Sports
Monte Vista Football Preview: Mustangs Among NorCal's Elite
Bryce McGovern and Dane Turner lead one of the most talented receiving corps in the state.
Returning Starters: 14 (seven offense, seven defense)
Top Offensive Players: WR Bryce McGovern, Sr.; WR Dane Turner, Sr.; WR Dalis Bruce, Jr.; OL Tim Mustion, Sr.; QB Jeff Lockie, Sr.
Top Defensive Players: CB McGovern; S Turner, DL Zack Dreyer, Sr.; DL Jean-luc Theriault, SR.; LB Adam Wenig, Sr.
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Rising stars: Bruce, Lockie
Team Strengths: wide receiver, defensive line
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Areas to Improve: Run defense
Rivalry game: Friday, Nov. 12 vs San Ramon Valley
Mark the Calendar: Friday, Oct. 15 at De La Salle
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In Craig Bergman's 13 years as the head football coach at Monte Vista High, the Mustangs have never struggled to put points on the board — and as long as he remains the coach, that's unlikely to change.
There is no shortage of talent for Bergman to work with this year as seven offensive starters return from a unit which set school records in points (527) and points per game (40.3) a year ago.
Among them is record-breaking receiver Bryce McGovern, who set the state record with 2,063 receiving yards last season while catching a Northern California record 106 passes from current Stanford quarterback Brett Nottingham.
With Nottingham gone, the Mustangs have a pair of capable quarterbacks in junior Jeff Lockie and senior transfer Seamus Finnegan.
Lockie served as Nottingham's backup a year ago while Finnegan was the starting quarterback at Sacred Heart-San Francisco.
"They are both good players," Bergman said. "Lockie has been in the system longer, so he has that going for him, but (Finnegan) has the game experience."
It's expected that Lockie will be the 'Stangs starter, but it wouldn't come as a complete shock if both saw playing time.
Following his remarkable junior season, McGovern figures to receive more attention from opposing defenses this year, but that's fine by him. With U.C. Davis-bound receiver Dane Turner, versatile junior Dalis Bruce and senior running back Michael Sullas there is plenty of talent for Lockie to work with.
The Mustangs will get their yards — and points — but their defense will need to take a step forward if the team expects to compete with De La Salle for the East Bay Athletic League title.
"We always got to get better on defense here," Monte Vista assistant coach Chris Babcock said. "We can score against anybody."
McGovern and Turner will play major factors in Monte Vista's pass defense and the Mustangs have a fairly deep defensive line, featuring Zack Dreyer and Jean-Luc Theriault.
The Mustangs open their season tonight at home against Serra at 7 p.m. Monte Vista is 0-2 against Serra, with losses in the 1996 and 1997 — the latter being Bergman's first season at the school.
Since taking over in 1997, Bergman has compiled a 102-47-1 record and is 9-3-1 in season openers.
The Mustangs will play Pittsburg and Hayward in their other two non-league games before opening EBAL play at Cal on Oct. 1.
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Schedule
9/10 vs Serra-San Mateo
9/17 at Pittsburg
9/24 vs Hayward
10/1 at California
10/8 vs Livermore
10/15 at De La Salle
10/22 vs Amador Valley
10/29 at Foothill
11/5 vs Granada
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