PAC "7" Football Preview

FOOTBALL



The day football returns - is today !! Ok, so it's Frosh/ JV action up at Nipomo, but it's football !!! I should qualify that with the caveat "if Nipomo shows up". Last year the Frosh & JV teams traveled to face the Titans but Dick Barrett's frosh squad was told that Nipomo didn't have enough players to field a frosh team. Amazingly, somehow a frosh team materialized the next week or two. One parent told me that they hadn't been practicing long enough to play a game yet - only since the beginning of August. [ Note: Nipomo staff report that last years frosh team was delayed and then scrubbed due to academic problems.]


The real question people want answered is " How well will Lompoc do this year?" Well, I'll give you my best estimate here as we profile the six teams in the PAC-"7". We'll take a look at Cabrillo and the LPL and perhaps a few other local area Northern Division squads as well on Sunday . Cabrillo scrimages this week against San Marcos and kicks off the regular season versus Righetti on 12 Sep 2008.


Lompoc Braves


Last year Lompoc went 4-6, missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1972/1973. Three of those games were lost by a TD or less, including a first ever loss to Nipomo (Fridays opponent) by a 14-7 score. All three of those losses were winable games but the team seemed to lack three things that Head Coach Robin Luken worked on relentlessly in the spring & summer workout sessions - physical strength, mental toughness, and team cohesion.

Although 12 starters return (6 off, 6 def), the JV team was 3-6, so Luken reached down and plucked 7 sophomores off of the 2 loss frosh squad, helping to create one of the larger teams in recent memory. This means fewer kids will have to go both ways.


One of those sophs will get a bit more playing time than he had planned on. Ryan Bower was expected to back up junior Richie Hirzel at QB, but Herzel needed surgery and will miss at least 2-3 games. The injury bug also bit RB Bryan Reyna, who proved once again that the helmet- pinkie finger combination is not good for the finger. He reportedly required surgical intervention to repair a severe dislocation and ligament damage. The coaching staff figures to have about 40 kids in uniform to start the season.


On a much happier note, there is one returning player who seems to have finally gotten his very talented act together - RB Bobby Collins. Collins, who has recieved recruiting interest from a large number of BCS conference schools, has been working very hard since the summer to put behind him the personal and academic problems that threatened to wipe out his senior season. Hopefully, he will be able to return by the start of league play.


Another returner is "new" Defensive Coordinator Donny Cross, recently Head Coach at Cabrillo, but a longtime Lompoc assistant prior to that, and also a former player for Coach Luken at Colton HS. The lowdown from "Rue Mormill" is that Cross is in line to take over if Coach Luken decides in the near future that he's run his last roundup.


The Brave staff also executed a "save" when they were able to keep Andrew "Jonesey" Jones aboard. Jones had been offered a full-time position at Santa Maria where the Saints were talking with him about working with both the football and baseball teams. Ironically, Jones, who had been working part-time for the district was able to stay at LHS when a teaching position opened up - because another teacher took a position at Santa Maria HS.


The schedule also gets easier this year as the opener against the small college team that is Oaks Christian [The team from 2 yrs ago sent 11 players to Div I schools including USC (2), Oregon, Florida, Tx A & M, Boise St, Air Force, etc.] has been replaced with a game 2 home tilt with Santa Ynez.


But what about that question ? Well, Coach Luken always said that "Donny is worth 21 points" . That, and dropping OC means that the Braves should at least be battling for 3rd in the Pac-7 with SLO and Righetti. But hey ,this is Lompoc Locker Room, so lets say they take it while finishing 7-3 or 8-2.

Rest of the LPL

Atascadero 9-3 (4-1) JV = 9-1] :
Big, mean, physical, and ugly. Two time defending league champs. went 1-1 in CIF losing to Saugas (7-34) in the second round. They return 8 starters (4/4), but most importantly will have a big O-line in front of Nick Tenhaeff [6-2, 205] who rushed for 1700 yards in '07. He also had 21 tackles (16 solo) and a pick as a safety, and will move to LB this year - same position he's slated to play at San Diego St. next year. OL/DL -think big, LB - Big and fast. Likely makes it three in a row.

Paso Robles :
Very similar to Atascadero, 9-3 (6-4) lost to Hart in round two. 14 starters back (5/9). Scored 430 points last year.

San Luis Obispo:
6-4-1 (3-2) and lost in the 1st round to division Champs St. Bonaventure. Junior Dave Schultz passed for almost 2000 yards passing, but both his top targets (Robert Rose & Zach Thorne) and leading rusher (Bryan Lewelling) graduated.

Righetti :
6-4 (2-3). Lompoc led the series 30-5-1, then lost 5 in a row, won two, and has now lost two. Last four meetings in even numbered years decided by a total of 12 points, and last two years by 8 points.

Arroyo Grande :
3-7 (1-4 6th). Won back-to-back Pac 5 titles in 2003/04, but since fallen on hard times. Coach Tom Goosen replaced local legend John Huss last fall.

The Details


Lompoc Rosters
Click to enlarge


Varsity


JV


Frosh









Schedules

Week 0
Nipomo @ Lompoc
Bishop Diego @ AG
Atascadero @ Clovis
Westlake @ PR {Sat 6th}
Rig @ Pioneer Valley
SLO [BYE]

Week 1
Santa Ynez @ Lompoc
Nipomo @AG
St Bonaventure @ Atas
Fresno Central @ PR
Cabrillo @ Rig
Dos Pueblos @ SLO

Week 2
Lompoc @ San Marcos
Pioneer Vlly @ AG
Gilroy @ Atas
PR @ St Joe
Rig @ Hart
SLO @ Oxnard

Week3
Lompoc @ Dos Pueblos
AG @ Santa Maria
Atas @ Redwood (Visalia)
PR @ Soquel
Santa Barbara @ Rig
SLO @ Morro Bay

Week 4
Lompoc [BYE]
AG [BYE]
Atas [BYE]
PR [BYE]
Rig @ Dos Pueblos
SLO @ Santa Barbara

Week 5
* Lompoc @ SLO
AG @ San Marcos
Sanger @ Atas
El Diamonte (Visalia) @ PR {9th}
Rig [Bye]

Week 6
*Lompoc @ PR
* AG @ SLO
*Atas @ Rig

Week 7
*AG @ Lompoc
*SLO @ Atas
*Rig @ PR

Week 8
*Atas @ Lom
*PR @ AG
*Rig @ SLO

Week 9
*Lompoc @ Rig
*Atas @ AG
*SLO @ PR

Week 10
Cabrillo @ Lompoc
*AG @ Rig
*PR @ Atas
St Joseph & SLO

Fridays Game

The Braves have played the Titans every year since 2003 without a loss until a coulda- shoulda game last year and the Lompoc home games in the series have tended towards blowouts. Like Lompoc, the Titans were 4-6 last year (so was their JV) and they return only 5 starters (3 off, 2 def). They will be bigger than the Braves, especially on the lines (what else is new), but this should be a Lompoc win.