El Monte OC Brian Tabatabai & quarterback Brandon Martinez
“Do you think it’s going to work Joe?”
“Best thing for a sportswriter to do is to keep his mouth shut,” said MVS Editor Joe Torosian when the question was put to him.
When El Monte revealed what it was going to be doing on offense this season Joe T. didn’t say anything. Area coaches told The MID that they thought it was crazy and that it would all come back to bite them in the tail before the season was over.
After twelve games and a season as unique as any other, going back to 1930, two things proved true: Sportswriters know very little and nothing swam back to bite the Lions in the tail in the fall of 2012.
Tabatabai concocted an offense that made punts as rare as UFO sightings and point after kicks non-existent.
Unofficially (we welcome the correction) the Lions scored 63 touchdowns this season and converted 37 two point conversions…and they had a kicker. The philosophy was to keep the pressure on and that’s what Tabatabai’s offense did in a record shattering year.
Fourth and nine, fourth and 12, from their own 29…no problem. They went for it.
“Your thought is always to hold for three plays and get off the field, but not with these guys,” said Montebello DC Brian Zavala…as did a number of other area coaches.
The dividends of this generational team were big. The school’s best season since winning CIF in 1930. A share of the Mission Valley League title for the first time since 1979. The most prolific passing/offensive season since 1979. The greatest season of any quarterback in school history. Arguably the greatest season any receiver has had in school history.
The snapping of a 21 year losing streak to Arroyo… The list goes on and on.
“I think they are too small up front,” Joe T. April, 2012. “I think Brandon Martinez might be running for his life all season.”
“He (pointing at Joe T.) doesn’t think you’re good enough,” Tabatabai said to his offensive line in an early August workout.
He’s young, but if he never coaches again 2012 will forever be remembered as Tabatabai’s masterpiece.
For right now…this is the picture we are going to use. It fits.
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Northeast Newcomer of the Year: Nordhoff’s Taylor Livingston
Southeast Newcomer of the Year: Downey’s Justin Huff
Mid-Valley Newcomer of the Year: Sierra Canyon’s Isaiah Renfro
Northwest DC of The Year: Nordhoff’s Cliff Farrar
Southeast DC of the Year: La Serna’s Margarito Beltran
Mid-Valley DC of the Year: Northview’s Marcel Perez
Northwest OC of the Year: La Salle’s Russell Gordon
Southeast OC of the Year: Norwalk’s Jessie Ceniceros
Mid-Valley OC of the Year: El Monte’s Brian Tabatabai
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Other release Dates:
Northwest Coach of the Year—January 3
Southeast Coach of the Year—January 4
Mid-Valley Coach of the Year—January 6
Northwest Player of the Year—January 7
Southeast Player of the Year—January 8
Mid-Valley Player of the Year—January 9
Northwest Most Valuable Player—January 10
Southeast Most Valuable Player—January 11
Mid-Valley Most Valuable Player—January 12
All Northwest Team—January 13
All Southeast Team—January 14
All Mid-Valley Team—January 15
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