Richmond High football coach Jeff Tyner thought his team was on the verge of contention.
Last week his team hosted Alameda. A win and the Oilers could have moved as high as second place in the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League.
Richmond lost, 56-0.
“We’re not quite there yet,” Tyner said.
At Richmond, and ACCAL rival De Anza, it may as well be next season. While De Anza has two games to play, Richmond plays its final game tonight, closing the book on a tough season with a young roster.
De Anza (0-8 overall, 0-4 ACCAL) plays at Hercules (2-6, 0-4), while Richmond (3-6, 2-3) is at Pinole Valley (5-2, 2-2). Both games are at 7 p.m.
The Bay Football League’s Salesian (7-1, 4-0), which won the regular-season title last week, has a non-league game at Tomales (6-2) at 7:30 p.m.
Tyner said his players are trying real hard. Problem is, most are underclassmen and not as strong or fast as their opponents. Also, he said a lot of the upperclassmen have gotten used to losing after the Oilers went 2-18 over the past two seasons.
“Once we were scored upon, (some of the upperclassmen’s) heads would be slumped like, ‘Here we go again,’” Tyner said. “A lot of the younger guys were leading the way.”
Tyner said he wants to reward some of his younger players with more playing time in this game. He said receiver Isaiah Brown, a freshman who practiced with varsity but played on the JV team, is a future star.
“He’s got size and speed,” Tyner said of Brown, who is 5-foot-10, 170 pounds. “He’s looking good.”
Tyner, on on-campus Richmond police officer, said he plans on watching his players closely between the end of this season and the beginning of next.
“I can keep an eye out, make sure they go to study hall,” he said, “and stay consistent with their off-season workout program.”
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