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HS football previews: Central Section overview (Divisions I, II and III)

Our countdown to Week 0 games continues below, but this is officially the week that high school football in the Central Section starts. It's finally here, so let's have a look at the divisions most fans will be talking about.

Remember, Central Section rankings up tomorrow. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter, @zewing, for high school football updates on the go throughout the season.

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: Brett Favre

DIVISION III

Defending champ: Tehachapi

Overview: As usual, this promises to be a wide-open division. It's a great mix of good Sequoia League schools and some Yosemite League schools who usually are overmatched in league play. One who isn't is Hanford, which was the favorite all year last season until Tehachapi beat them in fog for the title. Expect those two teams to be right back at it this year, though the real team to beat might be Oakhurst-Yosemite, which has 13 returning starters and help from last year's 10-0 JV team. Of course, the Badgers won't be as well-tested as the other favorites come playoff time. And even though Clovis North has no seniors, I wouldn't count a Clovis school out of a D-III championship picture.

Where Kern County fits in: The Warriors are young, with just four returning starters on each side of the ball and minus their stud running backs and linebackers. But don't count them out; they'll improve throughout the year, and it'll take a hell of a game to knock them out come playoff time. Elsewhere, Ridgeview could make a splash, Foothill might be a peg down from a team that's made the semifinals three years running, and Highland, Golden Valley, South and the Delano schools are all worth keeping an eye on.

Surefire championship contenders: Oakhurst-Yosemite, Hanford, Tehachapi

A break or two away: Porterville, Ridgeview, Clovis North, Highland

Maybe next year: Dinuba, Foothill, Chavez, Delano, Hanford West, South, Golden Valley, Fresno, Madera South

Key games: Tehachapi at Garces, Sept. 11; Highland at Ridgeview, Sept. 11; Yosemite at Fresno-SJ Memorial, Sept. 11; Hanford at Yosemite, Sept. 18; Frontier at Tehachapi, Sept. 18; Ridgeview at Foothill, Sept. 18; Fresno at Clovis North, Sept. 18; Hanford at Visalia-Golden West, Oct. 16; Porterville at Tulare Union, Oct. 22; Taft at Tehachapi, Oct. 30; Chavez at Porterville, Oct. 30; Foothill at Highland, Oct. 30; Visalia-El Diamante at Hanford, Nov. 6; Dinuba at Yosemite, Nov. 6; Clovis North at Sanger, Nov. 6; Fresno-Edison at Clovis North, Nov. 12; South at Ridgeview, Nov. 13

DIVISION II

Defending champ: Tulare Union

Overview: The section's biggest division (by number of schools) looks like it might be a two-horse race again between Tulare Union, which is talking about state bowl games even though it lost its starting quarterback and running back, and Visalia-El Diamante, which has quickly become one of the section's most powerful programs. Fresno-Edison couldn't hang in the race last year, and though the Tigers could be a factor again, I'd look to experienced Fresno-Hoover or Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial as a spoiler first.

Where Kern County fits in: Most of the local schools will be big underdogs against most of those schools listed above. West High might give us a good indication of what the gap is when it plays El Diamante in Week 1. North earned a home game in the playoffs last year, but the Stars lost most of their stars (er, good players). Garces or Frontier might be the best suited to become this year's North: Do well in your league, get a good seed and see what kind of a run you can make. East would love to have a playoff game of any sort.

Surefire championship contenders: Tulare Union, Visalia-El Diamante

A break or two away: Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno-Hoover, Fresno-Edison, Frontier, Garces

Maybe next year: North, Fresno-Sunnyside, Visalia-Redwood, Visalia-Mt. Whitney, Lemoore, West, Visalia-Golden West, Porterville-Monache, Reedley, East, Tulare Western

DIVISION I

Defending champ: Clovis West

Overview: There's two leagues in the Fresno area and two in the Bakersfield area that make up all 11 teams in this rivalry. The Tri-River Athletic Conference is the deepest (at least until Bakersfield combines its Division I teams into one league next year), so let's start there: Clovis West, Clovis-Buchanan and Clovis East are the perennial contenders there and they split the league title last year, all going 4-1. All three made the section semifinals, and Clovis West beat Clovis East for the section title. There's no reason to expect those teams not to be back in the fold, other than maybe the fact that CW is breaking in yet another new coaching staff. Fresno-Bullard, from the County/Metro Athletic Conference, was the other semifinalist last year and brings back 13 returning starters.

Where Kern County fits in: There's reason to hope this will be more like 2007, when Bakersfield won the title and Centennial was in the semifinals, than 2008, when all three Kern teams that qualified were knocked out in the first round, two of them convincingly so. So who will be the main challenger to Bullard and TRAC teams? Take your pick. Bakersfield, Stockdale and Liberty all return lots of key pieces from league-championship teams, and Centennial ought to be much improved, at least to the point of making a postseason appearance. Other than that, the southern Valley might be waiting for reinforcements in the form of a Frontier or Independence, once those schools get big enough for D-I.

Surefire championship contenders: Bullard, Clovis West, Buchanan, Bakersfield

A break or two away: Stockdale, Liberty, Clovis East

Maybe next year: Centennial, Clovis, Fresno-Central, Madera

Key games: Liberty at Clovis West, Sept. 4; Clovis East at Redlands East Valley, Sept. 11; Canyon at Bakersfield, Sept. 11; Stockdale at Bakersfield, Sept. 18; Liberty at Centennial, Sept. 18; Bakersfield at Buchanan, Sept. 25; Corona-Centennial at Clovis West, Sept. 25; Clovis East at Bullard, Sept. 25; Stockdale at Clovis, Sept. 25; Bullard at Clovis West, Oct. 2; Bakersfield at Liberty, Oct. 2; Centennial at Stockdale, Oct. 2; Bakersfield at Centennial, Oct. 9; Clovis West at Buchanan, Oct. 23; Clovis East vs. Clovis West, Oct. 30; Buchanan at Clovis East, Nov. 6

HS FOOTBALL PREVIEW INDEX
July 29: Lighthouse Christian, Maricopa, Immanuel Christian
July 30: Mojave, Boron
July 31: Desert, Rosamond
Aug. 1: Frazier Mountain, Kern Valley
Aug. 3: California City, Burroughs
Aug. 4: McFarland, Robert F. Kennedy
Aug. 5: Delano
Aug. 6: Cesar Chavez
Aug. 7: Shafter
Aug. 8: Wasco
Aug. 10: Arvin
Aug. 11: Taft
Aug. 12: Bakersfield Christian
Aug. 13: Tehachapi
Aug. 14: Independence and Mira Monte
Aug. 15: East
Aug. 17: Highland
Aug. 18: Foothill
Aug. 19: Golden Valley
Aug. 20: Garces
Aug. 21: Liberty
Aug. 22: Bakersfield High
Aug. 23: Ridgeview
Aug. 24: Frontier
Aug. 25: Centennial
Aug. 26: South
Aug. 27: West
Aug. 28: North
Aug. 29: Stockdale
Aug. 30: Central Section, small schools

TOMORROW: The end of the preseason — and the beginning of Week 0 coverage

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Central Section, big schools

posted by zewing on Monday, August 31, 2009 at 05:53 PM
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HS football previews: Central Section overview (Divisions IV, V, VI)

Now done with all of our team previews (you can find a complete index below), it's time to widen the view a little bit and look at the Central Section as a whole and where some Kern County teams fit in.

Today we'll take a look at the smaller divisions. Tomorrow will be a look at the top three divisions before we get into our weekly rituals at School House Zach with my first Central Section rankings on Tuesday.

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: Paul Hornung (also Joe Montana in college?)

DIVISION VI

Defending champ: Tranquillity

Overview: I'll be the first to admit I'm not very knowledgeable at this level. This is by far the smallest division in the section, with only nine teams — all from either the East Sierra League, West Sierra League or (one, Strathmore) the East Sequoia League. So, zeroing on those leagues, look at defending section champ Tranquillity or co-defending West Sierra League champ Mendota (which also had a 9-1 JV record last year), plus maybe Orange Cove from the ESiL, and you've got a list to keep an eye on.

Where Kern County fits in: Only with McFarland, which looks to be improved this year under second-year coach Andy Dunn. The Cougars play in the weaker of the two Sierra leagues (you decide if that's good or bad), and might be better than you think.

Surefire championship contenders: Mendota, Tranquillity, Orange Cove

A break or two away: Strathmore, Avenal, McFarland

Maybe next year: Farmersville, Lemoore-Kings Christian, Laton

Key games: Bakersfield Christian at Avenal, Sept. 4; Avenal at Strathmore, Sept. 25; Strathmore at Orange Cove, Oct. 2; McFarland at Orange Cove, Nov. 6; Tranquillity at Mendota, Nov. 6; Mendota at Firebaugh, Nov. 13; Orange Cove at SLO-Mission Prep, Nov. 13

DIVISION V

Defending champ: Bakersfield Christian

Overview: There will be no Division I-led juggernaut in this division, which Derek Carr and BCHS flattened last year on their way to a second straight title. With the rest of the section able to breathe, look for last year's runner-up Corcoran to flourish along with 2007 runner-up Fowler and perhaps East Sierra League champ SLO-Mission Prep. But don't forget abou the Eagles, either; it won't be easy this year, but BCHS is a factor, too.

Where Kern County fits in: Again, with just one team, BCHS. If the Eagles can make it three championships in a row, you can call this a dynasty (or even a team that belongs in Division IV.)

Surefire championship contenders: Corcoran, Fowler, Bakersfield Christian, SLO-Mission Prep

A break or two away: Madera Ranchos-Liberty, Parlier, Firebaugh

Maybe next year: Woodlake, Lindsay, Caruthers, Riverdale, Cambria-Coast Union, Fresno Christian, Orosi

Key games: Firebaugh at Fowler, Sept. 11; Visalia-Central Valley Christian at Bakersfield Christian, Sept. 19; Madera Ranchos-Liberty at Fowler, Sept. 25; Corcoran at Kingsburg, Sept. 25; Temecula-Linfield Christian at Mission Prep, Oct. 2; Fowler at Corcoran, Oct. 9; Fowler at Parlier, Oct. 16; Taft at Bakersfiield Chriatian, Nov. 13

DIVISION IV

Overview: There's a pretty clear-cut top five here, though it's a little tough to differentiate once you get there. Defending champion Chowchilla will again be a factor, but the Redskins have just two returning offensive starters and seven overall, so an 8-2 JV team will have to step in quickly. The other four at the top are last year's runner-up, Kingsburg; the 2007 champ, Taft; last year's No. 1 seed, Visalia-Central Valley Christian; and Chowchilla's main North Sequoia League challenger, Fresno-Washington Union.

Where Kern County fits in: Taft will be the main threat, but don't lose sight of Wasco, which should make the playoffs and be a sleeper, a factor for the first time in many years. Arvin is an annual playoff team, but the Bears are young. Shafter would love just to get into the field.

Surefire championship contenders: Kingsburg, Taft, Central Valley Christian, Chowchilla, Washington Union

A break or two away: Exeter, Kerman, Selma, Wasco

Maybe next year: Tollhouse-Sierra, Dos Palos, Fresno-Roosevelt, Porterville-Granite Hills, Arvin, Coalinga, Shafter, Reedley-Immanuel, Fresno-McLane

Key games: Kingsburg at Fresno-Washington Union, Sept. 18; Exeter at Taft, Sept. 18; Central Valley Christian at Bakesfield Christian, Sept. 19; Frontier at Exeter, Sept. 25; Chowchilla at Oakhurst-Yosemite, Oct. 2; Fresno-Washington Union at Selma, Oct. 2; Chowchilla at Kerman, Oct. 9; CVC at Chowchilla, Oct. 16; Kingsburg at CVC, Oct. 23; Taft at Wasco, Oct. 23; Exeter at Selma, Oct. 23; Taft at Tehachapi, Oct. 30; Fresno-Washington Union at Chowchilla, Oct. 30; Chowchilla at Madera Ranchos-Liberty, Nov. 6

TOMORROW: Central Section glance, big schools

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Central Section, small schools

posted by zewing on Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 06:22 PM
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HS football previews: Stockdale

UPDATE: By the way, Bakersfield High grad Bhavik Patel lost his semifinal match at the U.S. Amateur this morning, ending his dream of winning one of golf's most prestigious events — at least for this year.

ORIGINAL POST: Here it is, ladies and gents, boys and girls: The final high school football team preview is below.

That means football season is upon us, just six short days away, and it means we need something else to post on the blog. Over the next couple of days, I'll take a look at the Central Section as a whole, starting with small schools and then going to big. Tuesday, I'll begin our regularly weekly schedule for School House Zach.

Here's what you can expect:

Tuesdays — Central Section rankings
Wednesdays — Prediction of each Kern County game
Thursdays — High school football podcast
Fridays — A live scoreboard and running thread during the games
Saturday/Sunday — Recap/analysis of the week's results and a quick look at next week's big games

Everybody ready for football?

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: Bubby Brister? I really had to reach here

STOCKDALE MUSTANGS

Coach: Mike Snow (second year)

2008 record: 8-3 (5-1 Southwest Yosemite League, 4-3 home)
Average points: 31.0
Average points allowed: 24.1
*Average rush yards: 266.7
*Average rush yards allowed: 205.0
*Average pass yards: 94.9
*Average pass yards allowed: 116.3
Best win: Stockdale 34, Bakersfield 29
Worst loss: Ridgeview 30, Stockdale 15
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps, with fill-ins from Californian box scores (no games are missing)

Key players: Spencer Prince, sr, RB/DB; Isaiah Turner, sr, LB; Malik Henderson, sr, RB/LB; Duane Seaton, sr, OL/LB; Efren Venegas, sr, QB

Key losses: Stephen Silva, RB/LB; Emmanuel Ossai, WR/LB; Chris Bowie, WR/DB; Everado Cantu, TE/DL

Offense: It had to be more than a little disconcerting to the rest of the SWYL — and really, to the Central Section’s Division I — that Stockdale had so much success in Year 1 under Mike Snow and his deception-based, multiple-wing offense. That’s a system that can take programs years to master, and the Mustangs were able to go 8-3 with it right away in a season that included wins against Bakersfield, co-SWYL champ North and a home playoff game. Now it’s going to return two running backs, Prince and Henderson, who combined for better than 8 yards a carry last year. Eight starters are back in all on offense, including quarterback Venegas and, perhaps the real key, four offensive linemen.

