Jeff Maehl, who did his NFL Combine training at California Strength, was added to the active roster for the Houston Texans this week. The former University of Oregon standout was picked up as an Undrafted Free Agent by the Houston Texans during the offseason, and had been playing on the practice squad until he got the call. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, IN, Jeff broke the all-time record for the 3-Cone drill with a blistering time of 6.42 seconds.

Houston Texans WR, Jeff Maehl

Monte Vista QB and Cal Strength Trainee, Jeff Lockie, was awarded the Most Valuable Player award for the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL). The EBAL is one of the most competitive leagues in the entire country and sends numerous players every year to Division I programs all over the US. Lockie, who is headed to the University of Oregon next year, beat out fellow Cal Strength Trainee, San Ramon Valley QB Zach Kline who is headed to Cal, and De La Salle QB Bart Houston who is headed to the University of Wisconsin.

EBAL MVP, Jeff Lockie

Long-time California Strength Trainee, Zach Kline, was just named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of California, an extremely prodigious honor. Combined with his Top 5 finish at the Elite 11, and invitation to play in the Under Armour All-American Game, Zach is now officially one of the most decorated football players in the entire country. Here is the official Press Release from Gatorade:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Ashley Ginascol (312-729-3622)

SAN RAMON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE® CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO (December 1, 2011) — In its 27th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes,, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPNHS, today announced Zach Kline of San Ramon Valley High School as its 2011-12 Gatorade California Football Player of the Year.  Kline is the first Gatorade California Football Player of the Year to be chosen from San Ramon Valley High School.  The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Kline as California’s best high school football player.  Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award announced in December, Kline joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Wes Welker (1999-00, Heritage Hall HS, Okla.), Terrell Suggs (1999-00, Hamilton HS, Ariz.), Anquan Boldin (1998-99, Pahokee HS, Fla.) and Jerome Bettis (1989-90, Mackenzie HS, Mich.).The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior quarterback has led the Wolves to a 9-3 record and a berth in the CIF North Coast Section Division I semifinals against Monte Vista High, scheduled for Dec. 3. Kline passed for 3,079 yards and 32 touchdowns, completing 195-of-289 attempts while throwing just six interceptions through 12 games. A 2012 U.S. Army All-American, he was also an ESPNHS Elite 11 Quarterback Camp invitee.Kline has maintained a 3.28 GPA in the classroom. A devoted member of his church community, he has volunteered locally as an elementary school guest speaker and on behalf of Locks of Love, a non-profit organization which provides hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss.“Zach Kline is an outstanding quarterback with limitless potential and the desire to be the best he can be,” said San Ramon Valley High head coach Mark Kessler. “His work ethic is relentless and he always finds time to improve.” Kline has verbally committed to play football on an athletic scholarship at the University of California beginning in the fall of 2012.The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPNHS and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport. Kline joins recent Gatorade California Football Players of the Year Cody Kessler (2010-11, Centennial High School) Malcolm Jones (2009-10, Oaks Christian School), Ryan Kasdorf (2008-09, Notre Dame High School) and Matt Barkley(2007-08, Mater Dei) among the state’s list of former award winners.To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

Some of the best athletes in the Bay Area do their strength and conditioning training at Cal Strength. A majority of those athletes participate in football in the EBAL League, one of the most competitive conferences for football in the entire country. As high school sophomores and juniors, this is a vital time in their lives as they participate in camps and events to catch the attention of analysts and college coaches all over the country. Those that do well have the chance to be approached by their favorite schools and big time football programs, with the goal of getting a scholarship “Offer” to play the sport they love.With recruiting season in full swing, the offers are starting to roll in for several prominent Cal Strength Athletes.

Jeff Lockie cheers on fellow Cal Strength trainee Zach Kline, as he slings the rock at the Elite 11

Zach Kline, who dominated the Elite 11 camp this last weekend, has already received an offer and committed to the University of California, Berkeley.Zach’s commitment to Cal isn’t final until he signs his Letter of Intent, but he is planning on enrolling at Cal a semester early in what is called a “Mid-Year”, despite still hearing from a number of schools, including USC. Zach is currently ranked as the #2 QB in the country in the 2012 class by Rivals.com, the #10 by Scout.com, and the #4 by 247 Sports. Zach is committed to playing in the Under Armour All American Game

Jeff Lockie, who also stood out at the Elite 11, just received his all-important first Offer from Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig at San Diego State University. Jeff is hearing from a number of other schools, including Duke, Northwestern, and the University of Washington. Lockie was named to the 2nd Team on Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass Team for 2010 by ESPN Rise.

