Yriarte enjoys 1st official visit

In terms of individual talent, Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian is one of the most loaded teams we've ever seen. The Lions have three of the top five players in the state and could have as many as 10 players sign with Div I schools including offensive lineman Cory Yriarte.

Yriarte, 6-2, 295 pounds is one of the strongest linemen in the state. His 35 reps on the bench at the NorCal NIKE Camp were good enough to rank among the top 10 at the event and he showed very well in the position drills as well.

On the recruiting front, Yriarte has offers from Boise State and San Diego State and took his first official visit this past weekend.

"I visited Boise State with my whole family this weekend," Yriarte said. "It was a great trip and I really liked it there. I had to wake up at 4:00 in the morning Saturday because our flight left out of Los Angeles at 7:00. We had a stop in Vegas and then got in to Boise around 12:00.

"They played at 1:00 so we had to hustle over to the stadium in order to get there by kickoff. The team was very impressive and the crowd support was unreal. They sell out every game there and even late in the 4th quarter when it was an absolute blow out, the crowd was still on their feet making a ton of noise.

"After the game, I went down in to the locker room and met all the offensive linemen. From there, we went back to the hotel to change, then went out to dinner with the players. My parents and I talked with Coach Petersen for awhile and just had a nice relaxing time.

"After dinner, my host, Paul Lucariello, took me back to his apartment that he shares with about eight other offensive lineman. We just hung out, watched UFC and had a pretty mellow night, which was perfect for me since I had been up since 4:00 in the morning and really didn't feel like going out.

"Sunday was the day for the campus tour and I got to meet some of the academic advisers there. I talked with some people in the Business department since that's probably what I'll major in so that was really cool. My parents and I also sat in on an offensive line meeting with coach Kugler.

"It was pretty interesting how detailed he is. He really breaks everything down for the guys and gives all the players a test that they have to pass each week to make sure everyone knows and understands their assignments. Before I left I talked with Coach Petersen again and he talked to me about the school and how I would fit in.

"He didn't pressure me about committing at all and actually said it would be better if I went home and thought about so it wouldn't be an emotional decision or anything. I loved the visit but I was never really tempted to commit because going in, I knew I wanted to take my visit to San Diego State before I do anything.

"That visit is set up for the weekend (Dec. 1) but we might have a game that Saturday so I might have to move it back. If we play Friday I'll be able to take it but if it's on Saturday, I'll have to set it for another weekend. When I take that visit, I'll compare the two schools and then make my decision."