Section925's SportsCentury Top 100 Bay Area Athletes of All-Time (#99 Eric Carrie)
/The famed McKeon Pavilion in Moraga California. Site of many Section925 SportsCentury defining moments.
Welcome to Section925’s SportsCentury Top 100 Bay Area Athletes of All-Time. In this exclusive series, we will be counting down the best amateur athletes in Bay Area history from 100 to 1. We will be exploring the careers and achievements of high school and college athletes from around the area to come up with Section925’s Top 100 list. To nominate your favorite athlete, make sure to leave us a comment or send us an e-mail and have your opinion heard!
# 99: Eric Carrie
By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com
Coming in at #99 on Section925’s SportsCentury Top 100 Athletes of All-Time is Eric Carrie. Carrie did not attend Orinda Intermediate School, but was attracted to the rolling hills and bright lights of Miramonte High School by the time he reached his later teen years. By the time he graduated, he was known as one of the all-time greats in the area.
Carrie figured he could throw his career into high gear by signing on to play for legendary coach Floyd Burnsed and boy was he ever correct. Traditionally a pass first offense, Carrie quickly provided a new dynamic to the Matadors from the running back position, turning in dominant performances virtually every Friday night in Contra Costa County.
At 5’11”, 190, Carrie was built like a bull and played with reckless abandon on both sides of the ball. Regardless of what type of game plans opposing defenses came up with, Carrie consistently thrashed them. His motor never stopped and he had an uncanny energy for the game that rubbed off on his teammates. To put it bluntly, Eric Carrie was already playing in “Beast Mode,” years before Marshawn Lynch coined the term on the other side of the tunnel at Oakland Technical High.
Carrie’s dominant performance during his senior year in 2001 was good enough to earn him the Diablo Foothill Athletic League player of the year award, not to mention a spot on the Contra Costa Times prestigious “Cream of the Crop” list.
Although Carrie did not play in the NFL, his college career at New Mexico State was an impressive one. Playing the safety position for the Aggies, Carrie routinely squared of with some of the best offenses in the nation including the Hawaii Warriors and California Golden Bears in the early 2000’s. In sum, Eric Carrie loved football, and we loved watching him play it.
# 100: Nick Enzweiler
Enzo soaking in an A's game in Oakland
By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com
Nick Enzweiler from Campolindo High School in Moraga kicks off our SportsCentury list at number one hundred. Standing 6’6’’ and 200lbs, Enzweiler was a force to be reckoned with in the late 90’s in the East Bay high school basketball scene. His game was extremely dynamic, as he was able to score from just about anywhere on the floor. “Enzo” as he was known in the Lamorinda area, was equally capable with his back to the basket banging with bigs as he was casting corner 3’s from beyond the arc.
As a senior at Campolindo, Enzo adopted a shoot-first, pass-second philosophy. Very similar, in fact, to that of Allen Iverson at Georgetown. It paid off, at least in some regard, as Enzweiler was named the San Francisco Chronicle’s Metro Player of the Year in the year 2000.
Enzweiler makes this list not just because of his jaw dropping high school statistics, but also because of his polarizing, often entertaining personality on and off the court. Enzo seemed to fully embrace the role of the villain, especially inside hostile road gymnasiums on the Tri-County Athletic League circuit. Similar to Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden, Enzo was not afraid to engage in vicious trash talk with opposing players and fans. In the end, it made for great theater for everyone involved.
Enzweiler also dabbled as a wide receiver on the Cougars football team (similar to LeBron James), but ultimately accepted a scholarship to play basketball for the University of Texas-El Paso. Ultimately, Enzo would return to California to play out his career at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The highlight of which was a Mustangs triumph over the CAL Bears at Haas Pavilion in front of friends, family and East Bay adversaries.
Today, Enzweiler resides in the East Bay and is cutting out a career in wealth management. He still owns various records at Campolindo High School.
