For the first time in Hans Grahamâs head coaching career at Castle Park High School, his Trojans will be out to defend a league championship. Thatâs a personal milestone for Graham, whose rampant enthusiasm has helped define his sideline leadership.
There appears to be much to cheer for in 2015 as well. Castle Parkâs gridiron warriors have set goals to repeat as Metro-Pacific League champions and also take aim at winning the San Diego Section Division IV championship.
âItâs an exciting thing â winning is contagious,â Graham said. âThe guys know how to win; they know how to finish. Weâll also need a couple of good bounces. Thereâs so much luck that also goes into winning a championship. God willing, we should be playing for another championship.â
The Trojans finished 8-4 last season â 3-0 in league play â and advanced as far as the division semifinals before losing to eventual division champion Bishopâs.
Castle Park gave an inkling of things to come this season after winning the consolation championship title of the ninth annual South County Passing Tournament in mid-July at Southwestern College. It was a big confidence boost for the team, according to Graham.
âYouâve got to make things fun for the kids,â the CPHS head coach explained. âIf youâre having fun, you want to come to practice.â
The Trojans graduated quite a bit of talent last season, especially in skill positions on offense. But there are quite a few capable players taking their places this season.
Angelo Trujillo mans the quarterback position. He takes over for Jordan Danielson, who threw for 1,512 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2014.
While Mylik Steen (538 rushing yards) and Adrian Tolbert (855 receiving yards) both graduated, Luq Barcoo returns to ignite the CPHS offense.
Barcoo rushed for 241 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns last season while making 13 receptions for 510 yards and five TDs. He also had four interceptions on defense. His value to the team should skyrocket this season at the running back and defensive back positions.
âHeâs a great player,â Graham said in regard to Barcoo, who scored four touchdowns in the Trojansâ 34-14 win over Las Vegas Cheyenne in the consolation championship game at the summer passing tournament. âHeâs a student of the game. He has an unbelievable ability to leap and catch the football.â
Besides Trujillo and Barcoo, other impact players on this yearâs Trojan squad include linebacker/running back Miguel Flores, linebacker/offensive lineman Alonso Pereyda, defensive/offensive lineman Phillip Nones, tight end/linebacker Diego Ibarra, linebacker/running back Daniel Arana, running back/defensive back Ray Morfin, offensive/defensive lineman Victor Gonzales and offensive/defensive lineman Alberto Olmos.
All are seniors. All bring valuable experience to the team.
Olmos is the teamâs immovable object at 6-2 and 300 pounds.
Arana gained 198 yards on 40 carries last season.
Offensively, Graham likes what he has seen in training camp.
âWeâll throw the ball, weâll run the ball, weâll be very balanced,â the CPHS head coach explained. âThe only negative thing weâll have this year is that weâll have five or six guys going both ways. But thatâs life.â
Aztecs would like to have say in who wins 2015 Metro-Pacific League title
The Montgomery Aztecs finished the 2014 high school football season with a 3-7 overall record, including a 2-1 mark in Metro-Pacific League play. The Aztecs are looking for improvement this season.
Goals are to once again contend for a league championship and a playoff berth.
âWe have a young team and weâre making progress,â explained Montgomery head coach Ted Jarumayan. âOur defensive players are learning to trust their reads. Our offense is a little sporadic. We have a new offensive coordinator but weâre moving the football. We have some good running backs.â
Top returners include junior quarterback Anthony Parra, senior quarterback/running back Israel Dorame, senior running back/linebacker Calvin Cadua, senior receiver/linebacker Kevin Rivera, senior receivers/defensive backs Patrick Woolstenhulme and Richard Parker, senior lineman Jahron Blaney, senior fullback/linebacker George Inda and junior receiver/linebacker Sergio Jacobo.
Parra and Dorame both earned second team all-league honors last year.
Parra saw action both at the wide receiver and quarterback positions last season. He completing 10 of 20 passes for 103 yards and two interceptions as a signal-caller and made 21 pass receptions for 231 yards and two touchdowns as a pass-catcher.
Dorame rushed for 323 yards last season behind departed senior Charles Crawford, who was the teamâs mainstay with 1,094 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs.
Cadua scored two rushing touchdowns last season while Parker had one, both in limited duty, while Woolstenhulme had five interceptions in six games.
Linebacker David Brown, an all-league honorable mention last season, averaged nearly eight tackles per game and recorded three sacks in six games as a junior last year.
âOur goal is to win the league,â Jaramayan said. âWe have Castle Park, San Ysidro and Southwest to compete against. Weâre going to be in there and get it done.â
New coach looks to point San Ysidro in right direction
Bobby Hatchett took over the head coaching reins of the San Ysidro High School football team at the end of July. Originally, he had been hired by the Cougarsâ previous coach, Brandon Hawkins, as the teamâs offensive coordinator.
Hatchett, however, is now in charge and he has some ideas âbacked by experience â to point the SYHS program in the right direction.
âOne of my strengths is my communication skill with the kids, getting my message across with what I want,â said Hatchett, who previously served as an assistant coach at Chula Vista, Otay Ranch, Southwest and Montgomery high schools. âI am a bit of a disciplinarian and stress the student-athlete part of the game. I want to instill structure within the program. Once I think the structure is there, I think weâll have success on and off the field.â
The Cougars finished 3-7 last season, 1-2 in Metro-Pacific League play. Hatchett said many players on the schoolâs football team lack prior football experience. That, he said, isnât necessarily a negative thing.
âI look at it in a way that they donât have any bad habits to break,â Hatchett explained. âIf they play with good fundamentals, weâll have a good team. The lack of football experience on the team doesnât intimidate me. It excites me. The kids are hungry to learn.â
Topping the teamâs list of impact players is sophomore quarterback Franklin Forbes, who was thrust into the position last season as a freshman.
âHeâs going to be somebody to watch,â Hatchett said.
Mark Ornelas, a two-way tackle, has exhibited strong leadership skills in training camp, the new SYHS head coach noted.
âHe is very dedicated, he plays at the next level,â Hatchett explained. âHe comes to work every day with his helmet on. That creates an up-tempo atmosphere for us on the field.â
Other top players this season include senior tailback Armando Varela and senior defensive lineman Alexis Quinonez.
Hatchett said the teamâs focus this season is to take the intensity of practice to the playing field. âThe teamâs motto this season is âHow we practice ⌠how we play,ââ the SYHS head coach said. âWe want to progress and show improvement on the field. We hope to get better every day. Everybody wants to win, but we want to get better as people as well, which will improve ourselves as a team.â
Southwest looking to move forward under new leadership
The Southwest Raiders are under new leadership this season. Head coach Paco Silva hopes to bring success to the program through positive thinking.
âOur strength is our unity,â he said. âOur weakness is our inexperience.â
Positive thinking will be a key this season after the team lost 20 players to graduation. The Raiders return one starter: Jesus Garcia, a senior center.
Southwest finished 1-9 last season, 0-3 in Metro-Pacific League play. While inexperience may be seen as a weakness, it will only be early on. As the team starts to gain experience, skills will improve and so will the chance to win.
Silva lists 13 newcomers who he expects to make an impact on the team this season. They include senior tackle Aaron Lopez, sophomore fullback Leonard Hoar, junior guards Devon Ferguson and Julio Jimenez, senior receiver Fabian Silva, junior receivers Brian Vizcocho and Robert Deleon, senior offensive lineman Carlo Ortiz, junior offensive lineman Kevin Montel, junior running back Josh Luna, sophomore running backs Joseph Sanchez and Xavier Thomas and senior quarterback Pastor Quine.
Key players include Hoar, Quine and Garcia.