Defense: Again, Stockdale has a gift here on its 4-4 defense: 10 senior starters, six of them returners. That number includes Isaiah Turner, a transfer from Ridgeview a year ago who earned second-team All-Area honors as a Mustang. He and Max Goosen form an experienced, formidable inside linebacking corps that, much like the rest of the defense, doesn’t need to spend early-season practice time working on the basics of assignments and play-calling. Instead, the coaching staff is focusing on nuances with a talented group that could improve considerably on last year’s numbers.

Outlook: Mike Snow played coy with me when I asked him if his team was going to be as good as everyone said it was. His response: “How good to people say we’re going to be?” Well, pretty good, coach. Then Snow offered that he could see why, considering the Mustangs had 14 starters, including two explosive running backs and the nucleus of its offensive line and linebackers. Just some good fun there, but the truth really is that Stockdale is the team to beat in the SWYL: You don’t return two-thirds of your starting lineup and most of the key positions a year after you won the league without earning the favorite’s role for the next year. Stockdale’s non-league schedule will be a test — Bakersfield, Clovis and Liberty are all included — but this experienced team should be able to compete well there and then have a good shot at running the table in an otherwise balanced league. Come playoff time? Maybe that’s where the team will improve in Year 2 under Snow. In 2008, Clovis East came to down and ran roughshod over Stockdale.

Quotable: “We’re obviously not doing some of the things we had to do last year, installing everything. These guys have run it last year and run it all summer. It’s nice right now. This time next year, it’ll be ‘Where are we at now?’ But going into this year, it’s very nice to have that again, our expectations for these guys are high.” — Snow

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 East
Sept. 18 at Bakersfield
Sept. 25 at Clovis
Oct. 2 Centennial*
Oct. 9 at South*
Oct. 16 at Liberty
Oct. 23 at Ridgeview*
Oct. 30 North*
Nov. 6 Frontier*
Nov. 13 at West*

Prediction: 9-1, 6-0 SWYL

TOMORROW: Central Section outlook, small schools

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, stockdale

posted by zewing on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 03:04 PM
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HS football previews: North

A quick respite from football coverage to let you in on what Californian assistant sports editor Ross Priest says could turn into (and I tend to agree with him) the biggest sports story of the year in Kern County.

Bakersfield High graduate Bhavik Patel, now a Fresno State sophomore, is in the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Championships after another match-play victory this morning. He's won four match-play rounds after becoming one of 64 amateur golfers to survive two stroke-play rounds.

This is an enormous deal. First of all, the U.S. Amateur is one of golf's oldest and most prestigious tournaments. It used to be considered one of golf's majors before the professional game took over, and it's been won by legends like Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Patel is two victories (the final on Sunday is a 36-hole affair) from joining that list.

Second — and this might wow you even more — if Patel were to make the championship, which would take just one more win, he receives an automatic invitation into next year's Masters and U.S. Open. If he wins the whole thing, add the British Open to that list, and the U.S. Amateur champ also gets to play in a group with the defending champion at the U.S. Open on Thursday and Friday.

This is heady stuff. Patel tees off against Byeong-Hun An of South Korea at 7:15 a.m. our time tomorrow morning. The semifinals will be on NBC. Congrats to Bhavik already; now let's see how far he can go.

Now, back to the gridiron.

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: John Elway

NORTH STARS

Coach: Mark Camps (fourth year)

2008 record: 8-3 (5-1 Southwest Yosemite League, 3-2 home)
Average points: 27.7
Average points allowed: 24.2
*Average rush yards: 337.3
*Average rush yards allowed: 146.9
*Average pass yards: 27.7
*Average pass yards allowed: 146.8
Best win: North 25, West 6
Worst loss: Delano 31, North 14
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Califormian box scores (one game is missing from the “allowed” numbers; the “for” numbers are complete)

Key players: Juan Rodriquez, sr, QB/LB; Jason Bennett, sr, RB/LB; David Maciel, sr, WR/LB; Nathan Vlach, sr, QB/DB

Key losses: Julian Dean-Johnson, RB; Seth Vlach, RB/LB; Ruben Suarez, RB/DL; John Northrop, TE/DE; Joe Clevenger, RB/LB; Aaron Brown, LB; Brock Peterson, DB

Offense: The Wing T thunderstorm at North High — Seth Vlach providing the thunder, Julian Dean-Johnson the lightning — has passed. Is another on the way? Could be, though replacing a talent like Dean-Johnson isn’t a snap. The guys who will get their hands on the ball this year in the complex, look-this-way-nope-I’m-running-that-way offense include Seth’s brother, Nathan, returning quarterback Juan Rodriquez, Cameron Bailey, Jason Bennett and David Maciel. Coach Mark Camps hopes that a couple or three of those will be dangerous enough to replace the production lost. It helps tremendously that three starters on the offensive line are back.

Defense: The question mark here in Camps’ 4-3 defense will be the defensive line, which, quite naturally, was the strength last year. Having to replace Ruben Suarez and John Northrop with JV call-ups is no picnic for the rest of the defense, which has to react faster and defend longer if the d-line isn’t applying as much pressure. It says here that the Stars will miss that up-front presence on D just as much as they’ll miss Seth Vlach and Dean-Johnson on offense. Still, Camps likes the returning talent and the replacements, so this could still be a solid unit.

Outlook: This situation is much like we talked about with South earlier in the week. North had a dedicated senior class come together last year, and for the Stars that meant a share of an SWYL championship, an eight-win season and a home playoff game in the Division II quarterfinals. Also like South, it’s safe to say there will be a drop-off in the next year. But success breeds success, and, as you can see in the quote below, North doesn’t plan on going back to the league basement any time soon. My take? This will be a solid team that doesn’t have the firepower it will need to win the really big games. The trick is to not take too many steps back until you’re ready to make another run. That’s North’s mission this year.

Quotable: “When you haven’t won a lot of games, and you’re trying to change the attitude, it’s a battle. But getting to that point? Yeah, it’s a different mindset. It’s not a ‘let’s wait for something bad to happen’ mindset. It’s more of that ‘make something happen.’ But we’ve got to be careful. We’re putting last year was last year. This is a new team.” — Camps

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Shafter
Sept. 11 Porterville
Sept. 18 Delano
Sept. 25 BYE
Oct. 2 at Frontier*
Oct. 9 Ridgeview*
Oct. 16 West*
Oct. 23 at South*
Oct. 30 at Stockdale*
Nov. 6 Centennial*
Nov. 13 at East

Prediction: 5-5, 2-4 SWYL

TOMORROW: Ending our previews with a favorite — Stockdale

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, north, golf, U.S. Amateur, Bhavik Patel

posted by zewing on Friday, August 28, 2009 at 02:39 PM
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HS football previews: West

I have a fantasy football draft Saturday, which seems really early. I guess football season has snuck up on me a little bit, which is strange because I've been doing a countdown to high school football on the blog for the past two weeks.

What I mean to say is that I'm about tired of preseason talk and ready to start talking about actual games. But that will come soon enough — next week. For now, we've got previews to discuss. Three more teams to go.

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: Troy Aikman

WEST VIKINGS

Coach: Chad Grider (second year)

2008 record: 6-6 (3-3 Southwest Yosemite League, 5-2 home)
Average points: 24.3
Average points allowed: 24.0
*Average rush yards: 144.2
*Average rush yards allowed: 187.5
*Average pass yards: 160.3
*Average pass yards allowed: 96.6
Best win: West 23, Liberty 21
Worst loss: East 26, West 20
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (no games are missing)

Key players: Mustafaa Cobb, jr, RB/DB; Korey Thieleke, sr, WR/DB; Derek Mitchell, sr, TE/LB; Taiyon Jackson, sr, WR/LB

Key losses: Dion Curry, WR/DB; Brache Hayes, TE/LB; David Born, OL/DL; Ben Jarvis, QB; George Robbins, WR/DB; Jeremy Bethell, OL/DL

Offense: Few schools produce great backfield athletes like West, and the next in line is Mustafaa Cobb. Besides having one of the coolest names around, Cobb — or Moose, as the Vikings call him — is an unassuming, hard-working back with good strength and breakaway speed. He’s in the mold of former Viking Ryan Mathews, who’s currently the featured back at Fresno State. It’ll be nice to have him as a safety net for Chad Grider and West, which lose steady quarterback Ben Jarvis, explosive wideout Dion Curry and mammoth tackle David Born, among other offensive linemen. Can the new crop give Cobb enough room to do his thing? It’s important, as is production from whoever between Franklin Simmons and Scout Villanueva wins the starting quarterback spot. There’s a lot of production to replace.

Defense: Standout linebacker/hybrid lineman Brache Hayes has graduated, and that leaves a big production hole in the defense, also. West does have its other three starters at linebacker returning, so the middle of the defense will be solid. A smaller defensive line will be an issue in a 50 defense, though, as will a young secondary. I can think of a few offenses in this league that will be able to exploit those sorts of problems. Then again, West does breed athletes, and if there’s another Hayes or two waiting in the wings, the Vikes could be OK.

Outlook: One thing Grider continually mentioned in my short conversation with him last week was how improved West’s team chemistry is from last year. For some reason, the talented Vikings just couldn’t put it together week to week last year, though when things were going right, the results were a victory against Liberty or a close miss against Visalia-El Diamante. This year’s team sounds like it might be more consistent. But the talent part appears to have diminished while the league around West has gotten tougher. A non-league slate that includes El D, Liberty and Garces doesn’t help, either. This will be another fun team to watch, but 2009 might be more about setting up 2010, when Cobb and a slew of other talent will be seniors.

Quotable: “This is unlike last year, when we had a lot of talent but the chemistry just wasn’t there. We couldn’t quite learn to play together and play as one. Sometimes it takes a year from one coach to the next to get that going. (This year) the team chemistry is much better.” — Grider

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 Visalia-El Diamante
Sept. 18 at East
Sept. 25 at Liberty
Oct. 2 at Ridgeview*
Oct. 9 Frontier*
Oct. 16 at North*
Oct. 23 Centennial*
Oct. 30 at Garces
Nov. 6 at South*
Nov. 13 Stockdale*

Prediction: 3-7, 2-4 SWYL

TOMORROW: The year after — North High

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, west

posted by zewing on Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 02:45 PM
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HS football previews: South

About to go on the radio, 1230 AM, if you read this in time. It'll run from about 3:10 till about 4. Otherwise, enjoy today's preview.

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: The late Sonny Jurgensen or the late Steve McNair

SOUTH REBELS

Coach: John Wren (fourth year)

2008 record: 5-6 (3-3 Southwest Yosemite League, 3-1 home)
Average points: 27.5
Average points allowed: 29.3
*Average rush yards: 221.6
*Average rush yards allowed: 219.4
*Average pass yards: 161.8
*Average pass yards allowed: 103.5
Best win: South 40, Ridgeview 7
Worst loss: Delano 42, South 0
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps. One game is missing from the “for” stats; the “allowed” stats are complete)

Key players: Rene Carreon, sr, TE/LB; Julio Regla, sr, OL/DL; Roger Hebert, sr, QB/DB; Odail Crumb, jr, RB/DB

Key losses: Jose Ramos, QB/DB; Levi Chavez, RB/DB; James Armenta, WR/DB; Steven Roberson, TE/LB; Terrell Moya, OL/DL

Offense: Let’s get this one out of the way: Jose Ramos, last season’s Californian Offensive Player of the Year, has graduated. He was the only quarterback in Kern County last year to pass and run for more than 1,000 yards, and he will be dearly missed by the Rebels. For evidence, look at Ramos’ junior year, when a knee injury forced him to miss five games. South scored more than seven points just once in that time, then scored almost three touchdowns a game when he came back in what John Wren calls a “college-style” offense. As fate has it, the QB who filled in for Ramos, Roger Hebert, is the starter this year. Of course, he’s a senior now, not a sophomore. And he’s got a veteran offensive line, led by Julio Regla, to protect him, and a couple of running backs that excite Wren, senior Lee West and speedy junior Odail Crumb, to share the load.

Defense: If the new-look offense can’t produce right away, it’s going to have to rely on a new-look defense. Youth dominates the story here also, though linebacker Rene Carreon could be an All-Area caliber player in the 30 stack look. Regla will play at times on defense too, as will West and fellow defensive back Andrew Castillo, but other than that, there are new players up from the JV. Those young players have talent, Wren assures — perhaps even more talent than last year’s senior-laden unit — but young defense often experience quite a few growing pains. A favorable non-league schedule will help with that, but if they’re not ready to meet the powerful offenses of the SWYL, points will fly fast.

Outlook: A lot of factors came together at the right time for South last year, and it paid off in a lot of ways. South beat Centennial for the first time in school history, got quality league wins against Frontier and Ridgeview, had a .500 regular season and capped it off with a playoff appearance. Not bad for a team that was in the dregs when Wren arrived and was just 3-17 in his first two years. The only problem with all that is the seniors who grew up together to make last year happen are gone now. What remains is a quiet confidence that comes from a program that now knows it can be competitive. That’s going to help now and down the road, as will the continually increased participation numbers that give the Rebels some legitimate depth. Still, Jose Ramos was one of the best players South High has had in a while, and you can’t replace him and a slew of other seniors without a little bit a of a rebuilding period. Wren has the Rebs headed in the right direction, and they won’t drop completely off the map. But I don’t think they’re quite at the point where they can be competitive year in and year out.

Quotable: “We obviously graduated a lot of kids, but we have returners in the right places. I don’t know if swagger is the right word, but we understand what’s going on. We have confidence that stems from success in the lower levels (JV and freshman). A lot of things have to be ironed out. But we’re not singing the blues.” — Wren

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 Golden Valley
Sept. 18 Mira Monte
Sept. 25 at Arvin
Oct. 2 at Foothill
Oct. 9 Stockdale*
Oct. 16 at Centennial*
Oct. 23 North*
Oct. 30 at Frontier*
Nov. 6 West*
Nov. 13 at Ridgeview*
*—SWYL game

Prediction: 3-7, 0-6 SWYL

TOMORROW: Looking for more athletes — West High

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, South

posted by zewing on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 03:31 PM
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HS football previews: Centennial

Don't mean to divert too much attention from football, but I ran across a great track note the other day: As you may know, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, i.e. the fastest man on Earth, re-broke the world record by running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds a couple of weekends ago at the world championships in Berlin.

This blog has some unbelievable facts about the race:

— Bolt reached an average speed of 27.8 miles per hour in his fastest interval, which was from 60m to 80m.

