The best example of what kind of player Blake Renaud is came
after his De La Salle High football team won the California
Interscholastic Federation Open Division championship game
against Crenshaw-Los Angeles.  As the Spartans posed for a team
photo, Renaud stood off to the side, hesitant to join the fray.
Several coaches implored him to join in, to which Renaud
responded quickly.  "I've still got one more to go," Renaud told
his coaches before joining the group.  It is that determination
that made Renaud, only a junior, the driving force for the De La
Salle defense this year. And now, for helping to lead his team
to the state title, the Spartans middle linebacker has been
voted the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Defensive Player of the
Year.  Pegged with immense talent last year when he started as a
sophomore, the bumps he experienced in 2008 became a boon in
2009, as the game began to slow down. His standout junior season
culminated with a 10-tackle performance in the CIF title game.
"There were some growi