Dejon Gomes goes in the 5th round out of the University of Nebraska.

By Kyle Bonagura | Email the author | April 30, 2011

Former James Logan High football star Dejon “D.J.” Gomes is headed to the National Football League.

Gomes, a safety who graduated from Logan in 2007, was drafted with the 15th pick of the fifth round by the Washington Redskins — one round after Washington took University of Nebraska teammate and San Ramon Valley High productRoy Helu.

“Coach (Mike) Shanahan gave me a call and said, ‘Congrats you’re a Redskin,” said Gomes, who flew back to the Bay Area from Nebraska for the weekend. “I talked to the defensive coordinator and a couple of the other coaches on staff.”

Listed as a safety, Gomes started all 14 of Nebraska’s games this and was named twice named Honorable Mention All-Big 12. He was second on the Huskers with 99 tackles this year and finished his two-year career with seven interceptions and five forced fumbles.

“I knew I had a chance to go (in the draft) from the fifth round and on … and it played out that way,” Gomes said. “It’s definitely a dream come true and I’ve made every step from when I was 9 years old. From Pop Warner to high school, to junior college, to D-I and now this.”

Gomes will return to Lincoln, Neb., this week where he’ll take his final exams then graduate with with a degree in psychology on Saturday.

He said he wasn’t sure what the next steps would be football-wise due to the NFL lockout.

“A lot of the (draft analysts) were projecting him to be a free agent, but the NFL is looking for good character guys,” Logan coach George Zuber said. “We were keeping our fingers crossed.”

After missing his junior year at Logan with a broken foot, Gomes flew under the radar of Division-I recruiters. In his senior year, Zuber’s first at Logan, he developed into a feared running back and physical safety.

“Playing at Logan was amazing just because we were known for having one of hte better programs in the area,” Gomes said. “At the games on Friday nights we had one of the best bands in the nation and pretty much the whole town came out. It was a great feeling.”

But despite running for about 1,200 yards and playing a key role on defense, it wasn’t enough to create much buzz on the recruiting front and Gomes ended up moving on to nearby City College of San Francisco, where he starred for two seasons.

Gomes will join a Redskins team that finished 6-10 last year.

By Pierre Bautista | Email the author | November 13, 2010

The Star: Miles Long scored three touchdowns and ran 172 yards (9.0 yards per carry) for a Logan team that dominated the line of scrimmage en route to official domination of the Mission Valley Athletic League with its second straight championship.

The Turning Point: Up 7-0 and driving inside the Washington 20, the Colts failed to convert the drive for points. But a Logan fumble recovery paved the way for a Long touchdown run and a two-score lead. The first two Logan scores in the game were capitalizing turnovers.

The Quote: “We can get much further than (the MVAL Championship),” said Long, who also was one of five sophomores starting on defense.

What’s Next: Logan finds out who and where they will play in the first round of the North Coast Section Division I playoffs. First-round games are scheduled for both Nov. 20 and 19

Bottom Line: Washington brought a vaunted passing attack to this highly-antcipated matchup, but were unable to get on the field. In the first half, Logan dominated time of possession 18 minutes to Washington’s six. By the time the Huskies passing game got into ryhthm, the Colts running game had controlled the game and the damage had been done.

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James Logan High came into the season young, but as the Mission Valley Athletic League  season had reached its final chapter — a meeting against fellow undefeated Washington for the Pop Gould trophy and league title  — the Colts showed they’ve ripened.

In the MVAL season finale, it was the James Logan Show for the second-straight season as it defeated the visiting Huskies 28-6.

The victory caps off an undefeated league record of (8-2, 6-0 MVAL) and puts the Colts, ranked No. 8 in the Patch.com North Coast Section Division I Rankings, in a position to host a first-round game for the NCS Championships.

Two first-half fumble recoveries were the catalyst for the first two Colts scores for the game. The turnovers also gave Logan the ball — a lot.

The first fumble recovery came on a muffed Washington (5-5 overall, 5-1 MVAL) punt which gave them the ball inside the Husky 30-yard line. By the time sophomore quarterback Ryan Bua snuck the ball in for a one-yard touchdown to give Logan a 7-0 lead, the Washington had gone six minutes, 30 seconds without an offensive snap.

A three-and-out by Washington forced the Huskies to punt the ball, but placed the Colts in disfavorable field position, starting at their own one-yard line. On the strength of running game with the sophomore duo of Damond Beasley and Miles Long, the Colts bullied their way to scoring position. The Huskies defense held fort and a missed field goal gave Washington a chance to tie the game.

But once again, the Colts defense stopped momentum by recovering a Husky fumble at the Washington 33-yard line.

A one-yard Long touchdown run gave Logan a 14-0 lead and the game’s momentum had clearly swung toward’s the Colts.

“We have five sophomores on defense, three of them defensive back,” Logan coach George Zuber said. “And the defense put together a great performance. They played their butts off. They gang-tackled a lot and they were physical.”

The Colts defense limited Washington to just 57 total offensive yards in the first half. Their running game, led by Long’s 172 yards and three touchdowns, kept the Logan offense on the field for a whopping 18 minutes compared to Washington’s six.

Washington scored a touchdown on Deandre Carter’s two-yard run. Carter led all players with 83 yards on 12 receptions.

“The coaches pumped us up and got us into it on defense,” said sophomore defensive lineman Jihad Sharif. Sharif had two sacks on the game.

