College football scout Gary Howard singles out the Empire?s top football prospects

Howard mentioned three other players ? Sonoma linebacker Mike Mulas, Casa wide receiver Matt Nadolski, Windsor defensive end Cory Langhals ? as college material and worth watching. But Mulas is recovering from a knee injury, Nadolski is interested in playing baseball and Langhals is talented, emerging but still an unknown quantity.

?What makes this group really interesting to me,? Howard said of the Super Six, ?is that all of them were on my radar last year as juniors. Yet all of them have stepped it up and are playing better now.?

Which, said Howard, happens so frequently with kids between their junior and senior years. Young bodies develop. As they are prone to do, teenagers surprise people and it?s difficult not to notice, especially if they weigh 310 pounds.

For more on North Bay high school sports go to Bob Padecky?s blog at padecky@pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Bob Padecky at 521-5490 or bob.padecky@pressdemocrat.com.