I told you last year that I considered my birthday the unofficial Time-To-Talk-Football Day, so here we are again. I'm a year older and the kids are five days away from putting on pads (in the Central Section, anyway) and about five and a half weeks from Week 0.

 

We'll be busy at School House Zach until then. Starting today, we'll preview all 37 Kern County teams. The Californian's High School Football Preview Edition will be released Sept. 3 or 4, the Thursday or Friday of Week 0, pending a few circulation plans. That will contain feature stories on all Bakersfield teams and a lot of information on everyone, plus some cool vignettes from players past (if you're one of them, let me know if you'd be interested in sharing your Kern County football memories).

 

But for the most in-depth information, plus a little of my own opinion added in, check the blog. We'll start with the smallest schools in Kern County's outlying areas and then move bigger and closer to Bakersfield with the SSL, SEYL and SWYL with even more in-depth previews. These team-by-team capsules will run almost every day andbring us right up to the start of Week 0.

 

And they begin right now with Kern County's 8-man teams. Enjoy!

 

 

Coach: Tony Martinez (first year)

 

2008 record: 4-6 (3-2 Central Valley Small Schools League, 1-3 home)

Average points: 35.2

Average points allowed: 33.2

*Average rush yards: 200.8

*Average rush yards allowed: 182.8

*Average pass yards: 80.5

*Average pass yards allowed: 99.2

Best win: Lighthouse Christian 36, Clovis Christian 22

Worst loss: Maricopa 36, Lighthouse Christian 32

 

Key players: Zach Icenhower, sr, K/OL/DL; Julian Garza, jr, RB/LB; Justin Newton, sr, WR/DB; Joseph Wolf, jr, RB/LB

 

Key losses: Kial Fieber, RB/LB; Tommy Franklin, QB/DB; Michael Stemen, OL/DT

 

Outlook: Here’s a budding powerhouse that nobody knows about. Lighthouse Christian won the only 8-man league in the Central Section — and so won the Valley title — in 2007, then slipped with a young team last year to a losing record. But there were indications late that the Guardians were ready to hit their stride again: A strange victory at home against eventual league champ Clovis Christian proved that Lighthouse was still on the way back up. The Guardians led the game 36-22 before Clovis Christian’s coaches instructed its players to leave the field, convinced that a chain-crew member with a cell phone had been tipping signals to the Lighthouse staff. The real reason for the domination? Martinez, then an assistant, had just installed the fly-motion offense he learned from his high-school playing days at Delano. The deception-based attack flummoxed Clovis Christian. As fate would have it, Martinez now is the head coach; Nick Park stepped down to take care of his sick wife, who died of cancer last month. Martinez said he’s excited about what this season could bring — seven of the eight starters on each side of the ball are seniors, and the other is Garza, who cracked 1,000 yards rushing last year.

 

Quotable: “This is the year for them to win if they’re going to win.” — Martinez

 

 

Coach: Al Allen (fourth consecutive year, 17th year overall)

 

2008 record: 3-6 (2-2 Coast Valley League (Southern Section), 1-2 home)

Average points: 16.4

Average points allowed: 32.1

*Average rush yards: 173.4

*Average rush yards allowed: 137.4

*Average pass yards: 60.4

*Average pass yards allowed: 116.8

Best win: Maricopa 36, Lighthouse Christian 32

Worst loss: Encino-Westmark 38, Maricopa 12

 

Key players: Victor Vega, jr, QB/DB; Austin Phillips, sr, RB/DB; Samuel Robles, sr, OL/DL; Allen Gibson, sr, TE/DL; Tony Ibarra, sr, OL/DL

 

Key losses: Michael Pitts, RB/DB; John Medel, WR/LB

 

Outlook: The Indians should have impressive depth this year for an eight-man team, the best that longtime coach Al Allen says he’s had in a while. It starts with skill-position players and also includes linemen. Allen said his most recent reason for optimism was the commitment to weight-room training his linemen had made. Maricopa’s league has traditionally been dominated by Cuyama Valley, but Allen said the Bears lost quite a bit from last year and could be vulnerable. If Maricopa can control the game on the lines — and plug the few holes it has, like Medel’s spot at linebacker — there could be a window here for the Indians to compete.

 

Quotable: “I told the backs, ‘If they get tackled by just one arm, (the linemen) are gonna kick you between the ears. Because they’ve been working too hard for your two big legs to go down from one little arm.’” — Allen

 

 

Coach: David Fowler (second year)

 

2008 record: 3-6 (1-4 Hi-Lo League, 3-2 home)

Average points: 27.2

Average points allowed: 41.4

*Average rush yards: 88.6

*Average rush yards allowed: 279.6

*Average pass yards: 202.2

*Average pass yards allowed: 153.0

Best win: Immanuel Christian 44, Alpaugh 30

Worst loss: Baker 34, Immanuel Christian 28

 

Key players: Justin Smith, sr, QB/LB; Manny Baez, sr, RB/DL; Trevor Logan, jr, WR/LB; Mike O’Conner, sr, OL/LB; Bryce Johnson, jr, WR/LB

 

Key losses: Trevin Legler, TE/LB; John Mondragon, WR/DL

 

Outlook: I failed in my repeated attempts to get a hold of Immanuel coach David Fowler, so I'm limited in my information here. But for the second straight year, the Crusaders looked like they had trouble stopping anybody. Eight-man football is an offensive game, to be sure; all that space lets horses run wild. But you can't allow more than 400 yards and 40 points a game on average and expect to win too many games. The good news is Immanuel returns quite a few starters from a team that showed promise, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Justin Smith and crew should put up plenty of points; if the D, led by linebackers Mike O'Conner and Bryce Johnson, can make them hold up, the Crusaders could sniff the playoffs.

 

Tomorrow: Out to the desert — Mojave and Boron