July 13, 2006

SPORTS

The camp counselor

Almaden’s Mike Carrozzo has seen his Competitive Edge Football
Camps grow from an idea based on needs, to a full-blown business

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

What started out as a novel idea five years ago has become a full-time business for Almaden resident Mike Carrozzo.

Competitive Edge Football Camp founder Mike Carrozzo relays instructions with his bullhorn during a camp on July 10 at Piedmont Hills High. Carrozzo started the camp five years ago while serving as head coach of Prospect’s football team. Photos by Jeff Frazee

As head coach of the Prospect football team in 2001, Carrozzo cringed at the high prices some football summer camps charged to players and coaches. In addition, Carrozzo also had reservations about how some of the local football players were taught at those camps.

So, Carrozzo used his connections in the local football coaching fraternity to ask his fellow coaches what they wanted to see out of a camp, aside from more agreeable prices, and promptly decided to start Competitive Edge Football Camp.

“Most of the college camps out here charged anywhere from $350-550 per kid, and there was no way in the world we could afford that,” said Carrozzo, a Long Island native who has lived in Almaden for the past 10 years. “We tried some of the other camps and there were certain things that we didn’t like about them, or certain things we would’ve done different. So I just asked a lot of coaches what they thought was the best camp for their kids and this is the result of that.”

The camp has grown over the years as well. After starting out with just a couple of camps featuring four teams, Competitive Edge now routinely holds five to six camps per year, with anywhere from six to 12 teams participating in each camp, which lasts three days.

Carrozzo now holds his camps as far north as Sacramento, but also has a large concentration of his camps in the South Bay. He’s also currently in talks with CSU Monterey Bay to hold another camp there for local high schools next year.

And while business has boomed for Carrozzo, one thing hasn’t changed—the price. Each player pays between $135-145 for the camp, depending on the number of players each team brings. Carrozzo also medically insures each player with a $25,000 supplemental medical insurance policy.

“It has grown immensely,” said Carrozzo, who has also previously coached at Branham High and Menlo College. “I kind of made a vow to myself never to raise the price. We were $135 from day one, or $145, if you bring a certain amount of kids. We had that price five years ago and God-willing, We’ll never have to raise it a nickel.”

Each camp holds offensive and defensive-specific drills for players, and afford coaches to get their first look at players in full pads. In addition, the experience also allows players to see an actual opponent on the field, instead of playing against a teammate in practice.

“It serves a great many purposes,” said Carrozzo. “Number one, coaches get to evaluate their talent. A kid can look great without pads or a guy can look lousy without pads. But as soon as they get pads on, you really get to tell what that kid’s all about, and how hard they hit, and stuff like that.”

Additionally, local college coaches are also invited to help run drills and check out future prospects. Local high school coaches help run the camp as well. At the end of the camp, participating college coaches, some from the junior varsity level and others as high as the NCAA Division I level, hand out questionnaires to players they’re interested in for the future.

At the latest camp, held July 10-12 at Piedmont Hills High, coaches from as far as Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina attended, as well as coaches from San Jose State University, Cal Berkeley, Menlo College and junior college coaches from San Jose City College.

“It’s a great way for the kids to get exposure,” said Carrozzo, who also currently serves as an assistant coach for Santa Teresa High.

The latest camp also provided a bit of a twist for Carrozzo, because his son, Tony, took part in the camp as a player. Tony Carrozzo is a sophomore offensive lineman for Leland, but usually serves as the elder Carrozzo’s right-hand man during camps.

“He’s an essential part of what I do,” Carrozzo said of his son. “… He’ll miss this camp obviously because he’s participating in it. I haven’t seen him yet (at the camp). I saw him leave the house this morning and he’s pretty stoked about it.”

Above all else for Carrozzo, running Competitive Edge Football Camps allow him to do something he loves—be around the game of football.

“I’m a 42-year-old guy from New York, and I still manage to get younger and younger, and larger and larger every year, because you’re around kids all the time,” Carrozzo said with a laugh. “If they don’t keep you young, nothing will.”

For more information about Competitive Edge Football Camps, go to www.eteamz.com/cefb

Sports Briefs

Cheer coaches needed for South Valley Pop Warner
Cheer coaches are needed for South Valley Pop Warner. If you're interested in joining a team of outstanding coaches, call Tiana Zarate at (408) 464-3285 or Teresa Smith at (408) 603-8280, or go to http://www.stpopwarner.org/

Sports officials needed for high school sports
FERMAR Corporation, which contracts with high schools in Santa Clara County, is recruiting officials for high school athletics. Officials are needed for fall season sports such as football, volleyball and field hockey.

