Last year’s Metro-Pacific League championship went down to the final game before a winner was declared. The same scenario could happen this season.
Southwest High School head coach Paco Silva believes his Raiders have a good chance of contending for this year’s league title after finishing fourth in last year’s league standings.
With 14 top returners and 10 impact newcomers listed on the team’s 2017 roster, Silva certainly has reason to be optimistic.
“We’ve been working hard all summer, this is definitely a much improved football team,” assessed Silva, who is in his second year as head coach at Southwest. “Offensively, I feel we can improve from last season’s average of 32 points a game. With our new defensive coordinator Larry Schoen, our defensive scheme has really stepped up.
“We are looking to improve from last season’s 2-8 record. As for expectations, we are looking to compete for the league championship this year.”
The Raiders boast 11 seniors among the team’s top returning corps. Heading that list are Lenny Hoar (fullback/linebacker), Joshua Sanchez (running back/defensive back) and David Espinoza (quarterback/strong safety).
Hoar and Sanchez were both first team all-league selections last senior.
Espinoza passed for 702 yards in 2016 with seven touchdowns and six interceptions while Hoar rushed for 1,048 yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns.
Sanchez rushed for 477 yards and scored nine total TDs last year, including seven rushing touchdowns while tacking on 12 conversions to rank second on the team in point scoring behind departed senior Zaire Simpson (1,999 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns).
Others top returning seniors include Joe Young (running back/defensive back), Alan Alvarez (defensive back/receiver), Carlos Rodriguez (offensive/defensive line), Dan Michaels (offensive line), Joshua Aguayo (tight end/defensive line), Oscar Garcia (receiver/defensive back), Nathaniel Tejada (receiver/defensive back) and Xzavier Thomas (tight end/defensive line).
Top juniors include Ricardo Romero (offensive/defensive line), Keith Holter (linebacker/offensive line) and Daniel Belton (fullback/linebacker).
Aguayo, Sanchez and Belton each recorded one touchdown reception last season while Belton and Thomas averaged 6.1 and 5.9 tackles per game, respectively, last year to lead the team’s defensive returners.
Sanchez had two picks and 12 pass deflections last season on defense.
Impact newcomers are led by senior Issac Jimenez (running back/defensive back), juniors Christian Andrade (offensive/defensive line), Julio Contreras (offensive /defensive line), Kelton Lindsey (receiver/defensive back) and Aaron Hidalgo (quarterback) and sophomores Raymond Flores (fullback/linebacker), Eddie Sarabia (defensive /offensive line), Jose Gama (offensive /defensive line), Jo’Van Young (running back/linebacker) and Jamari Lowery (offensive/defensive lineman).
Contreras 6-1, 280) and Lowery (6-1, 250) both command large field presences.
The Raiders enter the season ranked in the middle among Division V teams, meaning securing a home playoff game is entirely attainable.
“We have more of a balanced team this season,” Silva explained. “I think that is one of the reasons we will have more success. The kids are having fun.”
San Ysidro Cougars remain on the prowl
San Ysidro High School’s football team made history in 2016 by winning the school’s first league championship in the sport. The Cougars would like to make history again by winning the school’s second consecutive league football championship.
“Winning that first league title in the Metro-Pacific League was very euphoric,” third-year SYHS head coach Robert Hatchett explained. “It did so much to change the image of the team not only in San Diego County but at the school. The first year I was there we went 0-9 and not too many people knew about us on campus. It was nice for us last year to get some recognition and now we’ve started to pick up athletes from other sports.
“That’s going to help us this year.”
Top returners from last yer’s 5-6 team that finished 3-0 in league play include senior running back/cornerback Jeremiah Martinez, senior fullback/linebacker Alejandro Bonneau, senior receiver/cornerback Jazz Gill and senior offensive line captain Marcos Griebel, a center/defensive end.
Griebel, Bonneau and Martinez were all first-year all-league picks as juniors while Gill made the all-league second team.
Martinez was invited to a tryout in June with the Team USA 18U squad in Northern California. According to Hatchett, the Cougar player “did quite well.”
“He brought a great attitude back from that experience,” the SYHS head coach said.
Hatchett also had high marks for Bonneau, Gill and Griebel.
“Bonneau had a big impact on our championship run last year,” the Cougar sideline boss explained. “Gill is one of our track guys — he’s our deep threat and speed burner. Griebel is a very aggressive player and one of the team leaders.”
Hatchett said there is a battle for the quarterback spot vacated by graduated senior Angel Guardado. Chris Macias and Junior Bueno, a transfer from Serra, are vying for this year’s starting job.
They will be throwing to a brand new corps of receivers, Hatchett said.
Senior Chris Lira will add depth at the right tackle position while Angel Meza will do the same at the fullback/linebacker position.
Marco Vargas, who earned second team all-league honors on defense as a sophomore last year, will be a key starter at cornerback this season.
Hatchett credited the Cougars’ turnaround from doormat to league champions last year to the impact that Daishawn Lee, a high profile transfer from Michigan, produced on the team. That effect, the SYHS head coach said, is carrying over this year.
“I’m very optimistic about winning another championship,” Hatchett explained. “We can thank much of that to Daishawn Lee for showing the other players how plays were run. Now, after seeing, that they know what they’re capable of doing.”
Castle Park Trojans look forward to improvement
After winning back-to-back Metro-Pacific championships, the Castle Park Trojans experienced a rebuilding season last year. The Trojans finished 1-9 in regular season play, 1-2 in league.
The team should be improved this year and more competitive.
Leading the team this year are senior receiver/defensive back Chris Arana, junior receiver/cornerback Joel Torres, senior linebacker/offensive lineman Jeffrie Villegas, senior quarterback/defensive back Eleazar Cruz, senior safety Ruben Navarrete, junior running back Airrien Smith, senior middle linebackers Joseph Chesser and Ruben Rojas, senior lineman Enrique Varela and senior tight end/outside linebacker David Sanchez.
Cruz passed for 1,087 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 picks. He had two interceptions on defense.
Smith, a first team all-league pick last year, led the team with 30 catches for 355 yards and five receiving touchdowns; he also averaged 6.0 rushing yards per carry and scored one TD. He led the team with 687 all-purpose yards and in scoring with six total touchdowns.
When he had the ball, Arana averaged 6.3 yards per carry.
Chesser averaged 6.4 tackles per game on defense while Villegas recorded two fumble recoveries — tops among returners.
The Trojans did move the ball last year but scoring points wasn’t one of the team’s strengths. Castle Park averaged 11.2 points per game in 2016.
The scoring average will have to improve this season if the team wants to make a climb up the league standings.
Quick hits: Montgomery Aztecs
The Montgomery Aztecs will look to post another upper-half finish in the Metro-Pacific League standings this season after finishing 2-1 in league play last year. The Aztecs, loaded for bear up front, look to improve on last season’s 3-7 overall record.
Montgomery will certainly have a new look at quarterback with the addition of transfer Hunter Joseph from Olympian. Joseph’s previous experience was at running back and strong safety; his strength is his athletic ability.
