Earlier this year, Christian Brothers football coach Andre Johansen was looking to fill an Oct. 18 open date.
On the Sac-Joaquin Section's Web-site he saw that Samuel Hancock Christian of Stockton was looking for a game the same week.
"So I e-mailed them and they responded," Johansen said.
But today's 1 p.m. game at Christian Brothers (4-1) will be more intriguing and mysterious than Johansen could have ever imagined.
Hancock, since renamed Stallworth Academy (3-1), has at least eight players on its 18-man Maxpreps.com roster who played last season at Franklin of Stockton, the renegade program that had to forfeit all its games and was put on probation after an extensive investigation by the section found the use of ineligible players.
In its first season of football, Stallworth is already a formidable and controversial program, although it isn't a member of a league and has has only six games listed on its schedule.
The Eagles have beaten Monterey and Bay Area teams Piedmont and Acalanes of Lafayette in one-sided games and lost late to Granada of Livermore, a team that plays in the same league as national power De La Salle of Concord.
At least three schools, Carmel, East Union of Manteca and Cristo Rey of Sacramento have dropped the Eagles from their schedules.
Athletic directors and coaches at those schools have either complained about being mislead initially about the quality of Stallworth's team or the inability to reach school officials to firm up details.
Johansen had no such thoughts, even though he said on Thursday that Stallworth officials weren't returning calls, and he had to get game tape of the Eagles from "an independent source."
Sam Fant is listed on Maxpreps.com as the coach but rumors have circulated that former Franklin coach Tom Verner, who resigned amid the controversy last season, may have a hand in guiding the team.
Johansen has heard those rumors, too, put isn't worried one way or the other.
"We just look at it as another football game, a chance to prepare for our league," Johansen said. "We're looking forward to a tough football game."