Men and women are encouraged to apply. No experience is necessary, as FERMAR will provide training through classes, clinics and tests. All training materials are provided.

Officials are paid $32-$61 per game, depending on the sport and level of competition. Additional opportunities to officiate youth and adult sports are also available. Interested parties are encouraged to call FERMAR at (408) 567-1700.

Central Valley Edge Class 3, U18 girls’ team seeks players
Central Valley Edge Class 3, U18 girls’ soccer team, is looking for players born after July 31, 1988 for the upcoming fall season. Contact Coach Ary Afsari at afsari@comcast.net or call (408) 507-7008 for more detailed information.

Almaden Valley’s All-Star cheer team, Cheer Divas, host cheerleading signups
The Cheer Divas program has a few spots available for the 2006-2007 season. Practices are held at Almaden Valley Gymnastics.  For more information call 408-370-DIVA or visit www.CheerDivas.com.

Almaden South 9’s comeback falls one game short

By Larry Flores
South 9 coach
Special to the Times

The Almaden South 9 All-Stars came full circle July 5, falling to the mighty Saratoga 9 All-Stars 10-3 in the District 12 tournament championship game.

The loss came on the heels of a win by the Almaden South 9 team over Almaden North on July 3.

Save for one six-run fourth inning and lots of bad hops, the game was closer than the score indicated. The team showed great character, especially after losing in game one of the tournament to come back and make it to the District 12 Championship.

Pitching his third complete game of the tournament, Daniel Del Carlo left everything on the field, striking out six and allowing only one walk.

The defense showed signs of greatness, including a huge double play in the first inning to rein in a three-run first inning Saratoga attack. Almaden South’s defense also threw out two runners at the plate and one at third to limit Saratoga’s strong hitting squad.

On offense the boys did an impressive job of getting right back into the game after Saratoga’s three-run first with three runs of their own.

Josh Flores led off the inning with a walk, Erik Sargis then followed with a single, moving Flores to second. Daniel Raley followed with a sharp grounder toward first that happened to bounce off Sargis’ foot, resulting in Sargis being called out at due to interference, while Flores moved to third and Raley stayed at first.

After Raley stole second, putting runners at second and third, the powerful Scott McCoy crushed the next pitch deep to left field. The ball traveled 200 feet for a towering double that scored both base runners. Red-hot Anthony Santamoor then followed with a solid hit, knocking in McCoy to tie the score.

However, in the top of the fourth, Saratoga was able to string together timely hitting for a six-run attack to go out in front 9-3, putting the game away in the fifth by adding another run.

Nevertheless, the Almaden South 9 All Stars have nothing to be ashamed of and everything to be proud of. They matured as a unit, growing into a well-oiled machine. To contend for the District 12 Championship is an accomplishment neither the boys nor their parents will ever forget.

Flowers is newest addition to Leland coaching ranks

Leland defensive backs coach and frosh/soph assistant coach John Flowers
brings knowledge and an NFL pedigree to the football program

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Leland football’s newest addition isn’t a quarterback or a defensive lineman. In fact, he doesn’t even play—anymore.

The Chargers beefed up their coaching staff with the addition of 39-year-old John Flowers, who will serve as the defensive backs coach on varsity, as well as the assistant head coach on the frosh/soph squad.

Leland defensive backs coach John Flowers returns to the school after a two-year stint as the head coach for San Jose High Academy. Photo by Jeff Frazee

For Flowers, joining the Leland coaching staff was a no-brainer. “Especially when you’ve been a head coach, or you’ve been in charge of a defense or an offense, you want to coach with people you feel you can learn things from,” said Flowers, who began his coaching career six years ago at Andrew Hill High School. “At the same time, you feel your input and opinion is going to be respected. …Plus I know these guys (the coaching staff) personally, so I like them as people.”

Flowers is no stranger to Leland either. Prior to a two-year stint as the head varsity football coach at San Jose High Academy, where he led the school to its first winning season in nine years, Flowers served for two seasons as Leland’s head frosh/soph football coach.

“I kind of feel like I’m coming home,” said Flowers of returning to Leland. “I knew all these kids from Pop Warner, all the incoming freshman, and all the seniors here, were my frosh/soph team. So I already know their parents, and I already know the environment and the neighborhood.”

Leland head coach Jason Tenner said Flowers is a welcome addition to the staff, touting his knowledge of the game and previous experience at the school.