Dalis Bruce was one of many Cal Strength athletes to catch balls for the top QBs at the Elite 11

Dalis Bruce is another high profile EBAL athlete that is getting national attention. Dalis has already received an offer from Oregon State, but is also receiving heavy interest from Notre Dame, the University of Colorado, Cal, and Oregon. Dalis has improved his stock drastically in the past few months, being named top DB at the Badger Elite camp in Vegas and top WR at the USC Nike Camp.

Phenom QB and long-time California Strength trainee, Zach Kline, helped to lead the Cal Strength 7v7 team to a strong showing in the Passingdown NorCal Tournament in mid February. The boys made it all the way to the semi-finals of the tournament, and locked up the #1 seed for the upcoming Western Region Finals held in Fresno in early July. Due to the star power on the roster of the team, and the possibility of several of these players playing together in college, Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN Affiliate BearInsider sent representatives to give exclusive coverage to the Cal Strength Team. Zach was joined by many of his high school teammates and fellow Cal Strength attendees, as well as local standout, Monte Vista DB Dalis Bruce, and one of the top WRs in the country in Bryce Treggs from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, CA.

Zach credits Cal Strength for much of his development and rise to stardom in this article on BearTerritoy.net:

Working with California Strength gym guru Dave Spitz, Kline is hoping to add 20 pounds onto his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame, and is going through some hellacious workouts in order to reach that goal.

“Hopefully even 230, if I can do that,” he said. “I go to Cal Strength, this awesome gym, that’s really making me into a college quarterback. My quarterback coach Roger Theder has really made me into a college quarterback. I have to eat 6,417 calories a day, I have to lift every day. It’s Olympic lifting — squat, clean, snatch — every Friday is max day and so is every day I’m feeling up to it. I have a genius of a trainer in Dave Spitz, and it’s hard work. It’s going to be hard work to get up to 225, 230, but I want to be the best I can possibly be.”

Kline cleans 260 pounds, squats 345, snatches 150 and benches 225.

The 5-foot-11, 172-pound Bruce has also been working hard on his physical game.

“Right now, I just started at my school with metabolics, training and lifting hard,” he said. “I’m going over with Dave Spitz at Cal Strength, so they have a plan for me, get my 40 time down, get my squat up so I can prepare for the next level.”

The boys are looking forward to the Fresno Tournament, especially since the Fresno team upset them in the semi-finals and took the Norcal Championship. They see this as an opportunity for revenge and hope to take the tournament finale on Fresno’s turf. Stay tuned for more news from the Cal Strength 7v7 team!

Zach Kline, the QB for the Cal Strength 7v7 team, keeps racking up the honors. First he was selected to the CA All-State 2nd Team as a Junior by ESPN Rise, and given the #13 overall ranking in the state of CA for the 2012 class by CaliHiSports.com. He was handpicked by QB guru Jeff Tedford from Cal for the only QB offer in the 2012 class, and committed on the spot. Next, he accepted an offer to play in the Cal State 5 Star Game as one of the top prospects in CA. Now he has received an invite to the most prestigious High School All-American Game in the country, in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which routinely churns out the top recruits in the country and has well over 100 alumni in the NFL since it’s inception in 2001. Zach is being touted as one of the top QB recruits not just on the West Coast, but all of the country, and he is making Cal Strength extremely proud.

Big Ben hits a 230 kg (506 lbs) for a triple while still in high school!

The 2011 California Strength NFL combine class is closing in on their respective show dates and Pro Days. Track workouts will be posted soon. And here is a video of the group including Ryan Whalen, Jeff Maehl, Cameron Colvin, Victor James, and big Mike Smith and Sifa Etu during some of their workouts to keep you pumped!

A video compilation of some of the training going on with Ryan Whalen, Willie Glasper, Sifa Etu, Cameron Colvin, Brennan Marion and Victor James.