WINNING blood
For three Oregon players, the culture of winning
has followed them from high school to the Ducks
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
When Demetrius Williams sat on the Oregon sideline Oct. 20,
2001, he was witnessing something he had not seen for more than
five years.
The Ducks had just lost to Stanford, 49-42, and Williams, who
was redshirting the 2001 season, had just lost his first football game
since before his time at De La Salle 1 ligh School.
"It felt weird, losing, but if you continue playing any type of sport,
it's just going to happen," the redshirt sophomore said. "It hurt, but
we had to move on, and 1 think it made me better in that 1 wanted
to work hard so I wouldn't lose again."
You see, Williams and two other Ducks, linebacker David Mar
tin and cornerback Charles Favroth, grew up in a winning cul
ture. Each was a student at De La Salle — an all-boys high school
in Concord, Calif. — that has not lost a game since late in the
1991 season. Entering the 2003 season, that's 11 years, or 138
straight games.
"1 met a lot of friends from that team who I will probably be
friends with for the rest of my life," Williams said. "The coaches
were great. There's just no other program like it."
The program, which has won more championships for head
coach Bob Ladouceur (16) than the number of games he has lost
(14) since he took it over in 1979, is a funnel for Division I college
football. Ihe Ducks are a prime benefactor of that funnel.
Oregon's trio of former Spartans have made an impact on the
Duck program. Williams starts at the wide receiver position oppo
site senior Sarnie Parker, while Martin, when eligible — he sat out
the first two games of the season due to academic probation — is a
valuable component of Oregon's linebacking core.
Favroth, meanwhile, didn't play in the first two games of the sea
son, but part of Oregon's depth in the secondary.
Ihe former Spartans credit their time in the Bay Area as a chance
to build character, to learn what it takes to succeed in a post-high
school life and to have fun playing competitive football.
That's a set of compliments De La Salle takes personally
and seriously.
"Our athletes are more committed and dedicated than the aver
age high school athlete," said Terry Eidson, the athletics director at
De La Salle as well as an assistant football coach. "We're always ask
ing the kids to excel at whatever they do."
Ihe Ducks have a connection with the coaching brass as well. Joe
Aliotti, an assistant with the Spartans since 1998, is the brother of
Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti.
Make no mistake. The Ducks won't necessarily recruit a player
just because he hails from De La Salle. But hey, they've got some
connections with such a prolific program. It wouldn't hurt to take a
look at certain players.
The Ducks almost got another De La Salle product after last
season, but running back Maurice Drew decided to attend
UCLA instead.
"They are still a high-profile school where they get a lot of people
over there to recruit, and Joe helps us in keeping our name in front
of (the players), but ultimately the kid has got to like it and want to
come up here," Nick Aliotti said. "It certainly gives us a step up. I've
got a pretty good pipeline."
As a school of approximately 1,100 students, De La Salle com
petes across the state of California, and last season traveled to
I lawaii. The school is considered an independent, much like Notre
Dame, and can play anyone it chooses. Often times, the Spartans
will play near their campus, which is located about 30 miles from
San Francisco, but will travel if need be.
For instance, a proposed trip to New Jersey to play No. 6 Don
Bosco Prep was shelved because the latter was unable to schedule a
Jessica Waters Photo Editor
Cornerback Charles Favroth (left), wide receiver Demetrius Williams (center) and outside linebacker David Martin all came to the Ducks out of De l_a Salle High
School of Concord, Calif. The legacy of De La Salle is known to many with a 138-game winning streak over the past 11 seasons.
Adam Amato Photographer
Wide receiver Demetrius Williams became Oregon’s playmaker against
Arizona after Sarnie Parker went down with an ankle injury.
game against a non-league opponent. Now, the Spartans will play
No. 2 Evangel Christian of Louisiana on Oct. 24 at a nearby junior
college. Hie game will be the first nationally televised high school
game in history when it hits the airwaves on ESPN2.