“John is an asset to the program,” said Tenner. “San Jose (High Academy’s) loss is our gain. My goal as the head coach here is to surround my kids with as many quality people as I can, and John is just that. He’s a quality man and he’s going to do nothing but enhance our program. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Flowers also has quite an impressive pedigree, when it comes to football.

The Maryland native played for three seasons as a free safety at San Jose State University (1990-92) before joining the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad team for two seasons.

In joining the NFL fraternity, Flowers followed in the footsteps of his father, John Sr., who played five seasons as a tight end for the Washington Redskins, as well as his uncle, Darrell, who was a defensive lineman for the New England Patriots for four seasons.

In addition, Flowers’ brother, Tim, played for three seasons as a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, and cousin Lee Flowers played for seven seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a strong safety. Flowers also has two more cousins, “Little” John and Eric, who are currently playing in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons, respectively.

And while growing up with NFL players in the house brought about some unrealistic expectations at times for Flowers in high school, he also said he learned the finer points of the game at an early age from his father and uncle.

“By the time I was a sophomore in high school, I knew football,” said Flowers of the advantages in having family members in the NFL. “It was just understanding what coaches did differently from other coaches.”

Flowers said he hopes to utilize his experience and knowledge from growing up in an NFL family, as well as his own experiences in college and the NFL, in teaching the defensive backs at Leland. One of the main things Flowers has stressed from the start to his players has been proper technique.

“The shot that I got in the NFL was all because of technique,” Flowers said. “I wasn’t the biggest and I wasn’t the fastest. With a lot of these kids, I try to explain to them that if you have good technique and you really study what you’re doing, just like in class, you’re going to do okay. If you just rely on your athletic ability, it’s not going to work for you.”

And while Flowers hopes to help realize the football hopes and dreams of his young disciples, he also has a dream of his own—seeing the entire Leland coaching staff take things to the next level.

“I’d love for us to coach at a (Division) I school somewhere,” said Flowers. “That would be awesome. Ideally, it would be San Jose State, but I don’t think (SJSU head coach) Dick Tomey’s going anywhere anytime soon. But I would love for that to happen.”

Blossom Valley’s Bronco Division Yankees clinch season finale

The Blossom Valley Pony Baseball Bronco division wrapped up its season on Saturday, June 17 with an exciting game between the Yankees and the Cardinals. The Cardinals had been near or on top of the division standings all season long, until a late season surge by the Yankees put them in the #1 seed with the Cardinals falling to #2.

Both teams won their first and second round playoff games to set up the finale.

Scott Yeager of the Yankees was in top form and held the opposing hitters to only two runs, one of them unearned through four innings. The Cardinals struck first with two runs on timely hitting in the top of the fourth inning, and looked to be gaining momentum.  But the Yankees caught fire in the bottom half of the inning, and it was the bottom half of the lineup that got them started. Blake Ford and Doran Sorber got on base, and the number nine hitter, Jeno Cornejo, following with a breakout, 2-RBI triple to the right field fence.  

The hitting continued with key hits from Stevie Maes, Daniel Gutierrez and Will Chase. At the end of four innings, the Yankees led 5-2.

From there, Steven Miller took the mound for the Yankees and held the Cardinals in check, while the Yankee bats continued to heat up, scoring four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth. With great defense from Peter Lavery, Ray Zarras, and Dhiren Lad, the Yankees completed their unlikely and memorable championship season, winning by a final score of 11-3.  

It was a great combination of solid pitching, solid defense and aggressive hitting that helped the Yankees to win 10 out of their last 11 games to take home the trophies. In addition to the dynamic players, Manager Steve Yeager credits the team’s success with his dedicated coaching staff, Jim Chase and Wade Lavery, and the support of the parents.

A tiger earning his stripes

Collin McCarthy works hard and completes a successful first year at Princeton

By Margo Consul
Times Intern

Collin McCarthy did not grow up on football like many young men.

McCarthy will tell you that he’s seen “like four super bowls.” Despite that, the Pioneer alum is now playing at the Division I-AA level in the Ivy League at Princeton as a linebacker. The team finished with a 7-3 record during the 2005-06 season, good for second place in the Ivy League.

Collin first started playing football during his freshman year at Pioneer High School.

“I knew what a quarterback was and I knew what a running back was when I went in freshman year,” said McCarthy.

But he admitted to knowing nothing else. McCarthy said that his lack of football knowledge caused some laugh riots on the team at Pioneer.

“I got into big, big trouble because I didn’t know who Dick Butkus was,” McCarthy said. “My coaches made film on Dick Butkus and Ray Lewis and I had to watch. I had to learn who they all were. It was a big joke on the football team.”