— He ran his first 40 meters, a distance roughly equivalent to the heralded 40-yard dash we hear about in football all the time, in 4.64 seconds. That's decent for a 40-yard time, though consider that 40 meters is like 44 yards. Convert that to a 40-yard time and it's more like a speedy 4.24.

— Then he got faster. All of Bolt's 40-meter splits except his first (it was said he had a "slow start") were less than 3.5 seconds, topping out with his final 40 at 3.27. Converted to 40 yards, that's like 2.99 seconds! Unreal.

Sorry, the trackie/math geek in me suddenly took over. If you want more, click the link above. It's pretty incredible stuff.

Now back to football. Before today's preview, a couple of quick programming notes: Don't forget to sign up to follow me on Twitter at @zewing. When you do, you'll get my as-it-happens updates on football practices, scrimmages or games that I go to in the coming months. You can also sign up for The Californian's general sports feed at @bakosports.

Also, I'll be on the radio tomorrow, 1230 AM at 3 p.m., for about an hour to preview some high school football. It'll be a lot of the same information as on the blog, but I find that I always find a new way to look at something when I'm talking about it with somebody else. So tune in if you'd like more coverage.

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: Fran Tarkenton or Missouri Tiger great Chase Daniel (or Pélé, if you want to go famous futbol numbers)

CENTENNIAL GOLDEN HAWKS

Coach: Bryan Nixon (ninth year)

2008 record: 3-7 (2-4 Southwest Yosemite League, 1-5 home)
Average points: 26.5
Average points allowed: 31.6
*Average rush yards: 136.8
*Average rush yards allowed: 232.1
*Average pass yards: 189.0
*Average pass yards allowed: 151.7
Best win: Centennial 30, Frontier 14
Worst loss: Liberty 35, Centennial 0
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (no games are missing)

Key players: Cody Kessler, jr, QB; Myren Moore, sr, RB/LB; Richie Peckfelder, sr, RB/LB; Jared Norris, jr, TE/LB; Timothy King, sr, OL/DL

Key losses: Brett Wallace, WR/DB; Bryan Maxwell, TE/LB; Andrew Nabors, RB/LB; Jerry Pendleton, OL/DL

Offense: Cody Kessler is a year older, and if he’s a year better also, this could be a special season. His arm strength last year was already Division I caliber, and if you ask Golden Hawks coach Bryan Nixon, Kessler is at his best when things break down around him. I’ll confirm that from the few times I got to watch Centennial last year. There’s no easy way to stop this guy. The downside last year was that things did break down a lot in Nixon’s spread offense. That shouldn’t happen as much this year — eight starters on offense return, including running backs Myren Moore and Shawn Johnson and four offensive linemen, led by Timothy King and Justin Wallace. The receivers are a bit younger, but some returners have shown good potential — Adam Clayton, who missed much of last year with injury, and junior Cole Hallums. Throw Kessler in the middle of all that, and you’ve got the potential for a scary good attack.

Defense: It was too much to expect Centennial, winners of nine league titles in the previous 15 years, to avoid a drop-off last year with such a young team. And on defense, there was no Cody Kessler to save the day. You can see from the numbers above, more than 380 yards and 31 points allowed per game, that this is where the Hawks had their biggest problems. This year, though, all of those guys who took their licks are back a year wiser. Centennial has two full-time and two part-time starters back on the d-line, two starting linebackers back and an experienced secondary, to boot. Whether that experience equals success in the base 4-4 defense is key. Getting the ball back to Kessler and the offense is a good idea.

Outlook: You should have guessed Centennial wouldn’t be down for long. Like we talked about yesterday with Frontier, here’s a team that probably is better at every position, and the closest thing Kern County has to a preseason star is under center. Kessler was impressive enough last year, but I like to think about this in terms of his other sport, basketball. As a point guard, Kessler could score, defend and dish. But without big man Nick Jenson on the inside, it’s difficult to say whether the Hawks would have been as successful as they were in hoops. On the gridiron, Kessler didn’t have the team around him he needed. I think he’s a lot closer to that now. How big of a turnaround that sparks is up for debate. But I promise this team will be better than last year’s 3-7.

Quotable: “Maturity-wise, all these guys have a season under their belt. Everybody’s excited. Not that we’re there yet, but it’s one of those things, this year they have a little more confidence. We’re flying around at practice. It’s exciting to be around.” — Nixon

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 at Visalia-Redwood
Sept. 18 Liberty
Sept. 25 at East
Oct. 2 at Stockdale*
Oct. 9 Bakersfield
Oct. 16 South*
Oct. 23 at West*
Oct. 30 Ridgeview*
Nov. 6 at North*
Nov. 13 Frontier*

Prediction: 7-3, 5-1 SWYL

TOMORROW: Rebel yell — South High

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, centennial

posted by zewing on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 03:25 PM
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HS football previews: Frontier

Happy first day of (public) school, everybody! Not as exciting for the students and teachers out there, probably, though the first day is always fresh and new even if it means more work to do.

Speaking of fresh and new, I'm going to add another layer to our multimedia coverage of high school sports here at School House Zach. We've got blogs, podcasts, radio appearances and now (drumroll) ... Twitter!

OK, so that's not exactly new. The Californian sports department has had a Twitter account, @bakosports, for a few months now. But I'm going to start using my personal account, @zewing, for high school updates, mostly football at this time of year. I'll be updating regularly as I make my rounds at practice, watch games and talk to coaches and players.

So follow me at @zewing for the most complete high school football coverage anywhere!

Wow, that was quite the commercial, wasn't it?

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: Larry Fitzgerald

FRONTIER TITANS

Coach: Rich Cornford (second year)

2008 record: 4-6 (2-4 Southwest Yosemite League, 2-3 “home”)
Average points: 17.7
Average points allowed: 23.7
*Average rush yards: 145.3
*Average rush yards allowed: 243.4
*Average pass yards: 96.2
*Average pass yards allowed: 91.8
Best win: Frontier 19, Tehachapi 18
Worst loss: Centennial 30, Frontier 14
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps. One game is missing from the “allowed” stats; the “for” stats are complete

Key players: Matt Darr, sr, LB/P; Ian Driskill, sr, TE/DL; Jacob Adelman, sr, WR/DB; Will Harvey, sr, OL/LB; Ted Agu, sr, OL/LB

Key losses: Ryan Roman, RB/DB; Diego Oropeza, RB/DL; John Manuel, WR/DB

Offense: It’s no secret that the Titans struggled at times last year on this side of the ball, but they had some good reasons for it. First, remember that though Frontier had its first senior class last year, it was just a half-class — as sophomores three years before, those kids had the option of staying at their first high school or going to Frontier. So youth was one issue. Injuries were another, starting with quarterback Josh Legoreta. He broke his ankle in the second game last year, which was an upset of Tehachapi, and didn’t return until seeing some limited action in the season finale against Centennial. This year, he’ll be surrounded by more advanced skill-position players like Ian Driskill (440 receiving yds last year), who moves to running back, and Jake Adelman at receiver. The line could be a possible issue in Rich Cornford’s flexbone offense that relies on timing, but the second-year coach is happy with a smaller, leaner line that’s been pieced together from athletic players moving from tight end, fullback and defense.

Defense: On the flip side, Frontier had a lockdown defense for much of last year, at least until injuries took their toll on a team without much depth as the fall wore on. Again, improvements should be apparent, with an accomplished trio of linebackers — Ted Agu, Will Harvey and USC punting signee Matt Darr — and Driskill, a great defensive end all back for their senior seasons. Josh Davis, the SWYL heavyweight wrestling champion, helps man the inside, and Adelman doubles as a standout cornerback. Safe to say this 4-3 unit will be even better than last year.

Outlook: If you’re looking for a sleeper to make some real noise, this could be it. With Ridgeview’s speed and coaching change, Stockdale’s bevy of returning talent and Centennial growing up behind QB Cody Kessler, Frontier kind of gets forgotten in the SWYL conversation. But the Titans were in most games they played last year, even after injuries ravaged them, and they should be better at literally every position. Can they translate that into a run at a league title or a Division II playoff run? It still might be too soon. But one thing’s for sure; this is the by far the best team Frontier has had yet in its infant history.

Quotable: “I wouldn’t put a cap on us. We’ve got a chance to win every game. But in this league, if we don’t play well, we could get beat every game.” — Cornford

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 Lancaster-Antelope Valley
Sept. 18 at Tehachapi
Sept. 25 at Exeter
Oct. 2 North*
Oct. 9 at West*
Oct. 16 Ridgeview*
Oct. 23 Highland
Oct. 30 South*
Nov. 6 at Stockdale*
Nov. 13 at Centennial*

Prediction: 6-4, 3-3 SWYL

TOMORROW: Aiming for a turnaround — Centennial

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Frontier

posted by zewing on Monday, August 24, 2009 at 02:35 PM
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HS football previews: Ridgeview

Went to the Dodgers game today, which was fine until we started to head back and were stuck on the grapevine for two hours. Drive carefully up there, people.

We move into the SWYL in the previews today.

Countdown to Week 0, in famous jersey numbers: Roger Staubach

RIDGEVIEW WOLF PACK

Coach: Dennis Manning (first year)

2008 record: 2-9 (1-5 Southwest Yosemite League, 0-5 home)
Average points: 19.9
Average points allowed: 26.4
*Average rush yards: 247.3
*Average rush yards allowed: 198.5
*Average pass yards: 76.8
*Average pass yards allowed: 116.5
Best win: Ridgeview 30, Stockdale 15
Worst loss: South 40, Ridgeview 7
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (no games are missing)

Key players: Tyler Dogins, sr, QB/RB/DB; Joe Ceja, sr, QB/DB; C.J. Collins, sr, LB; Kyrie Wilson, jr, WR/LB

Key losses: Yannis Mallory, OL/DL; Travell Weatherspoon, RB/LB; Zack Williams, RB/LB; Tynell Robertson, RB/DL

Offense: Dennis Manning, as many football people around town will tell you, is no fool. He’s also got one of the most experienced coaching staffs in Bakersfield. All of that wisdom has decided that with Ridgeview’s super-speedy but somewhat undersized team, the spread is a good fit. I like the idea, with Tyler Dogins — probably the most underrated player in town because we haven’t talked much about him — possibly moving to quarterback to be the point man for the attack. Last year’s starter, Joe Ceja, also is in the mix for snaps at QB, and I’d expect both of those guys to get in the game plenty. Don’t blink when you watch this offense.

Defense: One of the reasons Dogins won’t see all the snaps at quarterback, or running back, or anywhere else on offense, is because he’ll need some rest for where he’s arguably the most valuable: at his strong safety spot. Dogins is the definition of a playmaker — his interception and TD is what sparked the Wolf Pack past Stockdale in an upset last year — and is being courted by several Division I schools. In front of him, Ridgeview has some work to do in the front seven to get up to snuff in Manning’s 50 defense. Finding five linemen on an undersized team might be an issue.

Outlook: Mike Crews left after seven up-and-down seasons with the Wolf Pack, and though it looks like he ended on a down note (3-18 over the past two years), that’s a bit misleading. Ridgeview was in nearly every game it played last year, losing in the last minute to North, Frontier and Foothill and giving eventual Division III section champion Tehachapi all it could handle in the first round on the road. Those are our first clues that Manning is inheriting quite a bit of talent here. This team is good enough to make a lot of noise in the SWYL and in Division III. But don’t get totally carried away; there are question marks in the trenches and first-year coaches, even if they’re as reputable as Manning, usually suffer a bit of a transition tax. Ridgeview also has to play both Frontier and Centennial, two other top contenders in the league, on the road. But I’m pretty confident in saying this will be a fun team to watch.

Quotable: “We’re a little small, I guess. There’s not a whole lot of experience (on the lines). That’s something we’ll battle. We’re really counting on those guys to get better and better and better. If they do, we’ve got a chance to be really good.” — Manning

Schedule: Sept. 4 Independence
Sept. 11 Highland
Sept. 18 at Foothill
Sept. 25 Madera South
Oct. 2 West*
Oct. 9 at North*
Oct. 16 at Frontier*
Oct. 23 Stockdale*
Oct. 30 at Centennial*
Nov. 6 at Golden Valley
Nov. 13 South*

Prediction: 8-3, 3-3 SWYL

TOMORROW: Perhaps an emerging power — Frontier

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, ridgeview

posted by zewing on Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 07:57 PM
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HS football previews: Bakersfield High

Since it is now exactly two weeks until the start of college football season (in California, high schools reached that point yesterday), I thought I'd pass along what I know about the college football team of primary interest here, Fresno State. Not only are the Bulldogs the most local Division I team, but they're teeming with former Kern County players.

Ryan Mathews, the West High star, is again the primary running back for the Bulldogs — if he can stay healthy, which proved to be quite the problem last year. I talked to FSU coach Pat Hill when he was down for a speaking engagement last month, and he mentioned, more than once, that the Bulldogs were 12-2 when Mathews is able to play a complete game.

The next name on the list, of course, is Derek Carr, who's embroiled in a battle for the starting quarterback job with two other Central Section products, Visalia-Central Valley Christian's Ryan Colburn (a junior) and Fresno-Washington Union's Ebahn Feathers, a redshirt freshman. Carr is a true freshman, but he was in for spring practice.

Here's a column on the situation from the beginning of fall camp. I think the sentiment still applies — Colburn will likely start in Week 1 against UC Davis, but Carr will play and they'll hash out the situation from there. Feathers is going to be the change-of-pace guy: He's all but guaranteed snaps, but he won't be the regular QB.

There are other Kern Countians on FSU's roster, including West grad A.J. Jefferson and Bakersfield grad Phillip Thomas. It's the latter's high school that we're talking about today, and what do you know? The Drillers have got some more Division I prospects.

