Ooh baby. Big news from Pleasanton today. Dennis Miller is reporting that Matt Sweeney, architect of so many great Foothill football teams, is heading back to the sideline next year. He stepped down before the ‘07 season and his longtime assistant John Mannion took over. Read about it over on our sister blog, Prep Corner.

NOTE # 2: The MSJ tournament web site has been updated and has a few changes. Clovis’ Scott Sakaguchi, the No. 1 seed at 140 pounds, will miss the tournament due to illness. Klingsheim has moved to 119 pounds and is the No. 1 seed. A few locals have dropped out as well. Liberty’s Paul Gomez (103) is out. College Park’s Dylan Phillpy (119) is out. Dublin’s JT Baumann (171) is out. There were also a couple of seed changes, the most notable being College Park’s Joe Heffelmire is now the No. 2 seed at 152 pounds, swapping spots with Cal’s Aaron Drake. Also, if you need a wrestling fix, hop on over to InsideBayArea.com/sports and check out this week’s edition of the Hoose and the Whistle. No Whistle this week, so let’s call it the Hoose and KB, but they talk to MSJ coach Tommy Thompson about the upcoming tournament.

NOTE: The Hoose himself, Steve Waterhouse, got word this afternoon that Liberty wrestler David Klingsheim will wrestle at 119 pounds, not 112 as he was originally seeded at. I would imagine this moves Klingsheim to either the No. 1 or 2 seed at 119 pounds and Markjay Acosta of San Leandro will be the new No. 1 at 112 pounds. Also, my take on Gilroy’s Jesse Delgado not being at MSJ. When I asked Delgado’s teammate Hunter Collins if he’d be with a full squad this weekend, he said no. He said a few guys have some issues with match counts. I’m assuming Delgado is one of those guys.

Larry Katz and his team down at Mission San Jose have the seeds up in a timely fashion as usual. Check them out here: MSJ seeds. Also, as I’ve been typing this, the new state rankings came out at thecaliforniawrestler.com! Check those out here: State rankings.
Now, I thought we’d take a look at the tournament by seed. As usual, this is going to be one heckuva show come Saturday night.

103 - Clear Lake’s Tyler Hayes is the No. 1 seed. I saw No. 2 Madison Gambrell of Clovis up at the Tim Brown and he was awfully good. He was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the lightweight divisions up there and that was a solid tournament. Still though, this is a great division with Freedom’s Zack Wiley, MSJ’s Ricky McFerrin, Liberty’s Paul Gomez and Newark’s Nguyen Truong. Watch out for Gomez, who is now down to weight and is the defending NCS champ.
112 - I looked at this bracket and did a double-take. Liberty’s David Klingsheim is down to 112, the same weight he wrestled at last year, after wrestling most of the year at 119. Clovis’ Clinton McAlister is good but I gotta think the final will be 1 vs. 2, Klingsheim vs. San Leandro’s Markjay Acosta.
119 - Clovis’ Jon Gay is the No. 1 seed and to be honest I don’t know too much about this class now that Klingsheim got down to 112. Livermore’s Alec Fraser has been wrestling well.
125 - This is another class up for grabs. Watsonville’s Robin Miranda is the No. 1 seed and I’d sayJames Logan’s Ruben Baca probably has a good shot from his No. 2 spot also. If Freedom’s Mike Sherman uses this to get over the hump and pull out a win, his season could take off.
130 - Clovis’ Stephen Weimer is No. 1 but I’m anxious to see Alhambra’s Aaron Westphal. He got hurt late last year and that derailed his season but this year I think he’s got a legitimate shot at an NCS title. That quest starts at Mission.
135 - San Lorenzo Valley’s Cody Rodebaugh is No. 1 and he seems likely to stick here. This is another situation where if a wrestler (say, Nick Hernandez at Granada) puts together his best effort, he might be able to steal a win.
140 - Defending NCS champion Trent Stevenson of Arcata is the No. 3 seed. That tells you all you need to know. Clovis’ Scott Sakaguchi is No. 1 and is coming off a win at the Tim Brown. Livermore’s Stephen De La Cruz is good, but he’s going to have to do major work to catch up with Sakaguchi, Stevenson and Scotts Valley’s Dane Stevens (ranked No. 3 in state).
145 - If the seeds hold, this final will be one I pay close attention to. De La Salle’s Tyler Sheridan is No. 1 and Gilroy’s Travis Sakamoto is No. 2. Sakamoto is ranked No. 2 in the CCS and Sheridan is No. 5 in the state.
152 - St. Helena’s Gian Traverso is No. 1 here and behind him is a group of wrestlers trying to make a name for themselves. California’s Aaron Drake, College Park’s Joe Heffelmire and De La Salle’s Luke Sheridan would all benefit greatly from an MSJ title.
160 - Only need one name here. Clovis’ Josh Esparza is back as the No. 2 seed. Welch beat Esparza by tech fall at the Tim Brown.
171 - Tito! The elder Pica is back in action after a win at the Albany tourney two weeks ago. Clovis’ Tommy Burriel showed well up at the Tim Brown and could put a run together but watch out for College Park’s Gerson Nkunku. If he puts it together, he can be quite good.
189 - I spoke with Gilroy’s Hunter Collins last night and what a nice kid. On the mat? Not so nice. I see Collins’ fourth MSJ title there for the taking.
215 - Jesse Bethel-Vallejo’s Matt Gibson is the No. 1 seed and he’s got something to prove after a VERY close loss in the Tim Brown championship to Ponderosa’s Matt Demarco. Of course, Gibson is ranked No. 3 in the state.
285 - Everyone wants to see No. 1 Jonathen Zamora of Clovis take on No. 2 Roger McCovey of Del Norte. And why not? It would be No. 1 in the state (Zamora) vs. No. 3.

