You hear the words “turnaround season” often in football.
Such seasons are commonplace in the NFL, such as a 5-11 team going 12-4 the next season.
In high school football, at least based on teams I witnessed in my 18 years as a sports reporter, those events are more rare. The one I continue to revisit is the 2000 Vintage High (Napa, CA) football team, going from 2-7-1 in 1999 to 8-3 in 2000.
After the 1999 season, Jim Costan resigned as head coach. Vintage had gone 25-20 in the previous four seasons but injuries and turmoil were too much to overcome in 1999. Vintage dug into its past to revive the then present in hiring Les Franco, who served as an assistant under the legendary Burl Autry from 1972-1979. Franco then became Napa’s head coach from 1979-1989, compiling a 76-39-6 record, leading the Indians to four Monticello Empire League titles and six CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. I playoff appearances. Franco was named MEL Coach of the Year four times and is a member of the Napa High Athletic Hall of Fame.
Franco, whose head coaching stint at Vintage spanned from 2000-2006, spent 11 seasons out of football after being dismissed by then Napa High principal Jim Zeigler. Franco remained at Napa as a math teacher until Vintage hired him in March 2000 to be the football coach as well as teaching math.
Long-time assistants on Franco’s former Napa staff (Mike Hull, Jon Conner, Kent Fry, Mike Narlow and Albie Gray) rejoined him at Vintage.
Since I went to Justin-Siena High, I did not know Franco during his Napa years but heard stories that pertained to him having a strong personality. I told myself I would get to know him and then make up my mind. After all, football coaches need a strong personality to survive in that role. From a media-coach working relationship perspective, and I can only speak for how he treated me, Franco could not have been better. If you took an interest and were fair, he respected you. I was one of the lucky ones.
Being away from the sideline for 11 seasons, I did not know how to gauge the success Franco would have as a coach. From a win-loss standpoint I thought if this team could go 5-5, 6-4, the season would be a success. The roster had a lot of seniors coming back from a team that underachieved a year earlier. Looking back 17 years later, it’s easy to understand why this team did even better. One quality I noticed about Franco was how organized he and his staff were. Young coaches bring energy but it is sometimes misguided.
Franco brought his triple-option offense and a 4-4 defense. The latter was a compelling transformation for a team that often lined up in the shotgun with four receivers the previous season. Quarterback Justin Nunley could not have made a better transition from dropback passer to option quarterback. Though this offense was known for its ground game, it was one of the most well-balanced offenses I have ever seen led by the dual-threat Nunley. The Crushers also had two outstanding receivers in Jason Cardwell and Jonathan Davis, though the latter was known for his work as a cornerback, Davis was also a reliable receiver. Both were also very good downfield blockers.
What I remember most about the Crushers running game was that while it lacked 1,000 yard rushers, Franco’s willingness to mix and match kept running backs Chris Tamayo, Adam Romick, Mark Carducci, and Mark Galios fresh. The offensive line also featured a player making an outstanding transition with Jacob Wolfe moving from tackle to center. Wolfe, Rob Gordon and Peter Hubbard were linchpins on the offensive line.
On the defensive end, the Crushers were often buoyed by an offense that averaged 38 points per game. Once the offense established the lead, the defense put the clamps on the opposition led by Mike Amarant, Brandon Brazil, Davis and Tamayo to name a few.
Though this Crusher team had many meaningful players, the one that to this day typified the identity of the team was Romick. He was a throwback that could have played in any era. On offense, he was punisher at fullback. Give him a head of steam and he’s an 18-wheeler rolling downhill. As a defensive lineman, he was undersized but played with tenacity.
The season started with a bang as the Crushers railroaded Miramonte (Orinda) 50-20. Miramonte won the CIF North Coast Section 2A East Bay title that season. The next two weeks, however, would represent a fork in the road with losses at Vacaville (28-20) and Wood (31-25). The latter was an especially disheartening loss as the Crushers coughed up a 25-0 third quarter lead.
Though Vintage’s next two games were against inferior teams Armijo and Hogan, I felt we would learn a lot about Crushers’ mettle. Vintage responded with a 34-0 win over Armijo and 41-10 over Hogan.
The next week, however, the rubber would meet the road against Vallejo. Known then as the Apaches (now the Redhawks), Vallejo was ranked No. 2 in the state by Cal Hi sports. I get that rankings are subjective but the Crushers 34-33 win over Vallejo got the attention of many people. That Apaches team had tremendous athletes like Phil Goodman, Draak Davis and Kito Williams. I firmly believe that win was the difference between 8-2 and say 6-4 because it gave the Crushers even more belief than they already had.
Though Vintage won SJS titles in 1980 and 1986, this win over Vallejo is definitely among the best in school history.
The Crushers beat a solid Fairfield team 28-14 and blasted Bethel (49-18), Benicia (61-15) and Napa (41-15).
Vintage’s postseason stint was short-lived, one game, with an 84-21 loss to Nevada Union (Grass Valley). I kid you not I have never seen a team that shed blocks so quickly on defense and sustained them on offense.
You frequently hear the narrative, “you’re only as good as your last game.” The problem I have with that sentiment is that unless you win a section or state title, every season ends in a loss. I consider resumes to be a body of work over a period of time.
When I look at the 2000 Vintage Crushers, I see a coaching staff that returned to the sideline having forgotten more about football than most will ever know. I also see a roster of players who restored lost respect.
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