Dons continue to dominate
In the 1990’s and early part of the new millennium, the Aragon Football Team, led by Coach Steve Sell, was the bully of the Peninsula Athletic League. With their smash mouth approach, they routinely won PAL Bay Division Titles leading to deep runs into the CCS playoffs.
For the Aragon Football program, the 2011 season is looked at as defining campaign. Would the Dons regain Peninsula Athletic League dominance or again be decimated by injuries and turnovers thus leading to a subpar season?
Says Senior Safety Thomas Sortwell “We went 4 and O in the preseason. That is always the expectation for Aragon.”
Two of those wins were against Carlmont and San Mateo who Aragon had lost to during the 2010 season, after years of lopsided games.
What changed? According to All League Lineman Derek White, “Last year we were playing against two teams [ourselves and the opponent]… this year we are only playing against one.”
The non-league victories reintroduced a dominant running game, a staple in teams of the past, led by White, a Division 1 prospect at Left Tackle, along with Keenan Woodard, Alexander Medan, and Cong He. The senior laden group works hard to open up holes for the explosive rushing attack.
Senior Running Back Victor Jimenez thinks, “Our offensive line is more physical, we basically out muscle the other team. This year we are the hitters; we are the attackers.”
Along with Jimenez in the backfield is Davarian Redd. The two backs create a sort of thunder lighting combination, with Jimenez using his imposing size and strength to bowl over opponents, while Redd uses his speed and physicality to create big runs.
The backfield, however, is not a two-man show with Senior Wing Back James Egan, Marcel Jackson, and Junior Kyle Kaye all excelling out of the backfield this season.
Says Jimenez on the backfields depth, “It creates competition between (us). We want to out perform each other. We want to prove to teams that we are not just a two man team… we have running backs for years to come.”
Coach Sell’s offense is orchestrated by 5 foot 5 Dominic Proia. Proia emerged victorious from an early season quarterback competition due to his athleticism on the run, and his smart game management.
On the Defensive side the program is regaining its physicality. The defense struggled in years past with tackling players in the open field. That has since changed due to use of practice as a medium for aggression and competiveness.
“We are doing a lot more hitting this year in practice. We are doing 3 times the hitting. Last years practice was passive in comparison,” says returning Free Safety Thomas Sortwell. Sortwell, along with seniors Gregory Lyons, Kevin Durhan, Victor Jimenez, and Derek White, leads a strong defense that has allowed an average of 15 points per game.