Countdown to Week 0: A baker's (field) dozen

BAKERSFIELD DRILLERS

Coach: Paul Golla (fifth year)

2008 record: 7-4 (5-1 Southeast Yosemite League, 4-1 home)
Average points: 29.8
Average points allowed: 17.7
*Average rush yards: 247.8
*Average rush yards allowed: 116.1
*Average pass yards: 144.6
*Average pass yards allowed: 130.4
Best win: Bakersfield 38, Canyon Country-Canyon 32
Worst loss: Golden Valley 23, Bakersfield 14
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores. (no games are missing)

Key players: Alfonso Jackson, sr, RB; Brian Burrell, jr, QB; Peter Welsh, sr, FB/LB; Emilio Cantu, sr, OL/DL

Key losses: Jerek Johnson, RB/LB; Tevin Jackson, OL/DL; Alex Mitchell, QB/DB; George Ming, FB/DB

Offense: I feel 100 percent confident in saying that this is going to be one of the best offenses in the Central Section. I just don’t know how high the ceiling goes. Drillers coach Paul Golla is ecstatic with what he’s seen so far from junior quarterback Brian Burrell, a potential Division I recruit, and from senior running back Alfonso Jackson, who has been wayward on discipline at various times in his career but has apparently realized that it’s now or never for his high school days. That’s the best QB-RB combo in town, and possibly in the Central Section. Add to that the fact that four out of five offensive-line starters return plus productive fullback Peter Welsh, and you’ve got a potential scoring machine. One weakness? BHS loses its top six receivers from last year. Need to find some playmakers there.

Defense: The Drillers defense was at times dominant last year and at times the team’s Achilles’ Heel. It couldn’t stop Buchanan’s passing attack, Golden Valley’s running back Byron Newman or, well, anything Bullard threw at it in the playoffs. But it’s worth noting that last year the 30 stack D was extremely young. Mercy Matson was an all-league safety as a sophomore; Emilio Cantu a productive lineman as a junior, Welsh one of the most best linebackers in the county as a junior and Anthony Davis an all-league lineman as a soph. Safe to say we’ll see more dominant and fewer lapses this time around.

Outlook: Well, well, well. Turns out 7-4 and a share of the SEYL league title was a rebuilding year in Driller-town. As you can tell, this year’s team is Loaded, L capitalized for a reason. Burrell’s mother was a professional tennis player who passed her athlete’s genes on, and Jackson is an absolute freak of a back. Of course, we all know this doesn’t mean Bakersfield will win the state championship or anything. Ha! The CIF would never give a Central Section team a shot at that! I’m kidding, because I think BHS’ victory over Grant, which went on to win state in 2008, from two years ago shows how good Valley football can be. It’s also premature to talk about anything but the SEYL — with a tough Liberty — and the section with Bakersfield. The Drillers lack depth to a certain extent — though the freshman and JV teams from last year lost one game combined — and injuries to the wrong people would be a major blow. BHS also plays a landmine of a schedule, with Canyon, Buchanan, Stockdale and Centennial in the non-league portion. But I think it’s safe to say Bakersfield won’t be an underdog anywhere.

Quotable: “If we were to make a run at it, I think the CIF committee would take a look at us. We’ve proved we play tough teams, and we’re trying to get out and beat tough teams. But it starts with beating Stockdale and beating Canyon and beating Garces.” — Golla

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 Canyon Country-Canyon
Sept. 18 Stockdale
Sept. 25 at Clovis-Buchanan
Oct. 2 at Liberty*
Oct. 9 at Centennial
Oct. 16 at Garces*
Oct. 23 Foothill*
Oct. 30 Golden Valley*
Nov. 6 at East*
Nov. 13 Highland*

Prediction: 9-1, 5-1 SEYL

TOMORROW: New coach sitting on a goldmine? — Ridgeview

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Bakersfield High

posted by zewing on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 03:18 PM
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HS football previews: Liberty

This is the first team preview of a Division I team in the Central Section, and it's one that was closer than you think to winning a Valley title last year. The Patriots gave Clovis West more of a battle than any of the Golden Eagles' other playoff opponents. But, as you'll see, they'll have to deal with CW at least once this year, not to mention Bakersfield, Stockdale, and a slew of other tough opponents.

Yep. We're getting to the really good stuff now.

Countdown to Week 0: A Shakespearean fortnight

LIBERTY PATRIOTS

Coach: Tony Mills (second year)

2008 record: 7-4 (5-1 Southeast Yosemite League, 4-1 home)
Average points: 22.6
Average points allowed: 10.0
*Average rush yards: 148.9
*Average rush yards allowed: 141.6
*Average pass yards: 110.3
*Average pass yards allowed: 105.5
Best win: Liberty 17, Stockdale 10
Worst loss: West 23, Liberty 21
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (no games are missing)

Key players: Dillon Meadows, sr, WR/DB; Zach Vasquez, sr, RB/DB; Cody Temple, jr, OL/DL; Rane Cravens, sr, TE/DL; Brady Burk, sr, DL/LB

Key losses: Dylan Slayton, QB; Chris Neal, RB/DB; Angelo Ornelas, RB/LB; Ryan Patterson, WR/DB; Trent Eskew, TE/DL; Colton Schmidt, K/P

Offense: Patriots coach Tony Mills says the one thing that has to improve for Liberty to be successful this year is the offense. The team was too inconsistent last year, and Mills says a quick game of coulda-woulda-shoulda reveals that had Liberty been able to scratch across one touchdown in its Division I quarterfinal with Clovis West last year, the Pats would have won the game (they trailed 7-6 late and then had to gamble on D, leading to another TD and a 14-6 final). I tend to agree with him. After that, who knows? Clovis West went on to win the title without playing another game that close. Problem is, Liberty is out quarterback Dylan Slayton, running back Chris Neal and offensive coordinator Rick Van Horne. Wholesale changes aren’t always bad, of course, when you’re trying to change results to. This year’s team will rely on Zach Vasquez as a running back and a renewed focus on fundamentals and avoiding negative plays that leave a team with much explosiveness in too big of a hole to keep a drive alive.

Defense: This side of the ball definitely wasn’t a problem last year — it was one of the best high school defenses I’ve seen in five years closely covering the sport. Liberty gave up 10 points or fewer in five different games last year, plus games against East and Clovis West where late touchdowns pushed opponents over 10. It’s going to be difficult to replicate quite that level of dominance without defensive end Trent Eskew and linebacker Angelo Ornelas, two of Bakersfield’s more feared defenders. But with Rane Cravens back at the other d-end spot and big Cody Temple, aka El Gigante, back to consume double-teams in the middle of the line, plus Vasquez back as an aggressive safety, Liberty will be just fine. Just maybe not quite lucky-to-score-once-against-us fine.

Outlook: Mills said Liberty’s identity is still on ball control, special teams, game management and, above all, defense. That sounds like a blueprint that Clovis West, among others, has followed to multiple section championships. But Liberty has never beaten CW. What gives? Well, the Golden Eagles usually have enough firepower to make the good D hold up. That’s what Mills wants to develop. If it does, you’re looking at your favorites for the SEYL and possibly the section here. If it doesn’t, it’ll be another frustrating bridesmaids finish. For my part, I’m not quite ready to proclaim the Patriots a Division I favorite. But I really like this team.

Quotable: “Last year’s group was a great group, but our kids are hungry. We have to avoid complacency. This group won at the freshman level and the JV level and now they’re seniors. They really believe they have a chance. But we can’t think for a second our defense is automatically going to be what it was last year.” — Mills

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Clovis West
Sept. 11 BYE
Sept. 18 at Centennial
Sept. 25 West
Oct. 2 Bakersfield*
Oct. 9 at Foothill*
Oct. 16 Stockdale
Oct. 23 at Golden Valley*
Oct. 30 East*
Nov. 6 Highland*
Nov. 13 at Garces*
*—league game

Prediction: 8-2, 6-0 SEYL

TOMORROW: California's most storied program — Bakersfield

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Liberty

posted by zewing on Friday, August 21, 2009 at 03:41 PM
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HS football previews: Garces

Hello. My name's Zach. This is my blog.

No need for introductions, I guess, but it feels like I've been gone for more than just two weeks. I had a fabulous vacation/wedding/honeymoon and am now excited to be back and talking high school football again. Thanks to Californian assistant sports editor Ross Priest for faithfully posting these season previews for me even as he took a little time off.

All of a sudden, we're close to the home stretch before the season. Two weeks from tomorrow, players will be suiting it up for Week 0 games. That means intrasquad scrimmages start tomorrow, and full scrimmages will be next week. The waiting is almost over.

Countdown to Week 0: 15 days

GARCES RAMS

Coach: David Fanucchi (seventh year)

2008 record: 6-5 (4-2 Southeast Yosemite League, 4-1 home)
Average points: 19.8
Average points allowed: 23.4
*Average rush yards: 186.7
*Average rush yards allowed: 180.7
*Average pass yards: 73.4
*Average pass yards allowed: 141.9
Best win: Garces 27, Tehachapi 21, OT
Worst loss: Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial 20, Garces 6
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (no games are missing)

Key players: Jalen Sykes, jr, RB; Matt Sumlin, sr, WR; Daniel Yi, sr, OL/DL; Joe Bell, sr, TE/LB; Sam Layton, sr, RB/DB

Key losses: Andrew Fanucchi, OL/LB; Chase Wright, QB; Chris Taylor, RB/DB; Andrew Putman, OL/DL; Riley Scott, RB/LB

Offense: To be successful, a Wing T offense needs multiple weapons, and Garces is going to have plenty of those. Start with Jalen Sykes, a speedy little back who averaged 6.5 yards a carry to the tune of 740 yards and seven touchdowns in part-time duty last year. He’ll get the feature back’s role and will be flanked by Zack Puente and Sam Layton. Matt Sumlin is a 100-yard dash standout in track, so you know he’s got speed at wide receiver. The question marks will be the line, where a few starters are gone (but a few return) and quarterback, where there is a four-way battle going on to replace Chase Wright. Whoever wins the job will have a nice supporting cast to work with.

Defense: There are bigger holes to fill in the Rams’ 30 stack defense, starting with linebacker Andrew Fanucchi, an All-Area player, and lineman Andrew Putnam. Entire offensive gameplans had to revolve around those wrecking balls, and now they’re gone. Asked to pick up the slack will be Grant Campbell and Tal Pruett at linebacker and Layton in the secondary. But without being able to rely on the big pla from Fanucchi or Putnam, Garces will have to be more solid on every down.

Outlook: Here’s the good news: Garces has a tradtion that has continued under coach David Fanucchi of being solid on every down. This is a team that usually has smaller roster size than its league opponents and often faces a talent disparity, too. But the Rams aren’t going to beat themselves. David Fanucchi is confident that this year’s team is no different, especially after an encouraging offseason. Will that attitude, combined with the skill brought back on offense, be enough to push Garces into the top half of the SEYL and deep into the Division II playoffs? I don’t even want to guess. If there’s one thing last year taught me, it’s that the Rams are difficult to predict. This year, I’m willing to give them a bit more benefit of the doubt.

Quotable: “I tell our kids every year we’ll be in a number of close games. Everything depends on how we execute in those.” — David Fanucchi

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 Tehachapi
Sept. 18 at Arvin
Sept. 25 at Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial
Oct. 2 at Golden Valley*
Oct. 9 Highland*
Oct. 16 Bakersfield*
Oct. 23 at East*
Oct. 30 West
Nov. 6 at Foothill*
Nov. 13 Liberty*

Prediction: 6-4, 4-2 SEYL

TOMORROW: A budding defensive powerhouse — Liberty

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Garces

posted by zewing on Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 03:17 PM
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HS football previews: Golden Valley

Countdown to Week 0: 16 days

GOLDEN VALLEY BULLDOGS

Coach: Erich Smith (third year)

2008 record: 6-5 (3-3 Southeast Yosemite League, 4-2 home)
Average points: 25.6
Average points allowed: 28.8
*Average rush yards: 180.5
*Average rush yards allowed: 232.2
*Average pass yards: 216.5
*Average pass yards allowed: 118.1
Best win: Golden Valley 23, Bakersfield 14
Worst loss: Highland 34, Golden Valley 28, OT
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (no games are missing)

Key players: Daryn Johnson, sr, WR/DB; Ricardo Figueroa, jr, OL; Armando Mungia, sr, WR; Emery Palacios, jr, RB/DB

Key losses: Byron Newman, RB/DB/KR; Dylan Finch, sr, QB; Chris Brown, jr, DB; Nathan Lyday, WR; Anthony Perez, WR; Aaron Sy, OL/DL; Eric Berry, OL/DL; Michael Pulley, DB; Daryn Johnson, sr, WR/DB; Anthony Gary, sr, RB/LB; Jaylin Howard, sr, DL

Offense: Somebody hit the reset button on coach Erich Smith and Golden Valley in the offseason. After a season in which the Bulldogs looked goo in going 6-4 and beat vaunted Bakersfield High, they were already due to lose stud running back Byron Newman and a few good receivers and linemen. But that’s normal turnover in high school football. Then the rinse-and-repeat cycle got out of control. Because of either discipline, academics or (mostly) transfers, Golden Valley also will be without starting quarterback Dylan Finch, who threw for 2,268 yards last year but got into some undisclosed trouble in the offseason, plus another group of offensive players who would have been instrumental as replacements. What’s left? Anthony Bishop and Derrick Martin will split time at quarterback, and both are athletic, if less experienced than Finch. A group of first-time starters, Trey Cotton, Mannie Vargas and Emery Palacios, will be charged with replacing Newman. That’s tough. From a talent and experience standpoint, all of those are really big shoes to fill.

Defense: The same thing happened here. All of Smith’s returning linebackers were part of the mass exodus too, and he’ll have to rely on a defensive line that’s really the only position group on the team with any experience to speak of. Golden Valley improved in leaps and bounds here last year, especially in the turnovers-forced department, but it will be hard to avoid a step backwards with all of the players lost.

Outlook: This has all the makings of a long year in Bulldog land. There are a few reasons to hold out hope: Smith is one of the most fiery guys around town. Without any knowledge of why players transferred, it’s safe to say Smith will make sure the remaining players want to do things his way. I’m just not sure that’s going to turn into a lot of wins in the year to come. If they do, it will be because the Bishop-Martin combo at quarterback gels quickly and there are enough players buried on last year’s depth chart to make some plays. That’s going to have to overcome a defense that will have plenty of re-growing pains. It really is a rebuilding project when you’ve got to start from scratch like this.

