By John Devine
 SALINAS - Before the first practice in August, Carl Richardson put his future on hold.

 The Salinas quarterback told colleges he wanted to focus on the senior season -- even left an offer on the table from Washington State that was eventually pulled.

 It wasn't so much that Richardson was gambling on himself as it was he wanted to enjoy the moment -- his final run as a high school football player.

 "I didn't worry about what could happen," Richardson said. "The main focus for me coming into the year was whatever it took to win on Friday nights. Playing as a brotherhood really paid off."

 Richardson left his stamp on the Cowboys program, walking out of 'The Pit' as the all-time leader in touchdown passes and yards -- accomplished in just 22 games.

 His single season school record 34 touchdown passes this past year, along with 2,985 passing yards catapulted him to The Herald's Offensive Player of the Year.

 "I've never seen anyone handle pressure the way he does," Salinas coach Steve Zenk said. "And he was under an incredible amount of pressure. He's the best quarterback Salinas has ever had."

 Richardson's 34 touchdown passes, which is the second most in county history behind Carmel's Ken Johnston's 35 in 2008, only enhanced his resume

 UCLA paid him two visits on campus and Boise State flew him in for a visit after the season. Several other Division I programs, including Colorado State and Yale, spoke with Richardson.

 The 6-foot-4 Richardson has planned for this moment. He will graduate at the semester and enroll at the college of his choice to get a jump start on learning a new system.

 "It will be hard leaving early," Richardson said. "These are people that I will remember for the rest of my life. I've grown up with my teammates. But it's a huge advantage to get into spring ball."

 Richardson's decision not to let recruiting distract him during the season enabled him to be a kid on the field -- be just another teammate for the Gabilan Division champions.

 "He wanted to be a great teammate and play for his friends," Zenk said. "I do not know if I would've been that good about it at 17. In fact, I know I wouldn't have."

 Richardson took Salinas into uncharted waters with the programs third straight league title -- the first time in the modern era that the feat had been accomplished in 100 years.

 "He did a good job of remaining humble and keeping the focus on the team and not him," Zenk said. "It was hard to give him a compliment. It was always about his teammates."

 Richardson put together an impressive resume, combining for 41 touchdowns in 11 games this past fall, even catching a touchdown pass.

 During the off-season, he worked on his mechanics with former Patriots quarterback Matt Gutierrez, slightly changing the delivery of  his release, which gave him more velocity and a tighter spiral.

 "He had made some mechanical changes," Richardson said. "I jumped at the opportunity. I had more velocity with the football. He quickened my throwing motion."

 Richardson also got into the weight room over the summer with Salinas' strength coach, adding 15 pounds of muscle to his 205 frame, while improving his speed.

 "The ball just jumped out of his hand," Zenk said. "He made quicker decisions, good decisions. The ball was coming out of his hands a quarter of a second faster than last year."

 Richardson cut his interception total from his junior year in half, while throwing 12 more touchdown passes in one less game.

 "I feel as a quarterback I can make all the throws and extend the plays out of the pocket," Richardson said. "You know what really helped me was basketball."

 Richardson was projected to start this year for the Cowboys basketball team, but informed his coach of his decision to leave school early, not wanting to start a season and not finish it.

 "It would not be fair to my teammates to leave at mid-season," said Richardson, who was among the team leaders in rebounds last year. "That was hard."

 Where Richardson enhanced his stock during the season came with his legs, as he rushed for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns.

 "It was something he really wanted to improve on," Zenk said. "There were games where we did not want him running the ball. He had some moves. He looked like a real runner."

 It was his arm, though, that lit up the evening sky, promoting college scouts to show up at a handful of games or practices this fall for Salinas.

 Of Richardson 34 touchdown passes this past season, 15 were of 35 yards or longer, as he displayed a nice deep touch with his throws.

 "It's all about the offensive line giving me time to throw and my receivers making plays," insisted the 17-year-old Richardson. "JJ (Chin) and Cade (Smith) made some great catches."

 Brought up as sophomore, Richardson watched Brett Reade take Salinas to a section title. Growing up, he talked about quarterbacks Matt Castaneda and Zach McDermott.

 "To be in the same conversation with those guys is an honor," Richardson said. "I watched all three tear it up. The records are neat. What I'll remember is how close this team was."

 Walking off the field for the final time at 'The Pit' was surreal. It didn't end how Richardson or his teammates envisioned. Turning in uniforms came about three week early.

