Mater Dei Catholic High School’s football team advanced to last year’s San Diego Section Division IV championship game and led much of the contest against the top-seeded Bishop’s Knights before dropping a 19-16 overtime contest.
It looks to be another productive season.
“We’re excited,” MDCHS head coach John Joyner explained. “We had a particularly good year last year. We lost 16 seniors to graduation off that team but we have some kids coming back who were talented in their own right but played behind those 16 seniors.”
The Crusaders look to be especially potent on offense, according to Joyner.
“We have a lot of returning players,” the MDCHS head coach said. “Our running game should be fine and we have a good quarterback. We’re excited. We’re hoping we can work hard to have another chance at doing well in the playoffs.”
Top returners include junior quarterback Chris Jones, senior outside linebacker Mario Williams, junior running back/safety C.J. Verdell, junior cornerback Kyle Moses, junior receiver/cornerback Quentin Frazier, senior middle linebacker Jayden Emberton-Gaines and junior receiver Jovan Bayless.
Verdell, playing in six games last year, rushed for 687 yards and scored two touchdowns, while Frazier made 23 catches for 527 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games last season.
Jones passed for 401 yards in five games while Williams led the team with eight sacks in seven games.
Frazier had four interceptions and one fumble recovery while playing defense while Bayless had one pick and one fumble recovery as a sophomore.
The Crusaders finished 7-6 last season, recording a 2-1 record in Metro-Pacific League play before going on to defeat Clairemont (35-13) and Central Union (23-10) in the playoffs to reach the championship game.
Bishop’s returns as the top-rated team in preseason division rankings, followed by Mater Dei Catholic, Santana and Castle Park. However, Joyner said it’s difficult to predict early on how teams will shape up in the division.
“By week five, you can see where the teams are,” he said.
Red Devils will rebuild with numbers in defense of league title
With back-to-back league titles and a CIF championship thrown in two years ago, the Sweetwater High School football program has been on the rise. Success on the field has brought renewed enthusiasm to the National City school, so much so, in fact, that the football program experienced a turnout of 180 student-athletes for tryouts.
It’s unclear where SuHi head coach Brian Hay will get all the extra helmets needed. But if the Red Devils do need to make cuts, it’s not necessarily a bad reflection on the program. In fact, it can be construed as a good one.
Will the Red Devils repeat as Metro-South Bay League champions? League play is a still long way off and teams will have to get through two grading periods and the 30-day sit-out transfer rule.
“I think you’ll see a different team at the end of the season than at the beginning of the season — and that goes for all the teams, not just our own,” Hay said.
The focus for Sweetwater in 2015, according to Hay, will be to come together as a team and build cohesiveness.
“We’ll be young this year, we’ll likely have 10 sophomores starting,” the SuHi coach said matter-of-factly.
Top returners include guard Benito Castillo, who will be difficult to move by opposing teams at 6-3 and 300 pounds, offensive tackle Anthony Mora (6-4. 270), linebacker Issac Nieto (5-9, 180) and defensive back Jakari Lowe (5-10, 150).
Other key players include defensive lineman Joel Ojeda, offensive lineman Juan Larios and tight end Oscar Gutierrez.
Raven Middleton, the Devils’ football-basketball standout, has accepted a full-ride scholarship to attend Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo.
He led the team with 20 touchdowns last season as Sweetwater finished 10-1.
Other players off SuHi’s last two league championship teams who have gone on to college include Antonio Garcia (SDSU) and James Zarate (Southwestern).
Garcia led the Devils with 1,370 all-purpose yards last season while Zarate ranked third in that category behind Garcia and Middleton.
“We are seriously young this year,” Hay reiterated. “The majority of our talent is in the lower levels and we will strive to compete to the best of our ability this year. Our main goals are going to try to get better by league so we can push for a league championship, but due to our youth, this may prove to be a challenging year in terms of wins and losses.”
Hay said the team’s strength will be its offensive line, which should greatly assist the performance of the team’s traditionally strong running game.
“Our offensive line will be huge and quick,” Hay noted. “If that can hold us in games then I would predict a 5-5 finish, maybe 6-4, with a No. 1 league finish.”
