Richardson pushes Los Alamitos past
Mayfair
September 11, 2010 12:28 AM
By ERIC STEPHENS
OCVARSITY.COM
NORWALK - One quarter was in the books
and upset-minded Mayfair had to feel good about holding Los Alamitos
star tailback Nick Richardson in check as it offered a challenge to the
Griffins. The feeling didn’t last. Richardson threw it into overdrive
in the final three quarters as he exploded for 307 yards in another four-touchdown
performance to power Los Alamitos to a 34-19 victory Friday night at
Cerritos College.
Click
HERE for complete story.
September 4, 12:15am
By CARLOS ARIAS
OCVARSITY.COM
LONG BEACH - It is hard to prepare for something you have never seen
and won’t see for the rest of the season, but that was the task
Los Alamitos’ football team had going against Norwalk in the season
opener Friday night at Veterans Stadium. Norwalk runs the same kind of
run-oriented double-wing offense Tustin is known for, and the Lancers
run it well. Norwalk has been to the CIF-SS Southern Division semifinals
the past two seasons and the Lancers came in ranked No..2 in the Southeast
Division. The Griffins’ defense bent but never broke, shutting
out the Lancers for a resounding 34-0 victory.
For the complete article, CLICK HERE.
Neuheisel Continues To Beef Up UCLA:
Bruins Pick Up Another Talented Lineman
Posted July 6, 2010 at: http://www.bruinsnation.com/2010/7/6/1554489/neuheisel-continues-to-beef-upLos Alamitos offensive lineman Ben Wysocki (6-5, 290) has committed to UCLA, his father, David, said in an e-mail.
Wysocki is a great get for the Bruins. The Los Al coaches have raved about Wysocki, who also received an offer from Stanford.
Bruins just picked up their 5th commitment of this recruiting season. OL Ben Wysocki from Los Alamitos committed to Coach Rick Neuheisel last night via email.
Wysocki might not be a 4-5 star recruit at this snap shot of time but his commitment is significant for number of reasons that should have everyone excited about the state of UCLA's (methodical) recruitment under CRN.
First, Wysocki now becomes the 3rd OL commit of this recruiting class. It sends a clear signal in terms of where CRN's priority is during this recruiting season. Perhaps the most serious question mark around Neuheisel from his UDub and Colorado days was that he was always too enamored with skill players and didn't pay requisite attention to the big guys in trenches. I think at this point given the way he has been recruiting CRN has answered that question pretty effectively.
Second, note Wysocki attended UCLA camps. I believe he was seen at least twice by Coach Bob Palcic in person. At this stage of the game a coach's (especially someone in the caliber of Bob Palcic) evaluation for linemen (who often are hardest to project from high school to college) is lot more important than the star ratings from recruiting services. Note it was not just Palcic and Neuheisel. Wysocki also had offers from the staff of Jim Harbaugh and Mike Riley, two of the better coaches out in the West Coast.
Third, hauling in three OL recruits at this stage of the game is pretty significant given this year was already supposed to be a weak year in California for OL recruits. With three guys in fold, CRN and his staff will probably try to round out the class with 2 or 3 more OLs. Not to mention assembling all these big bodies will also get the attention of QB recruits CRN is targeting this season.
Fourth, Wysocki becomes the second recruit out of Los Alamitos in as many years. Of course last year it was Shaquille Richardson, who now has a long way to go to make his way back into UCLA. But given Richardsons' UCLA connections, perhaps there is some modicum of hope that they will be motivated to do what it takes off the field to prove themselves as worthy Bruins. Anyway, that is for another day. For the purpose of this development, it is interesting to see UCLA opening up a pipeline to a solid program from the OC.
So, enjoy this ride a bit. It is especially fun because it is a little predictable. During most of June we were hearing snickers about how UCLA wasn't getting any recruits. Now that the commitments are popping, we are going to hear comments about how these guys are not top-25 recruits. Yet if you look beyond the surface news, you will see the strategy which UCLA is pursuing recruiting under Neuheisel.
I don't think we have had this kind of strategic staff when it comes to recruiting at UCLA in decades. I am sure there will be bumps in the road as part of recruiting roller coaster but on balance, we are going to be just fine under CRN. It is fun stuff and we (especially for recruiting junkies) should soak it in a bit. Oh and welcome to Westwood Ben.