Still, McCarthy made up for his lack of knowledge with his play, working his way from the bench to starting linebacker. McCarthy said he wanted to be a linebacker because “I like to hit.”

After spending his sophomore year at middle linebacker, he was moved to the outside linebacker position his junior year before returning to middle linebacker for his senior year.

“A lot of people who play in high school are naturally gifted,” he said. “I was not one of those people. I’m not super coordinated. I just worked really hard in the weight room and at practice and I think that’s what got me recruited.”

During his senior year, McCarthy talked to several schools other than Princeton about playing football. He hadn’t even considered applying outside of California originally. It took a phone call during Thanksgiving break from Princeton coaches to make McCarthy consider the school.

“I could not pass up the opportunity,” McCarthy said.

“It’s a huge jump,” between college and high school level football, said McCarthy. “Practice is more intense than a game in high school. When you go out there, everyone was that guy at their school who was number one, the best at their position and it is so intense.”

McCarthy is an engineering major at Princeton and admitted it was hard to adjust to the life of a student athlete at the college level. A typical day during school started with practice at 6:30 a.m. Then McCarthy had class, beginning at noon, before hurrying back to the locker room at 3:15 p.m. for a second practice, which generally lasted until about 7 p.m. After practice, McCarthy said he would take an ice bath, go to study hall, then do homework in his room and finally sleep.

McCarthy is the only engineering major among all the freshmen and sophomores on the team.

“I went to the first couple practices of spring ball and I was struggling in my classes really bad,” he said. “I was getting three hours of sleep and trying to do all the reading and work. So I went in and talked with the coaches and made an agreement with the coaches that I won’t be playing linebacker next season; I’d be on special teams.”

Still, not playing linebacker next season is not discouraging for McCarthy.

“I’m on the bench again, but that doesn’t really bother me because I’ve worked my way up before,” he said.

His fondest memory of his first year at Princeton was when he finally got to play during the regular season.

“We traveled up to Yale for the scrimmage,” McCarthy said. “Every year they have one. They do some one-on-one like running backs versus linebackers. Then we do some scenarios like fourth-and-one. Then they play four quarters. Then they play a fifth quarter when only the freshman play. It is in this famous stadium where everything is old and cracked and falling down, but playing with my new friends, playing with the people that I spent so much time with was so awesome.”

McCarthy finished out the year strong academically and came away with some advice for people who want to play in college. His first piece of advice is to “work out really hard and have a really good attitude because it’s not always about skill. Some people are really good athletes in high school, but in college, there are really good athletes everywhere,” he said.

Despite the hard work needed to succeed at the college level, McCarthy also encourages high school players to savor the time they have together.

“I can look back at high school during CCS and see Coach Bernardi saying ‘play every play like it’s your last. You guys enjoy every minute of it. All of us would give anything to be where you are,’” he said. “And they are so right. I know that not matter how hard football gets, I can’t quit. After these three years I can’t play football again. You can go play soccer, or you can play basketball with your buddies, but you can never do this again.”

Eye of the SV Tigers

Silicon Valley Select Youth Sports offers alternative option in youth football

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

San Jose kids have an additional option to choose from when their parents select which youth football league they will play for this fall.

Silicon Valley Select Youth Sports Association Treasurer Bill Sinclair announced recently that the Silicon Valley Tigers will offer kids an alternative outlet to what he and the SVSYSA Board of Directors consider an increasingly political climate within youth sports and football in particular.

The Tigers aim to abominate parent coaches from controlling the sidelines, replacing them with volunteer veterans of the gridiron who are looking for ways to give back to the community. Signups will be held every Saturday from 12-3 p.m. at Mountain Mike’s Pizza on Bascom Avenue, from now until the first week in August for interested players.

Games and practices throughout the season will be held at Lincoln High School, but anyone in the San Jose area is welcome to represent the Tigers because Silicon Valley is the first, and only, National Youth Football team in the Bay Area.

While the Central valley is host to several NYFL teams, and the league is the fastest growing in the nation according to its Web site, Pop Warner and PAL leagues have predominately dominated the South Bay.

“We are really trying to get the best possible structure in place so the kids can excel,” said SV Select Vice President John Karamanos. “What happens is that you may get some kid that is mediocre and he’ll make the all-star team because his dad is on the league’s board of directors or he is one of the coaches. Some of these same kids get into high school and never even make the team.”