Hilltop Lancers looking to stay healthy, find renewed success in 2015
Injuries played a key factor in Hilltop High School’s 2-8 season in 2014. Most notably, star quarterback Danny Sanchez was sidelined with a season-ending injury in the fifth game of the season. The Lancers failed to win a game after that, finishing the season on a five-game losing streak while being outscored 229-56.
Those are numbers HHS head coach Cody Roelof is hoping to turn around this season.
“We had a ton of injuries last year,” Roelof said. “Our No. 1 goal is to stay healthy this year.”
Top returners include junior running back Angel Pineda, junior quarterback Alejandro Tejeda, senior offensive guard Matt Hanau, senior receiver/kicker Luis Hernandez, senior offensive tackles Jaime Flores and Carlos Silva, senior nose guard James Montague, junior linebacker Eli Sanchez, senior tight end Neiko Santana, senior defensive back/running back/tight end Dylan Trenga and senior defensive back Armando Holahan.
Hernandez earned first team All-Metro South Bay League honors last season after making 15 receptions for 343 yards and scoring four touchdowns.
Hanau and Pineda were both second team all-league selections.
Roelof, who is entering his sixth year at the helm, said the team’s strength should be on offense this season.
“We have a lot of experience coming back on offense, we don’t have as much experience coming back on defense,” the Lancer coach said.
Roelof said the team’s offensive focus will be on the running game. “We like to run the ball,” he said.
Hilltop finished 0-3 in Metro-South Bay League play last season with losses to Mater Dei Catholic, Mar Vista and league champion Sweetwater. The Lancer sideline boss expects this season to be competitive for all teams concerned.
Mater Dei Catholic finished as the runner-up in the San Diego Section Division IV championship game last season while Sweetwater advanced as far as the Division III quarterfinals.
“I think until someone beats them, it’s still Sweetwater (as the league favorite),” Roelof explained. “Mater Dei Catholic will be really tough this year. Mar Vista will be good, too. It will be a good league this year.”
Mar Vista Mariners seek return to section playoffs
Mar Vista High School’s football team might have something to prove this season after posting a 6-4 record in 2014 and not being selected to compete in the San Diego Section playoffs. Section administrators admit the new competition tiered playoff system is not perfect and have made further tweaks to it this season in the hope of improving it.
The Mariners have missed the playoffs the past two seasons and will be looking to participate in postseason play this year.
“We dropped down a division, we have 1,300 to 1,400 kids, so we’re in Division IV this year,” MVHS head coach Tyler Arciaga said. “Hopefully, with that and the kids being motivated, it will help.”
The Mariners, who finished 1-2 in Metro-South Bay League play last season, are led by junior running back/linebacker Khalil Spruill, who rushed for 1,083 yards in nine games last season while scoring 13 rushing touchdowns.
“I’m looking for Khalil to have a big year after gaining over 1,000 yards as a sophomore,” Arciaga said.
Spruill was a first team all-league selection last year while linemen Kaelin Washington and Gabriel Preciado were both second team all-league picks.
Arciaga, who played college football at UNLV, believes the team’s offensive and defensive lines will “give us our strength.”
The MVHS head coach admitted the team has inexperience at the quarterback and other skill positions, however.
The Mariners have seven returning starters. Spruill and Preciado (6-3, 245) are early picks as top college recruits on the team.
Top returners, besides Spruill, Preciado and Washington, include senior linemen Hugh Anthony and Nela Puamau, junior linebacker Jacob Hinojosa, senior wide receiver/defensive back Xavier Williams and junior wide receiver/defensive back Noah Berry.
Puamau (6-1, 245) and Anthony (5-10, 240) join Preciado and Washington (5-10, 260) with some genuine size on the line.
Top newcomers include junior quarterback Michael Wilson, junior linebacker Matt Estrada, junior offensive/defensive lineman Latu Tuavao (6-1, 270) and junior offensive lineman Sergio Munoz (6-6, 260).
“We have a good front line coming back but lack a little depth with the skill positions,” Arciaga said. “But if we can keep the kids healthy, we’ll see where it takes us. Our league is probably the most balanced of the three in the Metro Conference.”
