The number of schools in Kern County grows every year, it seems, and this one certainly is no exception. The Kern High School District opens the doors to two new high schools on Aug. 18, Independence in the southwest and Mira Monte in the southeast. The Delano Joint Unified School District, after having just one high school for so long, opened Cesar Chavez five years ago and now is adding the city's third — Robert F. Kennedy.

The schools will all house freshmen and sophomores only for a year and so will not field varsity teams. That stage will come next year, when three classes are in the building. In the meantime, they'll be playing plenty of JV games against each other.

For a more detailed discussion on the boundary lines of the new schools, click here. Also, my apologies to California City High School, which is in its second year (also just freshman and sophomores) but won't get a preview here. For a small discussion on the dynamics there, check out the Mojave preview.

And try not to hold your breath, but Wednesday we're getting into what I call the Big Three leagues: South Sequoia, Southwest Yosemite and Southeast Yosemite. Getting serious, folks.

INDEPENDENCE FALCONS

Location: Southwest Bakersfield, 8001 Old River Rd, between Panama Lane and Taft Highway

Coach: Sean McKeown (first year)

Outlook: The Falcons are going to have a lot of built-in advantages when they get going with a full roster, and they're already starting to show. No. 1 is McKeown. Guy was the offensive coordinator at Bakersfield High for last year's section title run, and, if you recall, BHS has a pretty good offense last year. There's also the whole "winning attitude" thing, which I don't always buy, but it certainly can't hurt. No. 2 is the numbers. McKeown said that, even with some kids still coming back from vacations, he had nearly 70 out for the first two days of helmet practices. Double that when there's juniors and seniors there, and you've got quite a base to work with. No. 3 is the talent of the kids. This is obviously premature, but McKeown is encouraged by what he's seen, and we all know SW Bako has produced some stars over the years. Put them into McKeown's vaunted spread option attack, and you might have a powerhouse within three or four years.

Quotable: "It's a learning experience for everybody. The kids are learning a brand-new system, and the coaches are learning a brand-new system. The coaches are doing a great job, and the kids' work ethic has been unbelievable."
— coach Sean McKeown

MIRA MONTE LIONS

Location: Southeast Bakersfield, 1800 S. Fairfax Rd, a few blocks south of the 58 Freeway

Coach: Tony Varela (first year)

Outlook: Varela has jumped at the chance to build his own program, but he's using some philosophies from his previous stop — Foothill, where he was the JV coach — to make the Lions as successful as possible. With that in mind, he'll run the Wing T, something that can somewhat compensate for a lack of size and speed with its scheming. We've seen this work at Foothill (two straight Division III Central Section championship games), and teams like North and Stockdale might not be too far behind. On the defensive side, Varela is deviating from what's he used before, going instead with a 4-3, a defense that relies on its linebackers to plug gaps and make big plays. Varela's already got his eye on some potential fits for that spot out of the 40-45 players who are showing up to preseason workouts consistently.
In all, Mira Monte looks like it'll be the type of smashmouth team that will fit in well in the SEYL one day — if you're optimistic, think SEYL champion Golden Valley from a couple of years ago.

Quotable: "It's been tough, but I can set my own traditions, my own style and my own thing. Then I get to see it work. Or fail. Hopefully it works."
— coach Tony Varela

ROBERT F. KENNEDY THUNDERBIRDS

Location: West Delano, near the intersection of W. Cecil Ave. and Hiett Ave.

Coach: Ronnie Coronado (first year — get the pattern here?)

Outlook: The least-known of the three new schools comes from the north edge of Kern County. The days of 3,500-student Delano High are gone, and Delano, which has a population of more than 50,000 now, is a three-school town. What does that mean for RFK? Well, we'll find out if there's enough talent in Delano for three schools; my hunch is, that just like in Bakersfield, about one of every three schools will be on the thin end of sports.
At RFK, Coronado — a Garces and Cal State Bakersfield alumnus who's spent the past five years coaching JV at Delano — has installed the wishbone option offense, one he said is designed to help teams "lean or smaller." But he also said he's impressed with the size of the freshmen and sophomores he has in camp so far, about 50 strong. Kennedy will join Independence, Mira Monte and the new school in Tulare, Mission Oaks, in what Coronado dubbed the "Freeway League." Even next year, when the teams all have varsity editions, it won't be an official CIF league, but it's a convienient way for the new schools to fill out their schedule before they find permanent league homes the following season.

HS FOOTBALL PREVIEWS INDEX

July 29: Lighthouse Christian, Immanuel Christian, Maricopa
July 30: Boron, Burroughs
July 31: Desert, Rosamond
Aug. 1: Frazier Mountain, Kern Valley

Aug. 2: Mojave, McFarland

Aug. 3: César Chávez

Aug. 4: Delano

TOMORROW: Shafter