Karamanos continued, explaining that early success based on politics can plant false hopes for kids in many youth football organizations, an experience that ultimately causes stress, confusion and disillusion. Often, he said, kids quit sports altogether after witnessing inequality in youth football.

“It’s all about merit,” Karamanos said of the NYFL. “… With the politics taken out of it, the emphasis is placed on the kids. We also want the kids to have fun. At the same time, it’s not only about having fun; we also want them to learn and get ready for high school.”

Coaching clinic
Sinclair and Karamonos said that an experienced coaching staff and allegiance to the kids’ emotional interests will prevent a painful learning experience from scarring participants for a lifetime.

Some of the most qualified youth coaches in the area will stalk the Tigers’ sideline this season, according to Sinclair. The Silicon Valley Board selected ex-players who have experienced the game at a very high level. The crowd includes Pat Morin, Terry O’Hara, Andy Shatzman, and Brian Weeks, who will pass down traditions from Idaho State, Santa Clara and UCLA, respectively.

Sinclair said the league will house 10 coaching volunteers in all who have no conflict of interest when selecting who plays, and who have zero children registered with the league.

Each team will benefit from every coach, too. While individual coaches possess specialties, the coaches will rotate, rather than players, from team to team in half-hour sessions.

“We teach a lot of technique,” said Karamanos. “There are no full-speed tackling drills. A lot of teams go in and do full-speed tackling drills. We want to go 50-70 percent speed.”

Karamanos said that when teams use proper technique in practice, the probability of players getting injured in a game is reduced greatly.

“Some may say that’s boring,” said Karamanos. “If you ask kids what to do, they say they want to hit. But we say let’s teach you the correct way to block and tackle.”

“We are trying to make the youth football experience as enjoyable as possible for the kids,” added Sinclair. “I would not classify us as superior. The other leagues’ major interest is enjoyment. We did this because we saw a need, but not an overwhelming need. We think that we are offering something special, particularly in the realm of attempting to give maximum playing time to every single kid.”

With applicable experience in youth sports, O’Hara, in particular, is a celebrated member of the coaching staff, according to Karamanos. He also runs the National Junior Basketball team in Willow Glen.

Forget four plays
On the Tigers, everybody plays.

For years, four plays has been the standard measure of participation in youth football. Sinclair said that one of the main objectives when designing a league was to give the kids more. Four plays were viewed as too little for a young person to experience the sport in any meaningful way.

Sinclair said that playing time isn’t the typical goal of youth football teams, especially when parents get involved selecting lineups; however, it is the number one priority amongst Silicon Valley Select visionaries.

“There are two types of kids who play football,” said Sinclair. “There are those who are happy to return their pads and those who drag their helmets crying when they leave.”

While the Pop Warner season, in particular, often runs through Christmas when teams fulfill their potential throughout the playoffs, Sinclair notes that a select few families truly desire this commitment.

The Tigers mended this by offering two teams in each age group. Sinclair said the design saves stress for players who are happy when the season is over, while diehards, who want more, may continue on into the postseason.

Four postseason tournaments are within reach for qualifying teams. The NYFL reportedly signed a contract with Fox Sports Net that guarantees coverage for championship action in the same way that ESPN covers Pop Warner playoffs.

Pushing weight
Weight is always a major topic of conversation among youth football league directors.

While size becomes a virtue in higher high school ranks, at the youth level, it can be dangerous and discouraged.

Sinclair said that another unique design with Silicon Valley Select is that there is no true weight limit. Rather, there are restrictions from position to position. Players over 200 pounds are designated x-men, and they are automatically assigned interior line duties, so they can still play.

Looking good
Sinclair and Karamanos said that the Tigers will don sparkling orange and black uniforms, updated with the latest technology in safety features.

“We are striving to provide the best equipment available for the kids,” said Sinclair. “They use the same material that they use at the NFL level.”

While appearance may be a side factor in luring kids out for signups, Karamanos said that what truly separates the Silicon Valley Select league from rival outfits is attitude.

“We are trying to make it fun and teach them something about living at the same time,” said Karamanos. “We have installed the Performance Pyramid. Everyday we finish up practice with a word of the day. It could be pride. It could be tenacious. It could be conditioning. It could be safety. All of the kids talk about what that word means to them.”

“There are 4,300,000 kids playing youth football nationwide,” said Sinclair. “Of them, about 460,000 are playing Pop Warner and PAL programs. There is plenty of room for everybody. It’s not that we think what they are doing is wrong, but we think we have a little better slant.”

For more information, please visit www.americanyouthfootball.com or www.siliconvalleytigers.com.

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