Little Acorns sprout into NFL giants
By Eliav [email protected]
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN CLEATS—Zach Charbonnet, left, sacks Westlake QB Jake Kaplinski for Oaks Christian High’s football team on Nov. 3, 2017. Charbonnet, a Camarillo native, is a second-year NFL running back with the Seattle Seahawks. ROB VARELA/Acorn Newspapers
The NFL, America’s most popular pro sports league, kicks off a new football season this week.
Legends of Acorn country are ready to rumble, while the head coach of Southern California’s least popular team (the con artists formerly known as the San Diego Spanos Meat Muppets), Jim “Cheats in Khakis” Harbaugh, devises new ways to fish with dynamite.
It’s go time.
Alex Singleton, the biggest mensch in the Conejo Valley, is also one of the NFL’s best linebackers. Singleton, a Thousand Oaks High graduate, is a huge advocate for Special Olympics and runs camps for kids at his old stomping grounds. Singleton recorded a career-high 177 tackles last season, a Denver Broncos team record. He broke the Philadelphia Eagles’ single-season record for tackles with 137 stops in 2021.
The Los Angeles Rams no longer practice in Thousand Oaks—they train in Woodland Hills—but local fans cheer for Rams tight end Colby Parkinson. The Simi Valley man starred on the football field at Oaks Christian, and he signed a three-year contract with the Rams in March after toiling with the Seattle Seahawks in his first four pro seasons.
Drake London of Moorpark is primed for a breakout third season with the Atlanta Falcons. The wide receiver had 69 receptions for 902 yards and two touchdowns in 2023, and that was a quiet year by London’s standards. Barring injuries, Acorn Sports Island will be stunned if the Falcon does not rack up at least 110 catches, 1,200 receiving yards, double-digit touchdowns and Pro Bowl honors.
Michael Pittman Jr. of Oaks Christian, a fifth-year pro for the Indianapolis Colts, had 109 receptions for 1,152 yards and four scores last season. He’s a Pro Bowl caliber wide receiver.
Camarillo’s Zach Charbonnet, who played at Oaks Christian, is a second-year running back for the Seahawks. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry with zero fumbles on 108 carries, 462 yards and one touchdown as a 2023 rookie.
Darnay Holmes, who graduated from Calabasas after stints with Newbury Park and Oaks Christian, enters his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Holmes, a cornerback with two interceptions last fall, spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants. The Giants play in New Jersey, not New York.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, who had 11 ½ sacks for the Giants last year, is a third-year outside linebacker from Oaks Christian.
Bryan Anger of Camarillo is a Pro Bowl and All-Pro punter for the Dallas Cowboys. The 35-year-old is in his 13th NFL season. He averaged a career-best 51.4 yards per punt last year.
Patrick Mekari of Westlake is a sixth-year veteran offensive lineman with the Baltimore Ravens.
Michael Wilson, a Simi Valley native who prepped at Chaminade of West Hills, is a receiver for the Arizona Cardinals. Receiver Andre Baccellia of Westlake is on the Cardinals’ practice squad.
Super Bowl champion quarterback Ryan Griffin (Westlake native/Chaminade grad) is a first-year offensive assistant coach with the Chicago Bears.
Au revoir, Spanos Meat Muppets.
