SERRA LEAGUE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: TALENT IS THERE FOR CRESPI, BUT N.D. STILL NO. 1 CELTS TRY TO RECOVER FROM DISAPPOINTING 2006 6-5 SEASON.Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Staff Writer If ever Crespi High of Encino's football team is primed to overcome Serra League power Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, this is the year. Crespi (6-5 in 2006) is loaded with returning talent such as quarterback Kevin Prince, defensive back E.J. Woods and tight end Joseph Fauria -- all among Daily News' preseason top-two performers at their respective positions -- combined with an exciting influx of impact newcomers, led by sophomore receiver Blake Stanton, a star in the making. So is this the year of the Celts The following pages provide lists of nations or people of Celtic origin, arranged by branch of Celtic ethnicity or language grouping: Goidelic Celts
"I hope we can win the league," Woods said. "But you always know our biggest competition is Notre Dame because they always bring their A-game." Prince, who has received seven Div. I college offers (including UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ), passed for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns last season in just nine games. The UCLA-bound Woods, also a top running back, must be accounted for at all times, and Fauria, a 6-foot-8 tight end who has committed to Notre Dame, comes from NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga bloodlines. Crespi certainly is ambitious heading into its much-anticipated season opener Friday against two-time City Section champion Birmingham of Lake Balboa, but the Celts must keep things in persective: Notre Dame (11-1) is the Daily News' preseason No. 1 team, and considering the Knights are 85-6 since 2000 -- a winning percentage of .934 -- it's unrealistic to favor anyone else. "Until we beat them, Notre Dame is the team to beat," Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross said. "I have no qualms about that because they deserve it." Notre Dame is as strong as ever -- maybe stronger -- because there are standouts everywhere: quarterback Dayne Crist and linebacker Anthony McDonalded are headed to Notre Dame, defensive lineman Wes Horton is going to USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , and running back Thaddeus Brown (1,316 yards, 14 TDs) has three offers. Limited to five games last season because of a back injury, Crist, 6-5, 225 pounds, is calm under pressure, and has a running back's mentality as a scrambler A device or software program that encrypts data for security purposes. See scramble. . Perennial power Loyola of Los Angeles (4-6) shocked even itself by failing to make the playoffs last year after 26 consecutive winning seasons. Nevertheless, Loyola's junior varsity team For the American rock band, see . In sports, usually at the high school and college levels, members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as a football or basketball game) are called junior varsity players. went 9-1 last year, and the Cubs, led by three-year starting offensive lineman Mike Hernandez, figure to make a comeback. Other top players include offensive lineman Matt Bertole, defensive linemen Johnathan Rossi and Michael Willis, receiver Chris Sheridan, running back Anthony Barr, linebacker Sema'J Myles and tight end John Young. This season, Loyola plays three home games in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. (two at Glendale High and one at L.A. Valley College). Bishop Amat (5-5) is in the same boat as Crespi and Loyola, a proud program hoping to rebound from a down year. In the third week of the season, the Lancers lanc·er n. 1. A cavalryman armed with a lance. 2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances. 3. lancers (used with a sing. verb) a. A kind of quadrille. b. play local power Hart of Newhall at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. . CAPTION(S): photo, 3 boxes Photo: Notre Dame players go through a drill during a recent practice. The Knights are 85-6 since 2000, a winning percentage of .934. John McCoy/Staff Photographer Box: (1) PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH (2) TOP FIVE GAMES (3) TOP FIVE PLAYERS |
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