With the 2012 varsity football season underway in less than two weeks, the newly formed Western Alameda County Conference (WACC) Shoreline League will look to prove that it is a league that will soon demand respect.
With the realignment of the former Hayward Area Athletic League (HAAL), the WACC Shoreline League was chosen based off the recent success of the programs as well as other factors, such as school population and a vote by the conference’s athletic directors.

The Shoreline League will feature four former HAAL teams such as San Lorenzo High School, Tennyson High School of Hayward, Mt. Eden High School of Hayward and Arroyo High School of San Lorenzo.

The two other teams that will make up the six team league will be Alameda High School and Piedmont High School.

Every team in the league, with the exception of Tennyson, finished last season with more losses than wins.

Tennyson is coming off one of their best seasons in school history. They ended the 2011-2012 season with a 8-3 record which tied the school record for wins in a season.

The Lancers scored a school record 330 points last season as they finished second behind Bishop O’Dowd in the HAAL.

Gone from that record setting offense will be All-HAAL first teamer Raysean Martin, HAAL Offensive Player of the Year Alson Paxton Jr. who holds the school record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 13 and former starting quarterback Pablo Magallanes Jr.

Lancers head coach Terry Smith will look to his offensive line to lead the way this season as everyone but Edgar Hernandez returns from last years unit.

“We feel we’ll be really good up front, they’ll make it easier on our skill guys,” Smith said. “We feel like we can run on anybody.”

Smith believes, while young and inexperienced on the varsity level, his one-two punch in the backfield, which
features sophomores Joshua Hardy and Isaiah Rogers, will be tough for opposing defenses to contain.

“One guy will wear you down. The other guy will just smoke you,” Smith said.

While Tennyson is coming off a record season, rival team and fellow Hayward representative Mt. Eden High School is coming off a polar opposite season.

The Monarchs, who feature former Bishop O’Dowd head coach Paul Perenon on their staff, are coming off a disappointing 2011-2012 campaign which resembled the past few seasons for the program.

Over their final three seasons in the HAAL, Mt. Eden has compiled a dismal 2-28 record and has struggled to find its way.

Under the leadership of Perenon, who has over 200 career victories, the Monarchs will look at a new season and a new league welcoming a chance for redemption.

“There’s talent at this high school, make no mistake about it,” Perenon said. “There’s enough talent, given the right circumstances and the kids taking the right approach to have a chance to be very successful.”

Perenon is looking for his program to take things one day at a time and the results will come.

“If we can find a way to get a little bit better every day and take that on the field on game day, compete and do things I believe high school football teams have to do to be successful, the wins will come,” Perenon said.

The Hornets of Alameda are the largest school, population wise, in the WACC Shoreline League.

Alameda is coming off a 3-7 season under coach Kemp Moyer and while the record may be under .500, there are some losses that show signs of a good upcoming season.

A 45-41 loss to Encinal last season, which is considered the favorite to win the Foothill League, and a 45-7 victory over future league rival San Lorenzo offers hope about Alameda’s chances to contend, as Smith of Tennyson considers them to be the favorites to win league this season.

Alameda will look to replace duel-threat quarterback Antonio Manibusan who led the team in passing yards (1129), rushing yards (593) and rushing touchdowns (8).

Adam Awa returns for his senior season as running back and will look to pace the offense and alleviate some of the concerns about the offense due to the graduation of Manibusan.

San Lorenzo High School, which is coached by Jacob Wright, will enter their first season in the Shoreline League looking to gain their first win in their past 11 games, dating all the way back to the 2010-2011 season victory against Mt. Eden.

The offense will attempt to generate offense without their leading rusher from last season Christian Batiste, who led the Rebels with 940 yards and seven touchdowns.

Piedmont High School is coming off a 4-7 season, which ended with a 49-26 defeat in the first round of North Coast Section (NCS) playoffs to Healdsburg.

The Highlanders, who are under the coaching guidance of Kevin Anderson II, finished fourth in the Bay Shore League, which was dominated in the past four years by Encinal, and is only one of three teams in the league which made the playoffs last season, with the others being Tennyson and Arroyo.

Arroyo High School of San Lorenzo finished last season 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the HAAL. Although they were under .500, the Dons were still eligible for the NCS playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Windsor High School from Windsor.

Gone from their offense is leading rusher Michael Young who will be replaced by Dejon Savage, who only had 175 rushing yards but was able to manage an impressive 6.03 yards per carry. Don fans can hope he can help add some fuel to an offense that only averaged 17 points per game and had a point differential of -7.

While on paper the Shoreline League may not be as strong as its partner, the Foothill League, coaches like Smith are very aware the league season will still be a tough schedule every week.

“There’s going to be competition,” Smith explained. “Just because we won eight games last year doesn’t mean it’s going to be a cakewalk.”