Quotable: “We don’t ever lower our expectations; that’s one thing I’ll never do. That’s the way football is. I call it hte multimedia age of football. You’ve got to play for now. You’re going to get a new crop of kids every year, and you’ve got to be flexible enough to deal with it.” — Smith

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 at South
Sept. 18 Visalia-El Diamante
Sept. 25 at Chavez
Oct. 2 Garces*
Oct. 9 at East*
Oct. 16 at Highland*
Oct. 23 Liberty*
Oct. 30 at Bakersfield*
Nov. 6 Ridgeview
Nov. 13 Foothill*
*—league game

Prediction: 1-9, 1-5 SEYL

TOMORROW: Consistent and talented — Garces

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Golden Valley

posted by zewing on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 02:27 PM
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HS football previews: Foothill

Countdown to Week 0: 17 days

FOOTHILL TROJANS

Coach: Mike Gregg (first year)

2008 record: 6-6 (2-4 Southeast Yosemite League, 3-3 home)
Average points: 23.5
Average points allowed: 23.3
*Average rush yards: 183.8
*Average rush yards allowed: 186.3
*Average pass yards: 147.3
*Average pass yards allowed: 133.7
Best win: Foothill 24, Highland 2
Worst loss: Golden Valley 44, Foothill 21
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (no games are missing)

Key players: Jacob Clagg, sr, TE/LB; Ronnie Owens, sr, OL/DL; Edgar Linares, sr, K

Key losses: Ronnie Churchill, TE/LB; Matt Guerra, QB/DB; Lawrence Weldon, RB/DB; Angel Posadas, OL/DL; D.J. Enderton, TE/DL

Offense: It looks to be the definition of a transition year for the Trojans, what with a new coaching staff, albeit headed by former Dennis Manning assistant Mike Gregg, and a dearth of recognizable names, especially on offense. Ronnie Churchill, Matt Guerra and Lawrence Weldon, a trio of skill players who helped Foothill to the semifinals of the last three Division III section playoffs, are gone. Their replacements will be young and inexperienced. But the Trojans will have three starting linemen back, headlined by Ronnie Owens, plus a quality transfer from East named Delfino Pineda. The o-line will be senior-laden and tough, and that’s going to help the flexbone offense Gregg has installed.

Defense: Similarly, the defense lost some big names — Angel Posadas, D.J. Enderton, Churchill — but has a couple back to lead a young group. Those would be Owens, who’ll get time at linebacker, and Jacob Clagg, the returning middle linebacker. The other positive here is that Gregg is keeping the same 50 defense that players learned under Manning’s staff. The advantage of that continuity can’t be understated.

Outlook: The cupboard is not bare. But Gregg is going to be leading a young team trying to learn a new offense while it competes in a tough league. The Trojans grew by leaps and bounds under Manning, and I think it was a great move to go with a guy from that staff to try to keep the program at that high level. That might not happen this first year, but never discount a team that returns a lot on the offensive and defensive lines. Those kinds of teams always win a couple of more games than you’d think just by looking at how much yardage is returning. I get the feeling Mike Gregg’s first Foothill team will be no different.

Quotable: “We’re pretty excited about what we’ve got back. We lost a lot of experience. We’re not going to be world-killers, we know that, but we think we can compete with teams.” — Gregg

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 at Arvin
Sept. 18 Ridgeview
Sept. 25 at Kennedy (at Delano)
Oct. 2 South
Oct. 9 Liberty*
Oct. 16 East*
Oct. 23 at Bakersfield*
Oct. 30 at Highland*
Nov. 6 Garces*
Nov. 13 at Golden Valley*
*—league game

Prediction: 4-6, 1-5 SEYL

TOMORROW: Last year's surprise team — Golden Valley

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Foothill

posted by zewing on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 12:16 PM
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HS football previews: Highland

Countdown to Week 0: 18 days

HIGHLAND SCOTS

Coach: Tim Hartnett (third year)

2008 record: 6-5 (2-4 Southeast Yosemite League, 2-3 home)
Average points: 14.2
Average points allowed: 15.5
*Average rush yards: 143.1
*Average rush yards allowed: 142.9
*Average pass yards: 75.1
*Average pass yards allowed: 101.5
Best win: Highland 34, Golden Valley 28, OT
Worst loss: Foothill 24, Highland 2
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (no games are missing)

Key players: Alan Roy, sr, RB/LB; John Oglesby, sr, WR/LB; Ruben Guerrero, sr, WR/LB; D.J. Lara, sr, OL/DL

Key losses: Pat Su’a, LB; Tyler Johnson, QB; Oscar Topete, DL; Steven Monsibais, OL/DL; Jordan Austin, OL/DL; Kyle Lemucchi, WR/DB; Sean O’Leary, WR/DB

Offense: When Highland fizzled last year after a 6-1 start, the main culprit was the offense. The Scots scored a total of six offensive points in the final four games of the year, even with a solid defense that was consistently getting the ball back. There’s reason to believe it’ll be better this year. Alan Roy returns as the full-time starter at running back and should improve on his 993 yards from last year, when he averaged 7.0 yards a carry. Two starters also return on the offensive line. Defenses might want to load up agains the run in coach Tim Hartnett’s spread offense, but he thinks Highland will be able to throw the ball enough to keep them honest. Three guys, including part-time 2008 contributor Matt Prasser, are competing for the quarterback job, and they’ll use an area of strength at receiver, where John Oglesby and Ruben Guerrero are joined by a group of playmaking sophomores.

Defense: If the offense is going to be better, the defense just has to maintain its high level from a year ago and the Scots will be in dandy shape. That’s not going to be easy, though. The loss of Californian Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Su’a at linebacker hurts bigtime (there were times last year when Su’a, now at Fresno State, was making so many big plays that he essentially stopped teams by himself). Quick defensive lineman Oscar Topete is also gone, as are Jordan Austin and Steven Monsibais. Still, Hartnett’s 30 stack defense has been his trademark since he won a surprise SEYL championship at Golden Valley in 2005, and it’s not a stretch to think to think the ’09 crop of players — including D.J. Lara on the line and Oglesby at linebacker — will keep the D respectable.

Outlook: On paper, this is a team that doesn’t have the star potential of Hartnett’s first two Highland teams that both sent a player to Fresno State. But it might be a better balanced team, and that has Hartnett’s standards the same: He wants to win one more game than the team did the year before. That’s seven wins. Going to be tough when Bakersfield and Liberty are two teams on the schedule, but Highland is the sort of team that could pose problems for a lot of teams. Control the ball on offense, get off the field on defense and take advantage of your opportunities. That’s Tim Hartnett football, and it’s the blueprint to whatever success the Scots will have in 2009.

Quotable: “You look at our schedule, we’ve got some teams that are probably going to be very, very strong, but a lot of teams we should be able to compete with. Our kids are excited, and they feel good about their prospects. We may surprise some people, sneak up on some people.” — Hartnett

Schedule: Sept. 4 Arvin
Sept. 11 at Ridgeview
Sept. 18 Chavez
Sept. 25 Independence
Oct. 2 East*
Oct. 9 at Garces*
Oct. 16 Golden Valley*
Oct. 23 at Frontier
Oct. 30 Foothill*
Nov. 6 at Liberty*
Nov. 13 at Bakersfield*
°—league game

Prediction: 6-5, 3-3 SEYL

TOMORROW: A new day with a new coach — Foothill

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Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Highland

posted by zewing on Monday, August 17, 2009 at 06:37 PM
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HS football previews: East

Countdown to Week 0: 20 days

EAST BLADES

Coach: Jerald Pierucci (second year)

2008 record: 1-9 (0-6 Southeast Yosemite League, 0-5 home)
Average points: 10.8
Average points allowed: 32.2
*Average rush yards: 44.4
*Average rush yards allowed: 236.5
*Average pass yards: 138.2
*Average pass yards allowed: 121.0
Best win: East 26, West 20
Worst loss: Highland 23, East 0
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (no games are missing)

Key players: Joe Pearson, sr, QB; Eric Salazar, sr, WR/DB; Akilley Holley, jr, RB/WR; Eric Cherry, jr, LB/DB; Anthony Carillo, jr, LB

Key losses: Frank Wright, WR/DB; Daythen Fernandez, QB/RB; David Cano, RB/LB; Garret Pierce, TE/LB; Charlie Devers, RB/DB

Offense: For those of us intrigued by East’s dabble with the A-11 offense (no line, just a bunch of backs and receivers to wreck havoc) last year, I have bad news: The National Federation of High Schools outlawed the scheme, saying you had to have a set number of jersey numbers designated as linemen (inelgible receivers) on first and second down. On third and fourth down, I suppose it’s still legal, but East coach Jerald Pierucci said he thinks a team would have to commit to the A-11 fully for it to be successful. So where does that leave East? It better shape than you’d think, considering the Blades were 1-9 last year and scored barely 10 points a game. QB Joe Pearson is back, as are skill guys Ryan Salinas and Akilley Holley, speed threats to take it to the house wheneverthey get the ball. A big addition is offensive coordinator Rick Van Horne, who worked at Liberty last year and has had various successful stops in the past.

Defense: Unfortunately for East, the defense also lost quite a bit of talent and doesn’t have the same reasons for optimism. A 3-4 defense relies heavily on its linebackers, and the loss of David Cano and Garret Pierce is going to help. The guys expected to step into those roles are Eric Cherry and Anthony Carillo. How quickly they adjust could make East’s season surprisingly competitive or another long march to misery.

Outlook: I truly don’t think the Blades were as bad last year as they were playing by Weeks 8, 9 and 10. It was just a case of things unraveling for a team that could never quite muster the most out of its talent. But honestly, that’s not uncommon for a team in the first year of a new coaching regime, especially one that entered the picture so late (Pierucci and staff didn’t take over full-time until last June). This time around, they’ve had a full offseason to make some adjustments and get to know their personnel. That’s going to have a positive effect that’s har d to measure. East still faces a tough schedule, but if they can score some points, they can at least double or triple their one victory from last year. That’s a step in the right direction against a rock-solid schedule for a team that will get into a more managable league next year, too.

Quotable: “We’ll cling to what we know is right, and the wins are going to come. And winning breathes so much life into the program. This year I want to be in football games. I think a little bit of success, it breeds success. More kids come out and you see that athlete who didn’t want to come out for football come out to be part of something special.” — Pierucci

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 at Stockdale
Sept. 18 West
Sept. 25 Centennial
Oct. 2 at Highland*
Oct. 9 Golden Valley*
Oct. 16 at Foothill*
Oct. 23 Garces*
Oct. 30 at Liberty*
Nov. 6 Bakersfield*
Nov. 13 North
°—league game

Prediction: 2-8, 2-4 SEYL

MONDAY: A northeast Bako sleeper? — Highland

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, East

posted by zewing on Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 07:34 AM
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HS football previews: Independence and Mira Monte

Coutdown to Week 0: 21 days

INDEPENDENCE FALCONS

Coach: Sean McKeown (first varsity season)
2008 JV record: 8-2
League: Freeway (will join a yet-unnamed league with Bakersfield, Centennial, Frontier, Liberty and Stockdale in 2010)

Key players: Braylon Lejander, soph, OL/DL; Louis Bennett, soph, RB/DB; Tyler Glasgow, jr, WR/LB; Elias Perez, jr, FB/LB

Outlook: Sean McKeown, former Bakersfield High offensive coordinator, is trying to build BHS Southwest at Independence. He’s off to a good start. Note the gaudy JV record last year (much of that was against other first-year programs, but not all) and a bevy of talent that led to a punishing running attack last year. Now McKeown says the Falcons are ready to take the next step. That’s varsity football, and it’s varsity football with a learning curve. Fortunately for the four new schools in the section (the two Bakersfield schools, Kennedy in Delano and Tulare-Mission Oak), they all started at exactly the same time. That means they can fill their schedule playing home-and-homes with each other instead of going up against established varsity programs and getting beat up.
Independence will have it especially tough next year when it enters a league with Bakersfield, Liberty, Centennial, Stockdale and Frontier. Best make some strides before those teams are breathing down your neck. To that end, McKeown wants to spread out his offense a little bit more this year, and an athletic line led by Braylon Lejander will provide a chance for that while Louis Bennett will handle most of the ball-carrying duties.
It’s easy to tell already that this program is on the right track. It’s going to take a few years in the new league, but I think we’ll see Independence’s potential in the Freeway League this year.

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Ridgeview
Sept. 11 BYE
Sept. 18 Shafter
Sept. 25 at Highland
Oct. 2 at Kennedy*
Oct. 9 at Clovis North
Oct. 16 Tulare-Mission Oak*
Oct. 23 Mira Monte*
Oct. 29 at Tulare-Mission Oak*
Nov. 6 Kennedy* W
Nov. 13 vs. Mira Monte (at Foothill)*
*—league game

Prediction: 6-4, 5-1 Freeway League

MIRA MONTE LIONS

Coach: Tony Varela (first varsity season)
2008 JV record: 5-4
League: Freeway (will join a yet-unnamed league with Golden Valley, Ridgeview, South and West in 2010)

Key players: Justin Smith, jr, OL; Tim Harris, soph, RB/DB; Jordan Olgin, soph, OL/LB; Javier Hernandez, jr, OL/DL; Bryant Guyton, jr, WR/DB

Outlook: It was a successful first season for coach Tony Varela and Mira Monte on several levels. The Lions were competitive on the field as a JV team, setting up a chance for some success in 2009 at the varsity level. They also succeeded in establishing an identity, a nice step for any program to take early on. Mira Monte, Varela said, will be a blue-collar team. He realizes the school, located in southeast Bakersfield just north of Foothill, won’t draw a bunch of kids with athletic pedigrees, but he’s been pleased with the work ethic of the players he does have. His Wing T offense is designed after that idea: Use hard work and preperation to trick an opponent, rather trying to bowl over someone bigger. Like in a typical Wing T, different guys will get a chance to carry the ball, but keep an eye on Tim Harris, a sophomore who could develop into Mira Monte’s first star. On its 4-3 defense, Mira Monte will be similar: Put in the time, prepare well and then execute on game day. How fast the school becomes competitive on the field is debatable, but the Lions do have a favorable schedule, with competitive but beatable teams South, Shafter and Cesar Chavez in the non-league portion and other first-year varsity programs in the league.

