The lineage of highly productive quarterbacks whom San Ramon Valley-Danville coach Aaron Becker has developed is impressive.
The 14th-year head coach was an assistant coach at the turn of the century, and before that he was a San Ramon Valley and college quarterback. Among his prized pupils were Sam Keller (class of 2003), Corbin Louks (2007), Joe Southwick (2009) - all of whom eventually played professionally - along with college QBs Zach Kline (Cal, Fresno State), Cameron Birse (Murray State) and the Baker brothers Zack, Clark and most recently Luke, who is now playing at John Hopkins University.
None of those quarterbacks ever started a season with 21 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
But current Wolves signal-caller Cole Dawes has done that in 2026 and not coincidentally, San Ramon Valley is perfect also, with a 7-0 mark. The Wolves head into Friday's Bay Area Game of the Week at No. 1 and seemingly unbeatable De La Salle-Concord, also 7-0.
Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m.
Dawes, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior, probably needs to play close to perfectly if the Wolves, ranked No. 15 in the state by Sports Illustrated, expect to end one of the state's most impressive unbeaten streaks. De La Salle, ranked No. 3 in California and No. 17 in the country, hasn't lost to a North Coast Section opponent since 1991, a span of 286 games (285-0-1).
Considering the Wolves have outscored opponents 329-55, and junior tailback Owen Power has rushed for 876 yards and 15 touchdowns, Dawes hasn't had to throw more than 21 times in any game, which he did last week in a 49-7 win over Amador Valley-Pleasanton. He completed 15 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
For the season, he's 79 of 103 (77%) for 1,397 yards. Among his efficient games, he's gone 6-for-6 (54-13 win over Enochs), 18-for-19 (42-7 over Clovis North) and 10-for-11 (42-7 over Livermore).
"He is really playing fantastic, but it's not surprising," Becker said of Dawes, who is also a college baseball prospect as a second baseman. "He's worked very hard and prepared himself for the success. He knows the offense inside and out and played one step ahead of the defenses all season."
Getting ahead of the speed and physicality of De La Salle will be a whole different challenge. They're coming off back-to-back shutouts over state No. 23 Cathedral Catholic-San Diego (42-0) and last week to Monte Vista (51-0), another Danville team that entered 7-0.
De La Salle played that game without its top two junior recruits, linebacker-tight end Landon Miller and wide receiver-safety Damari Dean, who have practiced all week and are expected to start.
Dawes "is having an incredible year," De La Salle head coach Justin Alumbaugh said. "Their whole team is, because it's an impressive team. Good lines and skill positions. (Power) runs really hard and has good speed. They are a complete team, no doubt."
But so is Monte Vista, and that score was 44-0 in the second quarter when a running clock began. The difference surely is San Ramon Valley's depth, with a 54-person roster, including four-star tackle Aden Owolabi (6-6, 280), Oklahoma-bound wide receiver Colton Fitzgibbon (17 catches, 358 yards, seven TDs) and junior cornerback Dietrick Burks, who has offers from Cal, North Carolina and Oregon State.
Everything around the offense revolves around the calm and collected Dawes, who Becker said leads by example.
"Nothing fazes him," Becker said. "He reminds me of Joe Montana, cool in the big moments."
A Montana-type performance might be in order for the Wolves, who 10 years ago played the Spartans even but missed a late extra point in a 28-27 defeat, one of 22 straight to De La Salle since 2006. Last season the scores were 42-0 and 56-7.
"Our kids know what they're getting themselves into," Becker said. "There's no mystery. It's an honor and a tremendous challenge."
Other top games
(all 7 p.m. Friday unless noted)
Benicia (5-2) at Campolindo-Moraga (4-3):
Milpitas (6-1) at Carlmont-Belmont (5-2):
No. 5 Pittsburg (4-3) at Deer Valley-Antioch (5-2): Another turnaround program, the host Wolverines responded to back-to-back losses with a 63-0 victory last week at first-year program Emerald-Dublin behind freshman RB Isaiah Piper (189 yards, three touchdowns). Since a big upset loss to Los Gatos (28-27), the Pirates have rattled off wins over Liberty-Brentwood (41-19) and Freedom-Oakley (44-0), both games without top junior quarterback prospect JaVale Jones, who is no longer on the Pittsburg roster. Asked to clarify, Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez said, "I can't comment on specific student matters out of respect for their privacy. Our focus remains on support for our student-athletes and preparing for this week's opponent." In Jones' place, sophomore Ahsoni Seals (35 of 61, 426 yards, 6 touchdowns) has been the starter.
No. 9 St. Ignatius (6-1) at No. 2 Serra (6-1), 1 p.m. Saturday:
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Bay Area high school football games of the week: SRV's near-perfect QB faces De La Salle.