The travel can be excessive for high school athletes, but the mentali
ty that it prepares players for the collegiate level is a growing reality.
"It was crazy for us," Martin said. "People said we didn't play any
body, but we traveled. We played whoever and didn't back down.
We dominated everyone we played."
As a tradition, Ladouceur and his assistants put the team's players
through 6:30 a.m. workouts that begin in early January. Eidson said
th|y are a combination of weight lifting and agility drills designed to
keep the players in top off-season shape. He also advises college- 1
bound players to participate in hopes of staving off laziness.
No matter what the workouts are designed to do, the players say
they certainly help prepare the team's top players for play at the Di
vision I collegiate level.
"Our program was-at an excelled level," Williams said. "Every
thing out there was just preparing you for here. I had a better mind
set than more freshmen who came in with me.
"It's intense, it takes a lot of your time and it takes a lot of focus,
but it's well worth it."
When Williams mentions he has lifelong friends from the pro
gram and can check their progress in the sports pages, he's not
joking. Twelve former Spartans dot the rosters of Pacific-10 Con
ference teams — six programs overall — this season, while
schools such as Miami, Michigan and Tennessee also feature for
mer De La Salle players.
For Williams, Martin and Favroth, De La Salle represents a por
tion of their lives where they worked hard to keep a streak intact.
For most Spartans, high school football represents their last time
on the gridiron as college football is a pipe dream.
For the Oregon trio, their days are far from numbered. They just
want to go out and prove themselves.
But, of course, they won't forget their time as Spartans.
Contact the sports editor at hankhager@daiiyemerald.com.
Adam Amato Photographer
Comerback Steven Moore will be a pinnacle starter for Oregon on defense.
Adam Amato Photographer
Junior Jerry Matson will be one of many Oregon linebackers that will look to
learn from verteran Kevin Mitchell in assisting Oregon’s defense.
J
Mark McCambridge Senior photographer
Defensive end Devan Long will need to provide extra help to Oregon’s
defensive line this season after the loss of defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
Brotherly defense has been
key to Oregon's new success
The Ducks’ tight-knit defense
has helped Oregon on and off
the field with a camaraderie
that works just like family
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
Oregon's defense throws hard hits and
tough landings on the field.
Off the field, the guys are a group of col
lege students as close as family.
"We all hang out and kick it with each
other," defensive tackle Robby Valenzuela
said. "We're’a pretty tight-knit group."
rrhe guys are so close that when defensive
tackle 1 laloti Ngata injured his anterior cru
ciate and medial collateral igaments in the
first game of the season, the defense knew it
had its work cut out.
"Losing Maloti was hard," defensive
tackle Igor Olshansky said. "Everybody's
stepped up and picked up the slack
successfully."
There are six returning starters to the Ore
gon defense including veterans Olshansky
and linebacker Kevin Mitchell. Ngata was
one of those six.
"They all love each other so much," quar
terback lason Fife said. "When they're out
there it's like they're playing for each other
as much as they're playing for themselves. I
think they've done it in honor of (Ngata)."
Ihe injuries to Ngata were first thought to
only take him out for four to six weeks, but
the decision was made to have surgery to
speed up the healing process. The surgery
will end Ngata's season, but Oregon plans to
apply for a hardship waiver for a medical
redshirt year.
"All in all, I think we're a close defensive
group and I think we should be OK,"
Mitchell said about Ngata's injury. "It's been
tough. It's just a sad thing to see, but it hap
pens in this game. (Valenzuela), Matt
Toeaina, (Olshansky) and Devan (Long) —
everyone's just stepped up and filled in the
gaps. You can't replace Maloti — I don't
know if we've really missed a beat but we've
sure missed him."
Long is one of those on the defensive line
who has helped pick up the slack. I Ie comes
from limited playing time in his freshman
season to three successful games as a sopho
more. The defensive end has 5.5 tackles to
taling 21 yards lost, including three sacks for
a loss of 18 yards. Long is also credited with
breaking up two passes.