Quotable: “We’re definitely a blue-collar team. We work for everything we get, from transporting kids to practice and getting them home, finding money to feed kids and get them equipped. Usually things don’t get donated to us. We have to claw our way out of everything.” — Varela

Schedule: Sept. 4 Chavez (at East)
Sept. 11 Clovis North
Sept. 18 at South
Sept. 25 at Shafter
Oct. 2 BYE
Oct. 8 at Tulare-Mission Oak*
Oct. 16 Kennedy*
Oct. 23 at Independence*
Oct. 30 at Kennedy (at Chavez)*
Nov. 6 Tulare-Mission Oak (at Highland)*
Nov. 13 Independence (at Foothill)*
*—league game

Prediction: 3-7, 3-3 Freeway League

TOMORROW: Starting with the big boys — East

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, independence, Mira Monte

posted by zewing on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 09:21 AM
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HS football previews: Tehachapi

Countdown to Week 0: 22 days

TEHACHAPI WARRIORS

Coach: Steve Denman (28th year)

2008 record: 10-4 (4-1 South Sequoia League, 5-1 home)
Average points: 32.9
Average points allowed: 19.6
*Average rush yards: 318.3
*Average rush yards allowed: 139.6
*Average pass yards: 64.8
*Average pass yards allowed: 138.4
Best win: Tehachapi 21, Hanford 14
Worst loss: Frontier 19, Tehachapi 18
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (no games are missing)

Key players: Drew Howell, sr, OL/DL; Nick Howell, sr, WR/DB; Jesse Olofson sr, RB/DB; Niko Taliulu, jr, OL/DL; Tyler Guyon, sr, OL/DL

Key losses: Adam Mullen, RB/DB; Josh Strauss, RB/DB; Garrett Coontz, WR/LB; Derek Lange, RB/LB; Kurtis Knudson, QB

Offense: Somewhere back in the mountains, they’ve got a little factory, pumping out not coal or iron or oil but running backs that run like they eat all of these things for breakfast. Last year’s duo of Adam Mullen and Josh Strauss won’t soon be topped, but it’s no secret that the Warriors will probably have some more names you’ll see with big yardage totals by them in your Saturday morning Californian. This year Jesse Olofson will lead a running back by committee approach that more readily fits Steve Denman’s vaunted Wing T approach. There’s also a competition in camp to replace Kurtis Knudson under center, led right now by senior Chris Rush.

Defense: Sometime in the past 20 years, the mountain folk added on to their running back factory with one that made specialized linebackers. (Or maybe it’s just great coaching. What do I know?) But here again, Tehachapi is replacing perhaps its two best players in Garrett Coontz and Derek Lange, who flew around the field with abandon for the last couple of years, winning Division III section titles with defense as much as with the Wing T. Whether the Warriors can ably replace those outside linebackers by midseason could determine their league-title hopes. The rest of the D, led by Niko Taliulu and Tyler Guyon on the line, looks stout.

Outlook: Denman has been around long enough — almost 30 years now — that he’s not going to get too up or too down with anything. That’s why when last year’s defending section champs started 1-3, he never panicked. Neither did his team, and it wound up 9-4 and section champs again. That attitude will come in useful again in ’09, with a loaded non-conference schedule and a team that will have to find itself just a bit at the start of the season. But here’s another thing I’m sure Denman has learned: Tehachapi’s going to be just fine. The Warriors know how they play and they know they’ll be successful. It might be a stretch to say that this somewhat inexperienced team can give the mountain a three-peat, but it wouldn’t really surprise me that much, either.

Quotable: “The last two years, we’ve had more speed than we’ve ever had. This year, we’ll be quick, but I don’t know if we’ll have the couple of kids who can flat run.” — Denman

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Santa Ana-Segerstrom
Sept. 11 at Garces
Sept. 18 Frontier
Sept. 25 Burroughs
Oct. 2 BYE
Oct. 9 Rosamond
Oct. 16 at Shafter*
Oct. 23 Bakersfield Christian*
Oct. 30 Taft*
Nov. 6 at Wasco*
Nov. 13 at Arvin*
*—league games

Prediction: 7-3, 4-1 SSL

TOMORROW: It feels so good to be young — Independence and Mira Monte

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, previews, Tehachapi

posted by zewing on Friday, August 14, 2009 at 06:01 PM
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HS football previews: Bakersfield Christian

What Zach's doing: Leaving for his honeymoon — sorry, this is where the updates stop ;)

BAKERSFIELD CHRISTIAN EAGLES

Coach: Matt Love (first year)

2008 record: 12-1 (5-0 South Sequoia League, 5-1 home)
Average points: 43.9
Average points allowed: 18.5
*Average rush yards: 178.4
*Average rush yards allowed: 187.3
*Average pass yards: 313.2
*Average pass yards allowed: 104.5
Best win: Bakersfield Christian 40, Tehachapi 35
Worst loss: Westlake Village-Oaks Christian 35, Bakersfield Christian 7
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (no games are missing)

Key players: Tyler Miller, sr, OL/DL; Cody Verhuth, sr, OL/DL; Bradford McNaughton, sr, WR/LB; Ike Basil, sr, WR/DB; Arend Bos/James Haupt, srs, QBs

Key losses: Derek Carr, QB; Jake Peterson, WR/DB; Christian Taylor, RB/DB; Ryan Boschma, OL/DL; Colby Herron, WR; Marcus Hall, WR/DB; Aryton Oliver, TE/LB

Offense: One look at the stats above will show you how good Bakersfield Christian was on offense last year. One look at the losses list will tell you how much work the Eagles have to do to get back to that level. And while that’s obviously far-fetched, there’s reason to believe that Matt Love, who replaced athletic director Doug Barnett as BCHS coach, can have success on O again. He’s embraced the spread, and he’s got three offensive linemen returning from that team. That’s a good start. People forget that Derek Carr and co. rarely had to deal with opposing defenses throwing off timing in the backfield. The key will be whether the new skill-position players can have an impact. Love assures that there’s plenty of athleticism to go around with the tandem of Bradford McNaughton, brother of Cal State Bakersfield volleyball standout Misty McNaughton, and guys like Ike Basil and the quarterback, whether it be Arend Bos or James Haupt.

Defense: This is the great unknown. Like on offense, there are only a few returning starters here. That could be a bigger problem, because this defense wasn’t fantastic to begin with last year, and losing an All-Area guy like Ryan Boschma isn’t going to help. Tyler Miller, the only starter returning to the same position (McNaughton is moving up to linebacker), is going to have to fill that gap up front, and the back seven has to grow as the season goes. If not, this BCHS team is going to have to win a lot of shootouts.

Outlook: Last year was magical. Period. This Division V school was fielding what would have been a good Division I or II team, and probably no Bakersfield Christian will ever be that good again. But the key is whether BCHS can sustain enough success now that that fantastic senior class has departed to compete for SSL and section titles year in and year out. I think they will. Barnett was saying midway through last year that he was excited to see what the next group of athletes were going to do when it was their turn. But it might take a year to get to that point. This team is young, and it will take a few lumps. Bakersfield Christian has arrived as a small-school power in Kern County, but even small-school powers need time to rebuild once in a while.

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Avenal
Sept. 11 Kennedy
Sept. 18 Visalia-Central Valley Christian
Sept. 25 at Pasadena-Maranatha
Oct. 2 BYE
Oct. 9 Sun Valley-Village Christian
Oct. 16 Wasco*
Oct. 23 at Tehachapi*
Oct. 30 at Shafter*
Nov. 6 Arvin*
Nov. 13 Taft*

Prediction: 5-5, 2-3 SSL

July 29: Lighthouse Christian, Maricopa, Immanuel Christian
July 30: Mojave, Boron
July 31: Desert, Rosamond
Aug. 1: Frazier Mountain, Kern Valley
Aug. 3: California City, Burroughs
Aug. 4: McFarland, Robert F. Kennedy
Aug. 5: Delano
Aug. 6: Cesar Chavez
Aug. 7: Shafter
Aug. 8 Wasco
Aug. 10 Arvin
Aug. 11 Taft

TOMORROW: To the football factory — Tehachapi

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Bakersfield Christian

posted by zewing on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 07:55 PM
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HS football previews: Taft

What Zach's doing: Sleeping in, taking photos with my new bride

TAFT WILDCATS

Coach: Steve Sprague (sixth year)

2008 record: 7-4 (3-2 South Sequoia League, 3-2 home)
Average points: 25.9
Average points allowed: 18.7
*Average rush yards: 230.4
*Average rush yards allowed: 187.5
*Average pass yards: 74.9
*Average pass yards allowed: 144.5
Best win: Taft 28, Templeton 3
Worst loss: Exeter 31, Taft 7
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (Three games are missing from “allowed” numbers; “for” stats are complete)

Key players: Cody Shirreffs, sr, RB/LB; Blake Emberson, sr, RB/DE; Ioane Savaii, sr, OL/DL; Andrew Smith, sr, LB; Hunter Liljeroos, sr, QB; Eric Foch, sr, WR

Key losses: Ben Savaii, OL/DL; Loren Kolb, WR; Jeremy Gonzales, TE/DB; Derek Barnes, WR; Tommy Williams, DB

Offense: There’s no doubt the Wildcats’ headliner is going to be Cody Shirreffs, a returning second-team All-Area player who rushed for 1,579 yards as a junior in Taft’s I-formation, line-up-and-go offense. But as good as Shirreffs will be, the story doesn’t stop there. Taft is going to (of course) have a big offensive line, led by 6-foot-3, 310-pound Ioane “Buddha” Savaii and a couple of other 250-plus pounders. Also, coach Steve Sprague said Taft might throw the ball a bit more than usual this year — as much as 20 times a game, even. Maybe that’s blasphemy for Taft (or maybe Sprague is just posturing), but it can’t hurt to throw a bit to keep a defense bent on stopping the running game off-balance. Quarterback Hunter Liljeroos and wide receiver Eric Foch return to help the aerial attack.

Defense: It looks like it’s going to be one of those years where Taft cycles up. The team returns the entire front seven from its 5-2 scheme, again with a big front line bent on creating havoc in the backfield. The Wildcats do have to replace three of four starters in the secondary, but with Derek Carr out of the SSL, they won’t see an opponent capable of consistently exploiting that until the playoffs. Even then, all facets of an opponent’s offense will be under assault.

Outlook: Look at that Taft schedule below, and tell me where you see a sure loss. Four of the five non-league games are at home, with the toughest opponents being Coalinga and Porterville. Then in league, that trip to Tehachapi looms large — my vote says that one will be for the SSL championship. But this Taft team is going to be good enough to handle some challenges. There’s no apparent weakness, save for maybe the secondary, and there’s a bunch of strengths that will be hard for anyone to overcome, especially if that anyone is undersized. A year after a Division IV Central Section title, Taft finished third in the SSL last year and then was waxed 39-0 on a rainy night in Kingsburg in the first round of the playoffs. That, Sprague hopes, will allow the Wildcats to fly under the radar a bit. Sorry, coach, I’m about to blow your cover: Taft is going to be very, very good, and they’re going to take another swing at a section title.

Quotable: “The players are pretty cocky right now, and darn it, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I want them to expect to win. We’re going to have to work just as hard and stay just as healthy as any other team and catch some breaks, but we’re going to be a tough go for anybody on our schedule.” — Sprague

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Templeton
Sept. 11 Avenal
Sept. 18 Exeter
Sept. 25 Coalinga
Oct. 2 BYE
Oct. 9 Porterville
Oct. 16 Arvin*
Oct. 23 at Wasco*
Oct. 30 at Tehachapi*
Nov. 6 Shafter*
Nov. 13 at Bakersfield Christian*
*—league game

Prediction: 10-0, 5-0 SSL

TOMORROW: Can they do it again? — Bakersfield Christian

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Taft

posted by zewing on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 05:42 PM
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HS football previews: Arvin

What Zach's doing: Getting married, aka becoming a real man, accepting the ball-n-chain, tying the knot, etc.

ARVIN BEARS

Coach: Edgar Mares (ninth year)

2008 record: 5-7 (2-3 South Sequoia League, 3-3 home)
Average points: 20.5
Average points allowed: 21.4
*Average rush yards: 183.3
*Average rush yards allowed: 169.6
*Average pass yards: 86.2
*Average pass yards allowed: 110.1
Best win: Arvin 17, Burroughs 10
Worst loss: South 24, Arvin 13
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (One game from “allowed” numbers is missing; “for” stats are complete)

Key players: Christian Lopez, jr, FB/DL; Freddie Herrera, jr, RB; Dario Sarvaria, jr, FB/LB; Tony Lopez, jr, OL

Key losses: Noel Lopez, QB/K; Daniel Gonzalez, RB/KR; Edgar Conteras, RB/WR/DB; Travis Hicks, OL/DL; Baltivar Martinez, OL/DL

Offense: Youth will be a recurring theme in this preview. The Bears return just one starter, Ramon Carrillo, a wide receiver/defensive back. He caught seven passes for 91 yards last year and ran 23 times for 108 yards and score three of Arvin’s 80 offensive touchdowns. So it’s fair to say the Bears will be starting over this year. They’ll do it with a simple, ball-control offense designed to use clock and keep the game close till the end. Freddie Herrera will see the lion’s share of the carries, and while he’s apparently got some talent, coach Edgar Mares isn’t exactly optimistic as of late July: “We don’t look good passing the ball, we don’t look good running it, we don’t look good doing anything.”

Defense: Things are looking up a bit more here, with a coaching staff that’s teaching both the five-man and three-man fronts to mix up looks. Mares and company will be counting on the defense to get off the field so the offense can use some more clock. Against a rough schedule full of Bakersfield teams, an up-and-coming Burroughs offense and the Tafts, Tehachapis and Bakersfield Christians of the SSL, that ain’t gonna be easy.

Outlook: The nature of high school football is that you’re going to have to rebuild every now and then. You don’t get to sign players to contracts, and you don’t get to recruit the right kind of kids to come in when you know you’re going to have a down year (or at least you’re not supposed to, at a public school). That’s especially true when you have a class that meets with some defections and some casualties to academics like this senior class has at Arvin. There’s a few hanging around, though, and what sounds like a good nucleus of juniors, so Arvin won’t be a complete rollover. But this just isn’t the dangerous team that stayed within a touchdown of section champs Tehachapi and BCHS last year.

Quotable: “We don’t say rebuilding. We just say we’re going to be really young.” — Mares

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Highland
Sept. 11 Foothill
Sept. 18 Garces
Sept. 25 South
Oct. 2 at Burroughs
Oct. 9 BYE
Oct. 16 at Taft*
Oct. 23 Shafter*
Oct. 30 at Wasco*
Nov. 6 at Bakersfield Christian*
Nov. 13 Tehachapi*
°—league game

Prediction: 1-9, 1-5 SSL

TOMORROW: Perhaps the league's big dog this year — Taft

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Arvin

posted by zewing on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 08:56 AM
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HS football previews: Wasco

What Zach's doing: Attending a football game — that's English football mind you — with his groomsmen. One day till wedded bliss.