Alright, since the rankings just came out, here are some locals who are ranked. Acosta is No. 2 at 112 pounds (Klingsheim is still listed at 119, where he’s ranked No. 4). De La Cruz is No. 7 at 140. Tyler Sheridan is No. 7 at 145 and Liberty’s David Rios is No. 8 (he won’t be at MSJ due to a high match count). Welch is No. 1 at 160. Pica is No. 3 at 189 (again, he’s dropping for the postseason).

Dominic Galas of Central Catholic High School in Modesto, has decommitted from Oregon State and is now headed to Cal according to Will DeBoard of the Modesto Bee. You can read the full article here.

Galas paved the way for Central Catholic running back Louis Bland to excel this season and is ranked as the No. 9 center in the country according to rivals.com. I know him more as a heavyweight wrestler, and he excels on the mat as well. He’s the No. 2-ranked heavyweight in the state according to thecaliforniawrestler.com.  I’m expecting to see both Galas and Bland at the CIF state meet on Feb. 29 in Bakersfield.

It’s that time of week again. Our photo and multimedia staff have posted another week in photos gallery, which I highly recommend checking out. Here’s the link, for those who just can’t wait another second:

The Week in Photos brought to you by the Bay Area Newspaper Group-East Bay

We got an email from San Ramon Valley safety Dan Smithwick yesterday and he informs us that he’ll continue his football career next season at Brown University. Smithwick was an All-Times first teamer and impressed me particularly with his nose for the football. He seemed to always be around the ball and that’s saying something considering the defense he played on was filled with playmakers.

Also, today the Cream of the Crop came out. Our deputy sports editor Mike Lefkow takes a tremendous amount of time talking to recruiters and coaches and the list reflects that. Drew McAllister made No. 1 on the list and, in the one game I saw him play this past season (against SRV), I can safely say he was the best player on the field. I think he’ll do just fine once he converts to safety at USC.

Signing day is only a week and a half away. Now the real fun begins.

Boys Basketball East Bay Super Poll
1. McClymonds is idle
2. De La Salle 67, Deer Valley 46
3. St. Mary’s is idle
5. San Leandro 58, 4. Castro Valley 54
6. Monte Vista 80, San Ramon Valley 61
7. Kennedy-Richmond is idle
8. Oakland is idle
9. Salesian is idle
10. Newark Memorial is idle
11. Berkeley 87, De Anza 59
12. Miramonte 72, College Park 49
13. Skyline is idle
14. Foothill 57, Amador Valley 53
15. James Logan is idle

