Topic: News: David Garcia Lifts Big + Pushes Big Men Off the Ball

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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David Garcia Lifts Big + Pushes Big Men off the Ball
By Will McCulloch

This is not another David Henderson story. This is one about the guys who look up from the mud after throwing blocks to see the tail end of one of his 50-yard touchdown runs.

Henderson rushed for 2,161 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in Lincoln High's run to a second straight San Francisco Section championship, but two undersized Lincoln seniors have defined the character of the Mustangs' two championship squads -- on both sides of the ball.

David Garcia is a 5-foot-9, 190-pound nose guard/offensive lineman. Phillippe Lewis is a 5-8, 185-pound fullback/linebacker. When the duo lines up against a physically imposing McClymonds squad in the inaugural Transbay Championship on Friday, it's safe to assume neither player will be intimidated. Garcia, you see, is used to heavy lifting, and Lewis is a three-year varsity player who made 131 tackles in 11 games this season.

"David is as consistent as the day is long," Lincoln coach Phil Ferrigno said. "And Phillippe is more of a quiet leader. He's been in our offense and defense for four years, and knows how to put people in position."

Garcia is also Ferrigno's example during academic pep talks. With a grade-point average just under 4.0 and impressive standardized test scores, he is awaiting word from Stanford on his early-acceptance application.

His achievement in the classroom is surpassed only by his other passion outside of football: competitive weightlifting. Under the guidance of assistant coach Kevin Doherty, Garcia has won a gold medal at the 17-and-under National Weightlifting Championships and a silver medal at the 17-and-under Pan-American Games in Ecuador in the 187-pound weight class.

According to Doherty, personal bests of 258 pounds in the snatch and 318 in the clean-and-jerk make Garcia a possibility for the 2012 Olympic Games if he continues to improve.

Garcia's work in the weight room has proved invaluable as a right guard on the offensive line and in his role at the center of Lincoln's defense.

"It's made me very explosive," said Garcia, who also runs a 4.6 in the 40. "It helps me beat the big guys off the ball and drive them without giving them a chance to use their size."

Lewis was passionate about the linebacker position from his early days playing Pop Warner for his father. And when he arrived at Lincoln, he absorbed the teachings of assistant coach John Baxter, who passed away in the spring.

"He's very instinctive," Ferrigno said. "but he's also had some good coaching with coach Baxter and now coach (Damon) Keeve."

On offense, Lewis has cleared the way for Henderson as his lead blocker, and has rushed for 624 yards and eight touchdowns of his own.

Lewis hasn't merely blocked for Henderson. He also has served as a big brother of sorts, taxiing the running back to and from practices.

Henderson appreciates the gesture and knows Garcia, Lewis and the rest of his blockers will bring the same effort they have all season against a dynamic McClymonds defense.

"They're not that big physically," Henderson said, "but when it comes to pushing, they're 300 pounds, 9-feet tall, walking through the jungle, men of steel."