WASCO TIGERS

Coach: Russ Prado (third year)

2008 record: 4-6 (1-4 South Sequoia League, 3-2 home)
Average points: 25.3
Average points allowed: 29.3
*Average rush yards: 321.5
*Average rush yards allowed: 238.0
*Average pass yards: 21.6
*Average pass yards allowed: 76.5
Best win: Wasco 42, Lindsay 6
Worst loss: Porterville 40, Wasco 27
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (Two games are missing from the “allowed” numbers; one game is missing from the “for” stats)

Key players: Quentin Cheatham, jr, RB/LB; Nick Sanchez, sr, OL/DL; Taylor Yursik, sr, QB; Abraham Sanchez, sr, OL; Jacob Salinas, sr, RB/DB
Michael Hallmark, jr, RB; Freddy Cantu, sr, LB; Michael Martin, sr, LB

Key losses: Jonathan Wimberly, RB; Frankie Hinojosa, QB; Este Gutierrez, TE/DL; Jonathan Gomez, OL/DL; Justin Richardson, OL/DL

Offense: You can tell from the numbers above that offense, especially of the rushing variety, never was Wasco’s problem last year. The Tigers ran almost at will — more than 400 yards in four different games — and scored plenty of points. They lose 1,300-yard rusher Jonathan Wimberly, but they should be OK with a healthy Quentin Cheatham, who ran for 900 yards last year despite a nagging ankle injury that forced him out of or limited him in several games, dual-threat quarterback Taylor Yursik, bigtime athlete Jacob Salinas and a big offensive line that returns three starters, including 330-pounder Nick Sanchez and all-league-caliber center Abraham Sanchez (no relation to Nick).

Defense: Wasco coach Russ Prado makes no bones about it — improving a leaky defense is where Wasco has put its offseason emphasis. In the SSL, you can’t go into games with Tehachapi, Taft or Bakersfield Christian and expect to survive their onslaughts without some kind of defensive strength, be it defensive line or secondary or at least a moat and some archers. Prado did say he was encouraged with the progress they’ve made so far, mostly with dedication in the weight room. A relatively soft early-season slate will help, but we’ll know the real answer to how much progression a young defense has made come league play.

Outlook: Prado’s second year was better than his first, and if he can say the same about his third this time next summer, he’ll have put a dent into the top half of the SSL that has been so, so good of late. Wasco doesn’t have much of a history of being competitive with the Tafts, Tehachapis and Arvins of the world, but I do think the program Prado has put together is in the right direction. He’s got the foundation of a solid, potentially dominant running game, and if you can hang on to the ball and run it consistently, you’re going to be in every game. The key this year is to look for a couple of signs of progress — take some names in the non-league season, which is extremely managable, and then find a way to win two or three league games. Folks in Wasco would have to be happy with that, and it’s well within reach.

Quotable: “When I came in, there was no tradition. Everybody in our league is tough. We have to work twice as hard. We live and die in the weight room. We have two 300-pounders; Taft has like 50 of them. Every year it seems like Tehachapi and Taft have new running backs; there are just going to be two more that are amazing. When they’re sleeping, we have to be working. We have to take it to a new level. And this group right here is taking it there.” — Prado

Schedule: Sept. 4 at Kennedy (at Delano)
Sept. 11 McFarland
Sept. 18 at Porterville
Sept. 25 at Lindsay
Oct. 2 Corcoran
Oct. 8 at Fresno-McLane
Oct. 16 at Bakersfield Christian*
Oct. 23 Taft*
Oct. 30 Arvin*
Nov. 6 Tehachapi*
Nov. 13 at Shafter*

Prediction: 7-4, 3-2 SSL

TOMORROW: Sliding down south — Arvin

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Wasco

posted by zewing on Friday, August 7, 2009 at 09:18 PM
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HS football previews: Shafter

What Zach's doing: Wedding rehearsal! Sounds like fun, right? Then, um, bachelor party. boring

SHAFTER GENERALS

Coach: Ben Ansolabehere (first year)

2008 record: 1-9 (0-5 South Sequoia League, 1-4 home)
Average points: 9.6
Average points allowed: 37.7
*Average rush yards: 87.4
*Average rush yards allowed: 264.1
*Average pass yards: 82.9
*Average pass yards allowed: 123.1
Best win: Shafter 14, Woodlake 12
Worst loss: Arvin 35, Shafter 7
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (Three games are missing from the “for” numbers; one game is missing from the “allowed” stats)

Key players: Julio Espinoza, sr, OL/DL; Rene Medina, sr, WR/LB; Juan Barron, sr, RB/DB; Wyatt Wilson, sr, TE/DL

Key losses: Grey Gafner, QB/DB; Evan Hernandez, WR/DB; Victor Rodriguez, RB/DB; Eduardo Perez, OL/DL

Offense: It’s not uncommon to see a team like Shafter, which has struggled mightily the last couple of years, make a marked improvement in an offense like the Wing T that takes the pressure off the offensive line and doesn’t rely on a couple of kids to make plays without much room for error. Under Manuel Garcia, the Generals employed a spread passing attack, and the results were hit or miss, with the talent level being the determining factor. New coach Ben Ansolabehere’s offense will take that pressure off a bit because there will be many more options.

Defense: In similar fashion, Ansolabehere has put an emphasis on simplifying Shafter’s defense, even though the defensive coordinator, Larry Whitbey, is a holdover from Garcia’s staff. It’ll be a 3-3 stack with a loose scheme allowed to use emotion and athleticism a bit more. Is that going to be enough for a big improvement against a loaded league schedule and a couple of big Bakersfield schools in the non-league campaign? Don’t know. But when you’re allowing 38 points a game and you were 1-9, I say change is a good thing.

Outlook: Ansolabehere is hesitant to say anything specific about his team or its players, but it’s easy to see he’s going about things the right way here. Some subtle changes will do wonders for a team that was pretty far behind the curve in a lot of respects the last two years. He believes — and there’s no reason to doubt him here — that Shafter’s talent level isn't so far below the Wascos and Tafts and Tehachapis of the world. Now he’s giving the Generals some schemes that could allow them to use that talent more efficiently. And while we won’t likely see a huge turnaround in year one, there’s reason to hope for Shafter fans that a few years down the line, they’ll be more in line with what the Generals have been in the past — always competitive, occasionally rising to the top.

Quotable: “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here. We’re just blowing up the tires.” — Ansolabehere

Schedule: Sept. 4 North
Sept. 11 at Delano
Sept. 18 at Independence
Sept. 25 Mira Monte
Oct. 2 at Woodlake
Oct. 9 BYE
Oct. 16 Tehachapi*
Oct. 23 at Arvin*
Oct. 30 Bakersfield Christian*
Nov. 6 at Taft*
Nov. 13 Wasco*

Prediction: 2-8, 0-5 SSL

TOMORROW: The Generals' much improved rival — Wasco

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, Shafter

posted by zewing on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 07:09 PM
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HS football previews: Cesar Chavez

What Zach's doing: Landing in London, meeting up with family, trying to stay awake until it's nighttime in England

CESAR CHAVEZ TITANS

Coach: Sergio Barajas (first year)

2008 record: 3-7 (2-4 East Yosemite League, 1-4 home)
Average points: 20.8
Average points allowed: 32.0
*Average rush yards: 219.3
*Average rush yards allowed: 166.1
*Average pass yards: 56.6
*Average pass yards allowed: 116.1
Best win: Chavez 18, Fresno-Roosevelt 7
Worst loss: Visalia-Mt. Whitney 41, Chavez 15
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps (Two games are missing from the “allowed” numbers; the “for” stats are complete)

Key players: John Rodriguez, RB/LB; Noel Gomez, sr, OL/DL; Ernesto Marquez, sr, FB/LB; Brandon Tillman, sr, OL/DL

Key losses: Matthew Macanas, RB/DB; Rencel Peterson, RB/LB; Angel Nunez, WR/DB; Michael Duran, sr, QB/DB

Offense: There’s a new sherriff in town at Chavez, but the team’s versatile, unique offense remains. The Titans can vary between a fly offense — their preferred modus operandi — and a veer option. Couldn’t get a whole lot different than those two, but new coach Sergio Barajas, who moved up from his defensive coordinator position when Ilario Prieto vacated the job, says this year’s group of seniors has been working with this playbook for four years. They’ll have to do it without Matthew Macanas and Rencel Peterson, the two top running backs from last year, and without quarterback Michael Duran, who transferred. But there are returners in the backfield — John Rodriguez is a name you’ll hear a lot in EYL circles — and along the line, so things are looking pretty bright here.

Defense: As mentioned, Barajas was the team’s defensive coordinator, so the transition should be especially smooth on this side of the ball. The Titans’ 30 stack defense will be bolstered by the return of big linemen Noel Gomez and Brandon Tillman and a senior-laden back seven that could give the offense the time it needs to grow into its new players.

Outlook: Barajas has been around the program for long enough to know that Chavez feels like Delano High’s “younger brother.” The Titans have beaten the Tigers just once in seven years and finished ahead of them in the EYL standings just once (both in 2005). For that to change — and for the Titans to climb the league ladder and make playoff noise, which really is the point — Chavez needs to take advantage of years like this. A handful of seniors on this team were sophomores on the 2007 Chavez that met the school’s qualifications for accepting a playoff berth, and that kind of experience is hard to put a price on. One big concern is going to be depth. Barajas said he feels confident with the first string almost all the way around, but if injuries or other attrition becomes an issue, this could be a long year.

Quotable: “We’ve got the guys up front; it’s just the depth. That’s going to be our big challenge, so we need to cross our fingers and hope and pray that if someone gets hurt, the younger kids have developed and that there’s not a big drop-off.” — Barajas

Schedule: Sept. 4 vs. Mira Monte (at East)
Sept. 11 Fresno-Roosevelt
Sept. 18 at Highland
Sept. 25 Golden Valley
Oct. 2 at Tulare Union*
Oct. 9 at Tulare Western*
Oct. 16 Porterville-Granite Hills*
Oct. 23 Porterville-Monache*
Oct. 30 at Porterville*
Nov. 6 at Visalia-Mt. Whitney
Nov. 13 Delano*
*—league game

Prediction: 6-5, 3-3 EYL

TOMORROW: Trying to climb the SSL — Shafter

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, delano, chavez

posted by zewing on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 07:05 PM
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HS football previews: Delano

What Zach's doing (come on, you know you care): Flying east, hopefully sleeping to beat the inevitable jetlag

DELANO TIGERS

Coaches: Steve Brown/Mario Millan (co-head coaches, second year)

2008 record: 8-4 (4-2 East Yosemite League, 4-2 home)
Average points: 29.3
Average points allowed: 20.9
*Average rush yards: 253.8
*Average rush yards allowed: 147.5
*Average pass yards: 88.7
*Average pass yards allowed: 108.2
Best win: Delano 31, North 14
Worst loss: Hanford West 53, Delano 50
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps with fill-ins from Californian box scores (One game is missing from “allowed” numbers; “for” stats are complete)

Key players: Jose Rivera, sr, FB/DL; Marcus Avellanoza, sr, RB/DB; Ross Rodarte, sr, FB/LB; Josh Garcia, sr, QB/LB

Key losses: Mychal Quiddam, RB/LB; Josue Vasquez, QB; Alex Cabalona, RB/DB; Amandeep Singh, WR/DB; Ruben Juarez, FB/LB; Jason Leonard, OL/DL; Cesilio Saucedo, sr, WR/LB; Mario Abundes

Offense: The one-two punch of Mychal Quiddam and Alex Cabalona is gone, as are wide receivers Amandeep Singh and Cecil Saucedo (who was a junior last year but will not play this year for disciplinary reasons) and six other starters. That seems like it’ll put a dent in Mario Millan’s pistol option offense, but Millan is fairly confident he’s got a couple of guys who can fill in immediately — Marcus Avellanoza is a home-run hitter, a back who can go from 0 to 60 to the end zone before you can blink, and Andy Delcampo is a JV call-up who will be a change-of-pace back with good vision for 4- and 5-yard pick-ups.

Defense: Millan’s co-coach, Steve Brown, also lost 10 starters from his unit. Luckily, the lone returner is Jose Rivera, a two-way player who was all-East Yosemite League as a nose guard last year. If you’re going to pick one returner on your defense, nose guard is a good place to start. Brown will run the 30 stack defense again with a team that won’t be as big as last year but might be as strong — and really should be a lot quicker.

Outlook: The Tigers sported a 10-0 freshman team and a 9-1 JV team last year, so the loss of 30 seniors isn’t as big of a letdown as it could be. But the underclass-to-varsity jump is a huge one, and I’d expect Delano to have quite a few growing pains, especially early on. The good news is that Millan and Brown’s co-coaching system allows for more speciailization, and so position coaches typically are able to split time between the varsity and JV. That continuity is going to help, especially on D, where Brown could be starting a few sophomores. The bad news is that the EYL will be tougher top-to-bottom this year; defending Division II Central Section champion Tulare Union is going to be great again, and Porterville, Chavez and Tulare Western should all be improved. Delano will have to grow up fast.

Quotable: “We’ve (practiced) with some contact over the summer to get them as much live action as we can before the season. We’re going in knowing our guys are not battle-tested. What’s interesting is that for the most part, this is another group of seniors. They just haven’t had playing time. But we’re optimistic with the kids we have left.” — Millan

Schedule: Sept. 4 BYE
Sept. 11 Shafter
Sept. 18 at North
Sept. 25 at Hanford West
Oct. 2 Visalia-Golden West
Oct. 9 Porterville-Monache*
Oct. 16 at Porterville*
Oct. 23 at Porterville-Granite Hills*
Oct. 30 Tulare Union*
Nov. 6 Tulare Western*
Nov. 13 at Chavez*
*—league game

Prediction: 4-6, 2-4 EYL

TOMORROW: One more EYL stop — Cesar Chavez

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, delano

posted by zewing on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 07:00 PM
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HS football previews: McFarland and Robert F. Kennedy

Football season is approaching ever closer, and we're into the Central Section on our team-by-team season previews here at School House Zach.

If you missed it, I profiled a couple of interesting city teams for the first day of practice yesterday.

Also, a housecleaning note — I will be out of town (and out of country) getting married and then honeymooning the next couple of weeks. But never fear. I've written and backlogged enough previews for assistant sports editor Ross Priest to have one to post each day that I'm gone. So as you read them, keep in mind that they were all written in the first week of August, and that some information might be a bit outdated.

After today, we'll go to a one-school-per-day format. Enjoy, and I'll talk to you live again in two weeks.