Defensive tackle Junior Siavii also has
seen increased playing time as well as im
provement in his numbers. Siavii has two
tackles for a loss of 12 yards, including one
sack for 11 yards lost.
Mitchell, who has started since his fresh
Adam Amato Photographer
Defensive tackle Robby Valenzuela continues his job with a blow to Nevada in Oregon’s home opener.
man year, leads the defense with 15
total tackles.
"Kevin Mitchell really makes a difference
in the backfield," Olshansky said. "lie's a
veteran out there, helping us out and getting
us fired up."
The veterans are doing their part as lead
ers, but the guys who haven't had much
playing time — such as Long, Valenzuela
and Siavii — are the players making the
difference. The hole left by Ngata and the
gaps left by graduated seniors are being
"Kevin Mitchell really makes
a difference in the backfield.
He's a veteran out there,
helping us out and getting
us fired up."
Igor Olshansky
Oregon defensive tackle
filled in the games, when it matters most.
"The way I look at it is that we've got the
players right now who can make the game,"
Mitchell said. "We've got a lot of guys back
from injuries and we've got returners back
from last year who have played major roles."
Another returning starter on the defense is
Keith Lewis. The free safety has 14 total tack
les and two interceptions.
Rover Marley Tucker and free safety
Justin Phinisee both have 14 total tackles
as well. Phinisee also has a sack for a loss
of five yards while Tucker has a sack for a
loss of 10 yards.
With 158 total tackles, the defense is
hitting its opponents hard. A few of the
hits have even made early-season high
light clips.
Off the field, the business wears away and
the guys go back to being college students
who just happen to play football.
"We hang out and all that stuff," Valen
zuela said. "So we have a better feel for each
other and we trust each other a lot more
than last year because everyone didn't get
along as well. This year we're more of a unit."
The defense has already played crucial *
parts in the season — Mitchell attests that
the defensive line won the Arizona game
on the defensive side for Oregon — and
with the Pac-10 schedule coming into
full view, they have their work cut out
for them.
"We knew from the get-go that our offen
sive line and defensive line were the basis of
this team — just the strength and cama
raderie," Fife said. "It all starts with them and
just seeing both of the squads get better every
game, it's great."
Contact the senior sports reporter
at mindirice@dailyemerald.com.
Southern Cal picked to win Pac-10; Oregon,Washington place in top half
Pac-10 football is in for big changes:
all the new-to-you coaches and no
clear finishes following the Trojans
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
The 2002 football season featured many sur
prises for the Pacific-10 Conference, but the sur
prise for the 2003 season is
there is no clear-cut way to
rank the conference be
yond IISC winning it. The
only team that has lived up
— or down — to its hype is
USC, which was 3-0 and
ranked No. 4 nationally after three weeks of play.
Oregon has had success with a quarterback-by
committee system, while the Pac- 10's four first-year
coaches have at least one win and one loss each.
And there are still four teams that haven't been
mentioned.
Without further ado, here are some Pac-10
predictions for the 2003 season with results
through Sept. 15.
1. USC (2002 record: 11-2,
2003:3-0)
The Trojans are everyone's pick to win the Pac
10, as well as a candidate for the Sugar Bowl.
The loss of Carson Palmer, the 2002 Heisman
Trophy winner, has gone somewhat unnoticed as
Matt Leinart has been flawless.
That offense, which averaged 35.8 points per
game, has picked things up to average 39.7 points
per game through the Trojans' first three wins.
At the helm for USC is third-year coach Pete
Carroll, who brought NFL experience into Los
Angeles with positive results.
2. Arizona State (8-6,2-0)
The Sun Devils have their conference test when
they host the Trojans on Oct. 4, but if anyone in the
Pac-10 is up to the challenge it's Arizona State.
With two non-conference wins and the Pac
10's No. 2-rated quarterback, Andrew Walter, the
Sun Devils can't sneak up on teams this season.
Coach Dirk Koetter joins USC's Carroll and
Arizona's John Mackovic as the conference's big
dogs behind Oregon's Mike Bellotti.