Girls Basketball East Bay Super Poll 
4. Carondelet 37, 1. Deer Valley 35 (OT)
2. Berkeley 69, De Anza 8
3. Bishop O’Dowd 61, Tennyson 32
5. Moreau Catholic is idle
6. Miramonte 70, College Park 38
7. St. Mary’s is idle
8. Washington 82, Newark Memorial 39
St. Patrick-St. Vincent 73, 9. Piedmont 52
10. Castlemont is idle
11. Northgate 67, 14. Dublin 59
12. Monte Vista 56, San Ramon Valley 41
13. Hercules 82, Encinal 65
15. American 73, Irvington 29

10:10 p.m.: And we’ve officially got all the scores. That’s a good feeling. It’s gotta be a rough feeling for Castro Valley tonight since they lost a tight game to San Leandro without the help of its star, Jordan DeMuynck, who was suspended for a game. On the girls side, Leah Payne sparked Carondelet to a big win over Deer Valley. Payne scored six of her eight points in overtime to help the Cougars get the win. Ashley Ellis finished with 15 poitns for Deer Valley.
10:10 p.m.: Mayor, here’s your score. Monte Vista beat SRV 80-61. Brian Barbour scored 19 and Taylor Brewster added 17 to lead the Mustangs.
9:55 p.m.: Ryan, the Las Lomas boys beat Concord 56-49 (Brian Stafford with 29 points). No word yet on the girls.
9:50 p.m.: Mayor Shimanski, we’ve got calls out to both coaches so as soon as I find out, I’ll let you know. I’d imagine that was another electric scene tonight.
9:45 p.m.: Only missing a few scores now. Things have been rolling along at a pretty good clip around here tonight. I have to believe the atmosphere over at Deer Valley tonight was electric. Not a lot of scoring but when you get two teams of that caliber in that close a contest, it’s good stuff. I’ll work on filling out the scores and give another update when I do.
9:05 p.m.: Foothill’s boys won the battle of Pleasanton tonight, beating Amador Valley 57-53. Speaking of coaches who have their team’s playing good ball, Randy Isaacs has the Falcons in top shape right now.
9 p.m.: We have a winner in Brentwood! Carondelet pulled the upset, 37-35, over our No. 1 team in the land. I caught some of the Cougars’ game at the MLK Classic on Monday and coach Margaret Gartner has her team playing some good ball right now.
8:55 p.m.: Encinal beat Hercules 52-49 in a scintillating ACCAL boys showdown. Robert Jordan checks in with the info from the Herc.
8:50 p.m.: We’re on a roll now baby. Phil Jensen tells me Northgate’s girls upended Dublin 67-59. Ricardo Sanchez Jr. also called, saying Carondelet and Deer Valley are headed to overtime tied at 29. First to 30 wins!
8:45 p.m.: De La Salle gets a 67-46 win over Deer Valley tonight. Brandon Thomas had 16 to lead the Spartans and Brandon Smith chipped in 15 points, and seven assists. Tyree Murray had 16 for Deer Valley.
8:40 p.m.: In the big boys game of the night, San Leandro beat Castro Valley 58-54. Jared Peterson had 27 points and nine rebounds for the Pirates in the win. Chace Bryson, who watched the game on Comcast SportsNet at home (yes, he’s a Geek), checks in with the score
8:30 p.m.: Ricardo Sanchez Jr. checks in with an update from the girls game of the night. Carondelet and Deer Valley are tied at 23 (yes, 23) with 3:50 left in the game. Defensive basketball is one thing but man, that’s brutal.
8:25 p.m.: St. Patrick-St. Vincent finished off Piedmont to the tune of 73-52. Alex Cowling scored a game-high 35. Casey Morris scored 20 for Piedmont.
8:08 p.m.: Northgate’s girls team has STORMED back and now leads Dublin 48-44. Katie Blodgett scored nine points in the quarter for the Broncos. We’ve got a game on Castle Rock Road!
8:06 p.m.: Jimmy checks in with a text message. SPSV just hit a 3 to make it 57-42. Piedmont took a time out and I think it’s safe to call this one over.
8 p.m.: The mighty Bruins are pulling away in Piedmont. St. Patrick-St. Vincent leads the Highlanders 50-40 after three quarters. Alex Cowling has 22 points for SPSV and Dominique Hamilton now leads Piedmont with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Info courtesy of Mixmaster Durkin.
7:45 p.m.: At Northgate, Dublin’s girls team is up 32-24 against Northgate. Dublin went on a 12-4 run to end the half. Jamie Goodwin hit two 3-pointers in the quarter for Dublin. Alexis Robinson with seven points leads Dublin. Kelly Peterson leads Northgate with 11. Thanks to Phil Jensen for the info. We’re rollin’ now!
7:35 p.m.: J Durk checks in with a halftime score. Piedmont and St. Patrick-St. Vincent are tied at 30 at intermission. Casey Morris has 10 for Piedmont (including three 3’s) and Alex Cowling has 18 (also with three 3’s) for the Bruins. That’s going to be a good one right down to the wire.
7:30 p.m.: Our own guru, Phil Jensen, checks in from Northgate where the Broncos are tied with Dublin at 16 after one quarter. Northgate’s Kelly Peterson has seven points to lead the Broncos and Elizabeth Johnson has six to lead Dublin.
7:25 p.m.: Oakland Tribune prep guru Jimmy Durkin checks in from Piedmont where the Highlanders are tied 14-14 with Alex Cowling and St. Patrick-St. Vincent with six minutes left in the first half. Time for Casey Morris to make some plays!
7:05 p.m.: Campolindo beat Alhambra 93-34 tonight in boys hoops. Ouch.
7 p.m.: First score of the night! Dublin’s boys beat Northgate 53-47 in overtime. Not a top-15 matchup, mind you, but still some darn good basketball.
6:55 p.m.: I’m all for the soccer news. Big match tomorrow night: De La Salle at Richmond. 23rd street’s gonna be rockin! As you can see, no hoop news yet. Though, I can tell you that the Northgate-Dublin boys game went to overtime. No final yet though.
6:40 p.m.: I’m sitting here with not much to do. No scores as of yet. Some big news today actually in the world of football. The California Interscholastic Federation voted today to continue the bowl series and approved a plan to expand it to five divisions starting this December. I’m excited actually. It gives more worthy teams a shot at getting to the state level. Basketball has five divisions and giving football the same seems reasonable. Anyway, more hoop news to come.