McFARLAND COUGARS

Coach: Andy Dunn (second year)

2008 record: 3-7 (2-3 East Sierra League, 1-3 home)
Average points: 15.5
Average points allowed: 38.0
*Average rush yards: N/A
*Average rush yards allowed: 213.9
*Average pass yards: N/A
*Average pass yards allowed: 114.0
Best win: McFarland 19, Kern Valley 14
Worst loss: Farmersville 29, McFarland 8
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps and are only used if at least half of games are available. Take them with a grain of salt. Figure could be skewed depending on which games, if any, are missing

Key players: Rolando Vargas, sr, QB/LB; Anthony Medina, jr, FB/DL; Jesus Baldivinos, jr, OL/LB

Key losses: Stevie Robinson, RB/DB; Michael Tafoya, RB/DB; Sammy Padilla, OL/DL

Outlook: Andy Dunn didn’t really get a fair shake in his first year as McFarland’s coach. He and staff were hired in mid-July and inherited a roster that didn’t very easily accept the changes (read: discipline) that Dunn tried to instill in the Cougars program. This year he made sure it’d be different. He brought up three coaches from the undefeated JV team — including new offensive coordinator Johnny Salinas, who was the JV head coach, and defensive coordinator Cesar Vargas. So far, so good. Players have come back and have worked to the expected level in summer workouts. How that translates onto the field remains to be seen. The loss of 1,000-yard rusher Stevie Robinson will have to be offset by returners like Rolando Vargas, an athlete who played almost solely at linebacker last year but has been working since the 2008 campaign ended to become this year’s starting quarterback. It’ll be nice for the Cougars to have a runner to man their Wing T attack, and Dunn said the guy they call Rolly can throw, too. The new coaching staff hopes those changes, along with an emphasis on quicker defenders up front in the Cougars’ 4-4 defense, will translate into some success in an East Sierra League that is more or less there for the taking.

Quotable: “When we took over, we had big expectations because there was a lot of skill there, but there was no discipline. They thought, ‘This is how we’ve been doing it for three years, and this is how I’m going to continue to do it.’ It was tough to turn around. So immediately after the season, I got the best coaching staff I could. That’s how you build your team.” — Dunn

ROBERT F. KENNEDY THUNDERBIRDS

Coach: Shade Staples (first year)
2008 JV record: 0-9
League: Freeway (will join East Yosemite in 2010)

Key players: Anthony Hill, soph, RB/DB; Eric Flores, jr, WR/DB; Zachary Mello, jr, QB/LB

Outlook: The early history of Robert F. Kennedy football has been a rough one, between last year’s winless JV campaign and then a coaching switch after just one year. And I thought Frontier had it bad when it had to replace Mike Snow after just two years of existence; RFK didn’t even get a varsity season in with Ronnie Coronado before he resigned. His replacement is Shade Staples, who was the team’s trainer last year but has a nice football background, having played at Delano High, then Allan Hancock junior college in Santa Maria and West Virginia Tech. He admits that this year’s team is going to have more growing pains — a lot of the players hadn’t been in organized tackle football before last year — but that’s to be expected with a new coach anyway. The important thing is that to Staples’ trained eye, there is some talent in Delano’s third high school. I’ll say it’s enough to at least get the program its first win.

Quotable: “What I really like is that the kids are still motivated. They didn’t win any games last year, but they’re really hungry for football still. We’re just building. These kids are better than they were last year, and we haven’t even played a game yet.” — Staples

Schedule: Sept. 4 Wasco (at Delano)
Sept. 11 at Bakersfield Christian
Sept. 18 McFarland (at Delano)
Sept. 25 Foothill (at Delano)
Oct. 2 Independence (at Chavez)*
Oct. 9 BYE
Oct. 16 at Mira Monte*
Oct. 23 at Tulare-Mission Oak*
Oct. 30 Mira Monte (at Chavez)*
Nov. 6 at Independence*
Nov. 13 Tulare-Mission Oak (at Delano)*
*—Freeway League game

Prediction: 1-9, 1-5 FWL

TOMORROW: The oldest school in town — Delano

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, McFarland, delano, Kennedy

posted by zewing on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 06:54 PM
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HS football previews: California City and Burroughs

Check Tuesday morning's Californian for a report on the first official day of football practice in the Kern High School District. I just finished making my rounds to Bakersfield, Independence and Ridgeview. Saw quite a few athletes out there.

Among my observations:

— Brian Burrell looks good at quarterback. As a sophomore, he took over midway through last season for Bakersfield High and put up some good numbers. This year, with a full offseason as to prepare as the starter, the numbers — and win totals — are going to be higher. The zip on his passes is as good as anybody's around town except maybe Cody Kessler at Centennial.

— Alfonso Jackson is back for the Drillers. After a disappointing junior season in which Jackson couldn't seem to say on the field, either for injury, academic or disciplinary problems, BHS coach Paul Golla said Jackson is behaving himself and looking better than ever at running back.

— At Ridgeview, stud running back/cornerback Tyler Dogins, the headliner of a Wolf Pack team that was much better than its 2-8 record showed last year, was taking snaps at quarterback. Interesting idea from the new coaching staff headed by Dennis Manning. The key is to get a guy like that in a place where you maximize his considerable value.

— I chatted with Manning for a few minutes. He's still unsure of exactly what he's got at his new school, but I think it's safe to say there's plenty of talent there. Ridgeview will have a good shot at just the second winning season in the school's 16-year history.

— Independence has things rolling. I don't know how good the Falcons will be in their first varsity season, no seniors included, but Sean McKeown has done a good job making practices upbeat and keeping his team motivated. Probably saw the best spirit of the day out at IHS.

Now on to today's team-by-team preview. Tomorrow will bring our first stop in the Central Section.

CALIFORNIA CITY RAVENS

Coach: Daniel Williford (first varsity year)

2008 JV record: 5-4
League: High Desert

Key players: Martin Paiva, jr, QB/DB; Eric George, soph, WR/DB; Greg Nolan, soph, RB/DB; Braden Ousley, soph, OL/LB; Miguel Helton, jr, FB

Outlook: In contrast to the new schools in Bakersfield, Mira Monte and Independence, Cal City is jumping right into an established league in its first varsity season. The High Desert League is no picnic as far as small schools go. The Ravens are going to have it tough, and coach Daniel Williford knows that. He said he’s got a bunch of athletic players but not much size — the exciting thing about that is that it’s easier to be competitive faster with a quick team than a big one, especially with an offense like the Ravens’ spread. Size is certainly important in the long haul, but if your goal is to spring an upset or two, it’s nice to be able to run circles around people. And that’s what Cal City wants to do: Get into league competition, put up a fight without a senior class and build for the future.

Quotable: “It’s really fun because we don’t have a lot of pressure on us. Being in the High Desert League with teams like Desert and Bishop, there’s not much expected of us. We’re playing in three homecoming games besides our own. We explained to our kids what that means.” — Williford

BURROUGHS BURROS

Coach: Matt Gracey (third year)

2008 record: 6-5 (3-1 Desert Sky League, 4-2 home)
Average points: 24.3
Average points allowed: 26.0
*Average rush yards: 108.7
*Average rush yards allowed: 235.9
*Average pass yards: 173.5
*Average pass yards allowed: 134.5
Best win: Burroughs 26, Lancaster-Paraclete 20
Worst loss: Arvin 17, Burroughs 10
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps and are only used if at least half of games are available. Take them with a grain of salt. Figure could be skewed depending on which games, if any, are missing

Key players: Derrick Dison, jr, QB/DB; Shane Lloyd, sr, WR/DL; Ron Douglas, jr, RB/DB; Karl Moran, sr, OL/DL; David Benson, sr, OL/DL

Key losses: Eddie Thomas, RB/DB; Stephen Harlow, WR/DB; Dominic Sween, WR/LB; Kyle Smith, WR/DB; Jeff Flack, OL/DL

Outlook: The very appropriately named Burros rebounded from a 1-9 season in 2007 to share a league title with Barstow and Victorville-Silverado. A big reason for the turnaround was sophomore QB Dison, who comes from the Carson Sween, Division I model of Burroughs quarterbacks; he can run, and he can pass, accounting for about 270 yards a game in all. He figures to be better this year, of course, which could help with Burroughs’ biggest problem in 2008. The Burros scored 32.0 points a game in wins but lost when the offense wasn’t there, with just 15.0 points a game in losses. The loss of Jeff Flack and a couple of other linemen aren’t going to make Dison’s job any easier (nor that of Lloyd or Douglas, the other key skill-position players), so Gracey said a young offensive line very well could make or break the season. Moran and Benson are two guys who could step into Flack’s leadership role. If the line gels, Dison could put up some bigtime numbers and give Burroughs another chance at a DSL title and a playoff run. If not, it’ll still be exciting to watch Dison, but Burroughs will have another up-and-down season.

Quotable: “Our defense gave up 100 fewer yards per game (vs. 2007). Can we make that kind of improvement again? That’s going to be a key, but I’m excited about our defense.” — Gracey

HS FOOTBALL PREVIEW INDEX
July 29: Lighthouse Christian, Maricopa, Immanuel Christian
July 30: Mojave, Boron
July 31: Desert, Rosamond
Aug. 1: Frazier Mountain, Kern Valley

TOMORROW: Into the Valley — McFarland and Robert F. Kennedy

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, cal city, burroughs

posted by zewing on Monday, August 3, 2009 at 08:55 PM
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HS football previews: Frazier Mountain and Kern Valley

Holy cow, it's 9:30, and I'm late with this post again.

In my defense, it's my day off. And there won't be a season preview tomorrow, so this one will serve for Sunday as well. It's a look at two closer-to-Bakersfield-than-you-think schools, Kern Valley and Frazier Mountain. Both will play their role in the interesting High Desert League race. It says here that at least one of them will finish in the league's top three, thereby earning a Southern Section playoff spot. So read up, and then impress your friends with how much you know about small-school high school football.

FRAZIER MOUNTAIN FALCONS

Coach: Jarudd Prosser (third year)

2008 record: 4-6 (1-3 High Desert League, 2-3 home)
Average points: 14.4
Average points allowed: 21.6
*Average rush yards: 164.7
*Average rush yards allowed: 225.6
*Average pass yards: 86.5
*Average pass yards allowed: 86.0
Best win: Frazier Mountain 33, Panorama City-St. Genevieve 21
Worst loss: Rosamond 22, Frazier Mountain 0
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps and are only used if at least half of games are available. Take them with a grain of salt. Figure could be skewed depending on which games, if any, are missing

Key players: Mike Morgan, sr, QB; Alec Gotts, sr, RB/LB; Robert Burns, jr, RB/DB; Garrett VanHooser, sr, WR/DL; Josh Carlson, sr, LB

Key losses: Ethan Fausto, OL/DL; Jose Meza, WR/LB; Nick Bozanich, OL/DL; Steven Russell, OL/DL

Outlook: I have talked to few coaches thus far who haven't been optimistic; it's the trendy thing to do in the preseason. After all, who wants to go into the season thinking you have a loser? But Jarudd Prosser was one of the more excited coaches around. His top quarterback and running back are among seven offensive starters returning, and four linebackers in his 5-LB system are among eight returning starters on defense. Frazier Mountain was closer to being competitive last year than its record shows — it beat defending league champ and playoff team Desert (albeit when stud QB Terrence Wells was hurt) — but the consistency has to improved. Prosser hopes that will come with having a senior-laden team, and in what's been a fairly balanced High Desert League over the years, it's hard to think he doesn't have a point. One issue the Falcons could have is in the trenches, where it loses three offensive linemen and two defensive linemen, including Fausto, perhaps the team's most valuable player from a year ago. But if they can protect the skill guys coming back, Frazier Mountain could be a surprise contender for the HDL title.

Quotable: "We just could not put it together every Friday night. That's been a lot of our focus (in the offseason). We had two one-point games, one we won and one we lost. These guys learned a lot last year going through that stuff. Getting your heart broken and then being on the opposite end." — Prosser

KERN VALLEY BRONCS

Coach: Ben Goffinett (fifth year)

2008 record: 5-6 (2-2 High Desert League, 3-3 home)
Average points: 21.3
Average points allowed: 23.1
*Average rush yards: 176.5
*Average rush yards allowed: 167.3
*Average pass yards: 99.7
*Average pass yards allowed: 167.0
Best win: Kern Valley 28, Pomona 14
Worst loss: McFarland 19, Kern Valley 14
*—yardage figures are from MaxPreps and are only used if at least half of games are available. Take them with a grain of salt. Figure could be skewed depending on which games, if any, are missing

Key players: Kyler Emery, sr, QB/DB; Mark Eisenhauer, sr, RB/LB; Warren Pappas, sr, WR/DB

Key losses: Tyler Gibson, RB/LB; Kevin Rendon, RB/LB; Bo Hurley, OL/DL; Ethan Kennedy, FB/DB; David Heitman, TE/LB

Outlook: Kern Valley has taken some relatively mild expectations each of the past two years and turned them into playoff berths with third-place High Desert League finishes. Now it's time to ramp things up. Broncs coach Ben Goffinett said he thinks last year's team, with a few breaks in close games, could have easily been 8-2 in the regular season instead of 5-5 — close losses to McFarland, Boron and Desert were the haunters. This year, the team will rely on its athleticism at the skill positions. Start with Warren Pappas, who accounted for almost half of the team's 997 receiving yards last year and is athletic enough that Goffinett might use him as a running back this year. Kyler Emery is now an experienced quarterback, and Mark Eisenhauer ran for 537 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Two question marks: Can Kern Valley's offensive line, with just two returning starters, protect these guys? And what about the defense? Goffinett said he wants the
program to pride itself on D but admits that that will be difficult early this year with not many returners. Perhaps by the end of the year, the Broncs will be ready to shoot a bit higher than a repeat third-place finish. In the meantime, that sounds about right.

Quotable: "(Defense) is something we should be good at. You're not limited by size the way you are offensively. You can put a quick guy on the d-line, and if he does his job correctly, you're OK. In my mind, I prioritize defense. And I think this year's defense will run with last year's by the time we get to league." — Goffinett

HS FOOTBALL PREVIEW INDEX
July 29: Lighthouse Christian, Maricopa, Immanuel Christian
July 30: Mojave, Boron
July 31: Desert, Rosamond

MONDAY: The last of the Southern Section — California City and Burroughs

Posted in the Sports & Recreation interest group.
Topics: SPORTS, High School football, football, season previews, frazier mountain, kern valley

posted by zewing on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at 09:51 PM
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