Maumalanga (OL, Valley Christian).
Bell at Stanford
Kyle Olugbode, who starred on both sides of the ball for Bellarmine, could break into Stanford’s starting defensive backfield during his senior season.
Heading into the team’s season opener against UC-Davis on Aug. 30, Olugbode was listed as the No. 1 free safety. As a junior, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder played in all 14 games and was credited with 13 tackles, including four in the Big Game against UC-Berkeley.
Cal has some local players on its squad, including quarterback Kyle Boehm, a junior from Mitty; a pair of redshirt freshmen, receiver Kenny Portera (Leland) and linebacker Joe Castignani (Bellarmine); and true freshman lineman Zach Artman of Valley Christian.
Marshall with Ducks
Former Valley Christian star Byron Marshall, who gained more than 1,000 yards running the ball for the University of Oregon last fall, once again will be the primary rusher for the Ducks. Marshall, a 5-10, 205-pound powerhouse, ran for 1,038 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore, following a solid freshman year (441 yards, 4 TD’s).
Fields at UCLA
Daniel Fields of Los Gatos, who played linebacker for Bellarmine’s 2011 state champions, is competing for game time as a wide receiver at UCLA. Fields is a redshirt freshman.
Evans joins Colorado
Former Mitty running back Kyle Evans is trying to break into the backfield rotation as a freshman at the University of Colorado.
Evans arrived in Boulder for summer practice, joining a growing number of area athletes who have been recruited by former San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre.
Other locals playing at Colorado include defensive back Chidobe Awuzie (Oak Grove) and linebackers Ken Olugbode (Bellarmine) and Ryan Severson (Valley Christian). Awuzie and Olugbode played in all 12 games for the defense last year as true freshmen.
Barna at Cal Poly
Andrew Barna, a Saratoga resident and record-setting quarterback at Mitty in 2011, is one of four quarterbacks on the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo roster.
Barna, who redshirted the 2012 season at Humboldt State and played in four games for De Anza last fall, transferred to SLO in time to take part in Spring drills in April.
Former Bellarmine standout Joseph Gigantino is in his third season with the Mustangs. As a redshirt freshman in 2013, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Gigantino got into four games as an inside linebacker.
Doles at Brown
Former Saratoga star Troy Doles is a junior wide receiver at Brown University after leading the Ivy League in kick return average at 27.2 yards per game. His 60-yard kickoff return against Dartmouth was the league’s second longest in the 2013 season.
Doles was a two-time all-leaguer at Saratoga High and was twice named to the all-CCS second team.
Mike Barnhart contributed to this story.