 "I just looked around, thinking and saying I'm never going to play on this field or with my teammates again," Richardson said. "We put in a ton of work in the off season. I tried to cherish every moment."

 Richardson pondered for a minute a moment that stood out. He thought about the title clinching win in Aptos, the loss to Clovis. Then it became obvious.

 "Beating Palma," said Richardson, whose brother Jack went to Palma. "A fourth quarter comeback. Driving 77 yards at 'The Pit', in front of 4,000 people. You can't write the script any better."

By John Devine

 SEASIDE: The minute the 2018 season ended, Kefu Leander made it a point to make sure his senior season wouldn't have the same dreadful result.

 For those that were coming back this past fall, Leander and some of his teammates wanted to set a different tone, create a new vibe at Seaside, that the effort wasn't acceptable.

 "We hit the weight room the following Monday," Leander said. "We created a different mindset. It was new leadership. I don't know if everyone was locked in my junior year. We learned from it."

 Leander became a disruptive force on both sides of the ball, forcing opponents to design a game plan to avoid the 278-pound defensive tackle at all costs.

 Setting the tone with his ferocious play and pure dominance, Leander was named The Herald's All-County Defensive Player of the Year.
 "No one could handle him," Seaside coach Al Avila said. "No one could block him. He'd put you on your back or knock you off the ball. He dominated both sides of the ball."
 Having transferred to Seaside after sophomore season, Leander had not really hit a weight room or spent much time on developing technique until his arrival.

  "He was like a street baller," Avila said. "No technique. Big and out of shape. He realized he had all this talent and brute strength. But he didn't know what it was like to work and lift."

 Leander was pushing 335 pounds during his junior year. Before the start of his senior season, he had trimmed down to 300 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame.

 Yet, as the season progressed, Leander dropped 25 more pounds solely on work ethics, gaining more explosiveness while not losing any strength.

 "I wanted to get faster, be more explosive and stay strong at the same time," Leander said. "I pushed myself. I didn't even realize I was that light."

 Opponents did as Leander exploded off the ball, blowing past double teams, stripping an opponent of the inside run.

 "I get off the ball quick and utilize my strength," Leander said. "I got double teamed a lot. I tried to knock them back. I fight with my hands and pull them off."

 The 6 a.m. workouts in the weight room took some time to get used to. It was part of the maturation process for the 17-year-old, who had relied solely on his rare talent and size.

 "I had to come in more hungry," Leander said. "I was not used to getting up that early and working out. Practices were much more intense."

 Leander played with an edge this past season. The determination to erase a 1-9 season never left his mind -- or his teammates.

 "He had to learn structure," Avila said. "We started from the ground up. He didn't know how to work. But he was willing to work. He was sucking wind. But he worked so hard. It was a blessing."

 Leander seldom came off the field during the Spartans march to a share of the Mission Division title. He created havoc for a defense that recorded three shutouts, holding eight teams to 14 points or less.

 Leander's sack numbers don't justify his dominance. He struck fear into quarterbacks when charging towards them, while runners met a wall when running into the Mission Division Player of the Year.

 "I tried not to have in my head that people could not stop me," Leander said. "That's when you slip up. I didn't take any opponent lightly."

 Avila called Leander's first two steps off the ball some of the quickest he's seen in his 30 plus years of coaching at Seaside.

 "He's not just strong and aggressive," Avila said. "He explodes off the ball. He beats opponents off the ball with those first two steps. He has that leverage coming after you."

 And a frame that have colleges eying him. San Jose State brought him up for a visit earlier this month. Hawaii has also expressed interest.

 "In my mind, I have to get better with my technique, with my hand placement," Leander said. "I feel my quickness and strength will continue to get better as time goes on."

 While Leander has his eyes on being a defensive lineman in college, he hasn't ruled out playing on the offensive side if an offer were to come in that direction.

 "I think he's the best offensive lineman in the county," Avila said. "He flat backs people. I see him on the offensive side. He's just a monster on both sides of the ball."

 While clinching the title with an overtime win over Monte Vista was fresh in Leander's mind, beating defending state champion Bishop O'Dowd was a keepsake moment for the program.

 It set the tone for a 9-1 regular season, a complete reversal from a 1-9 season during Leander's junior year. Beating Bishop O'Dowd also provided a rare charge up the hill next to the stadium. 

 "We were so locked in," Leander said. "I remember running up that hill after beating them. We were gassed. It's a tradition. But that only happens on special moments."