“We have to thank the coaches,” Logan quarterback Jeffrey Prothro added. “They got us prepared and we executed their gameplan.”

Now Logan prepares for whatever the NCS gives it in the first round of the tournament.

“We’ll see what happens,” Zuber said. “In this tournament, you never know. A 13th seed might be better than a fourth seed. But we’re happy about the league championship.”

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James Logan 28, Washington 6

Washington 0   0  0    6  — 6

James Logan 7   14   0   7  — 28

Scoring summary:

5:30, 1st – JL — Bua 1 run (Ulloa kick)

7:10, 2nd – JL — Long 1 run (Ulloa kick)

0:53,2nd – JL — Long 35 run (Ulloa kick)

8:39, 4th – W — Carter 2 run (kick failed)

8:27, 4th – JL — Long 51 run (Ulloa kick)

Individual statistics

Rushing (car-yards): Selles 14-74, W –Singh 8-47, Schech 3-6, Carter 1-2. Totals 26-129. JL – Long 19-172, Beasley 13-89, Prothro 2-8, Aleem 2-8, Bell 1-1. Totals 35-270.

Passing (comp-att-yards-int): W – 22-31-159-1. JL – Prothro 1-6-22-0, Bua 0-1-0-0.

Receiving (rec-yards): W – Carter 12-83, Chapman 6-44, Jennings 4-43, Long 2-11, Ayad 1-17. JL – Jones 1-22.

Team offense (rushing-passing-total)

W – 129-159-188

JL – 270-22-292

Fumbles/lost: Washington 2/2; Logan 1/1.

Records: Washington 5-5 (5-1 MVAL); Logan 8-2 (6-0 MVAL).

James Logan 32, Newark Memorial 6

The Star: Miles Long capped off a 241-yard, one-touchdown rushing performance with an interception return for a touchdown on defense to all but seal the victory for Logan

The Turning Point: Holding onto a one-point lead, Logan looked at a third-and-17 at its own 31-yard line. With a loud Newark home crowd to deal with, Colts quarterback Jeffrey Prothro evaded two rushers and found a wide-open J.J. Jones who broke for a 25-yard gain and first down. The drive culminated with a 59-yard Damond Beasley touchdown run that was the first score of 25 unanswered points to close out the game.

The Quote: “Our team grew up tonight,” Logan coach George Zuber said.

What’s Next: In a game to determine the Mission Valley Athletic League title, the Colts host Washington on Friday, Nov. 12.

Bottom Line: This young Logan team did not let its youth and inexperience get in the way of victory. Newark Memorial kept swinging and at one point the Colts looked overwhelmed, but Zuber’s squad kept its composure and closed out the game in a big way. Their reward: Washington in a battle of undefeated teams in MVAL play.

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In the three games previous to their matchup against host Newark Memorial High on Friday night,James Logan had outscored its opponents 156-7. The Colts, who are ranked No. 8 in the Patch.com North Coast Section Division I rankings, a team that featured an all-sophomore backfield as starters, headed into the game with swagger.

And then Newark Memorial punched the Colts in the face.

But with their backs against the wall, the Colts did not fold. They regained their composure and fought back to the tune of 25-unanswered second-half points in they 32-6 victory over Newark.

The win sets up a matchup of two Mission Valley Athletic League undefeated team next week as the Colts (7-2 overall, 5-0 MVAL) host Washington to determine the league championship.

“This is what we needed,” James Logan coach George Zuber said. “After three weeks of lopsided victories, we needed a dogfight. And that’s what we got.”

After Newark scored on a 72-yard Chris Reams touchdown reception from Nick Pohndorf in the third quarter to cut the Logan lead 7-6, it looked as if the Cougars were poised for the upset.

On the ensuing Logan possession, the Colts faced third-and-17 on its own 16 yard line. Sophomore quarterback Jeffrey Prothro took the snap under center, evaded two pass rushers and darted the ball to wide reciever J.J. Jones who ran 25 yards for a first down and re-took the momentum Newark Memorial seemed to have a grasp on.

Sophomore Damond Beasley finished the drive off with a 59-yard touchdown run to give Logan breathing room for a 14-6 lead. Newark never got any closer.

Beasley (116 yards, two touchdowns) and Miles Long (241 yards, one offensive touchdown) paced a Logan running attack that finished with 401 yards.

“We just had to come back and fight hard,” Beasley said. “We knew we (couldn’t) give up.”

Added Long: “You think you’re ahead and you got it under control, but then you let them score and you just can’t let up.”

Long capped off his big offensive performance with a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown as the final points of Logan’s 18-point fourth quarter.

“There was a lot of chirping (in the first half),” said Zuber, whose team looked to be out of sorts inside raucous enemy territory. “But we told them at halftime, don’t get your feathers ruffled and to stay composed and that’s what they did. We grew up tonight.”

In the first quarter, Logan looked to be in domination mode early as 66-yard Damond Beasley return on the opening kickoff set up a 19-yard Miles Long touchdown. But it was all the Cougars (4-5 overall, 2-3 MVAL) gave them in the first half.

Costly Logan penalties and a Nick Pohndorf interception had the Newark knocking inside the Logan 20-yard line, but the Colts defense stepped up and allowed zero points. With under a minute left in the first half and Newark Memorial 18 yards away from the end zone, Logan rifled off three straight sacks, with Bobby House providing the exclamation mark with a 4th-down sack to end the half and give the Colts momentum for the third quarter.