As usual, ContraCostaTimes.com is the place to be for Friday night basketball scores and highlights. I’ll put the Top 20 up soon so that you can keep track of all the action. So, if the wind and rain keep you indoors tonight, you can keep track of all the action here on the East Bay Prep Sports Blog.

Football folks are the sort who will obsess about a player’s size and time in the 40.  Such things can be important, but only if the player knows how to use these assets. What can’t be measured, though, is the size of a player’s heart.

Alameda High School’s Wes Moyer isn’t big ( a press release lists him generously at 6-0, 205 pounds), but has a ton of heart. A most versatile player for the Hornets in the fall, Moyer excelled at quarterback, running back and outside linebacker. From just watching him, one got the sense that he could help a college team somewhere. And as an academic whiz, we’re told, Moyer could easily have gotten an academic scholarship and walked on to a team without having it use an athletic scholarship.

Well, the vision of Moyer playing beyond high school became a reality today when it was announced that he had accepted an invitation to play at Yale. Moyer likely will play outside linebacker for the Bulldogs.

As an Ivy League School, Yale does not give academic or athletic scholarships. Financial aid is based on need. Pound for pound and inch for inch, the Bulldogs got one of the most unheralded, underrated talents in the East Bay. A diamond in the rough, perhaps.

No, Wes Moyer isn’t a big guy. But he has miles and miles and miles of heart.

Mater Dei-Santa Ana’s Matt Barkley, already considered the gem of the 2009 crop of California high school football players, has decided to go to USC according to Scouts Inc’s Tom Luginbill. Check out the article here.

So, why does this matter to anyone here? Well, in doing my research for the Centennial-De La Salle game this past season, I spoke with Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson and he had nothing but good things to say about his junior signal-caller. Barkley was thought of highly enough to be named the Junior of the Year by CalHiSports.com. He was named as the first team QB on CalHiSports.com’s all-state football team, putting him ahead of heralded senior recruit Dayne Crist of Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks (ironically, Crist picked Notre Dame as his college of choice).

Barkley is a five-star recruit according to Rivals.com. Rivals lists Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Hawaii, Cal, Colorado, Florida State, Notre Dame and Ohio State as the schools Barkley had to choose from. Simply put, if you’re into high school football, you’ll be hearing this name a lot next season.