3. Washington State (10-3,2-1)
A priceless Cougar team has little change on
the coaching front other than Bill Doha moving
into the top spot.
Quarterback Matt Kegel, who has accounted
692 yards in three games, has stepped in to fill
the hole left by Jason Gesser.
Luckily for Washington State, Doba has many
returning players to work with and the 29-26
overtime loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 6 was a
closer result than expected.
4. Oregon (7-6,3-0)
The Ducks are looking more like waterfowl every
season, this time with lightning yellow uniforms.
If Oregon is going to be successful in the Pac
10, the Ducks have to stay healthy — the loss of
Haloti Ngata alone is one injury too many —
and stay alert. An incomplete pass here, a
missed block there and that yellow is going to
be shades of2002.
Leading Oregon is Bellotti. In his ninth season,
Bellotti is the dean of Pac-10 coaches as every
other coach in the division was hired after 2000.
5. Washington (7-6,1-1)
The I luskies have the scandal of the offseason in
former coach Rick Neuheisel, who was fired for par
ticipating in NCAA basketball tournament pools.
Although, Washington has Heisman long shot
Cody Pickett and his favorite target, Reggie
Williams, but has begun the season on shaky
footing. The opening loss to Ohio State may have
done more hurt than good.
Now led by Keith Gilbertson, Washington has
a lot of work to do to not let a last-minute coach
ing change and slow start shake up its plans.
6. Oregon State (8-5,2-1)
With Mike Riley back in Beaverland after a hia
tus in the NFL, things such as football games may
be on the upswing for Oregon State.
Even with 16 players still on the roster from Ri
ley's days, the majority are long gone as are the win
ning seasons with Dennis Erickson.
Oregon State's successes will have to wait for a
season or two until Riley can weed through Erick
son's recruits and put his program back together.
The Beavers' bright spots will come from jun
ior quarterback Derek Anderson, who has more
passing yards through three games than any oth
er Pac-10 arm, and running back Steven Jackson.
7. UCLA (8-5,1-1)
The Bruins are quickly losing sight of what
they hoped would be a successful season. Four
player suspensions in two months, as well as a
pattern of incomplete passes, have taken UCLA
down a different road.
With first year coach Karl Dorrell, the Bruins
will need a season to fix academic problems and
familiarize themselves with their new coach.
8. California (7-5,1-3)
Jeff Tedford did the unthinkable with Califor
nia in 2002: He led the Golden Bears to their first
winning season since 1993.
I’he former Oregon offensive coordinator may
have to do the impossible this season, as only
nine of Cal's starters return. The loss of quarter
back Kyle Boiler and 1,000-yard rusher Joe Igber
were the Bears' biggest losses.
Only two starters return to defense and the
punter returns to take over place-kicking also,
leaving plenty of holes to be filled.
9. Stanford (2-9,1-0)
Hie Cardinal is the only team that could chal
lenge Arizona for last place in the conference.
Stanford's Nov. 29 game against Notre Dame
will likely end the season on a sour note for a
team that returns 13 starters and plays 11 games.
Only three of those 13 return to the offense,
which will need help if the Cardinal wants to im
prove on 2002's win total.
Coach Buddy Teevens is in his second year
leading Stanford with 13 years of experience.
10. Arizona (4-8,1-2)
The Wildcats appear destined for the Pac-10
cellar again this season, despite three new coor
dinators, a new defense and a new quarterback.
Arizona is another team that has lost its quar
terback as well an All-Pac-10 wide receiver. It may
be a positive though, as Nic Costa and Ryan
O'l lara should battle this year and to be in posi
tion for a starting job and Pac-10 success in 2004.
For John Mackovic, his third season at the
helm will be another rebuilding year.
Contact the senior sports reporter
at mindirice@dailyemerald.com.
AW
Adam Amato Photographer
Oregon heads to Seattle this year to play the Huskies and Heisman Trophy candidate Cody Pickett (3).