Talkin' Sum Footbawl

Football Is Back !!!!!

Congratulations to both Lompoc Valley schools on magnificent 2011 campaigns, and good luck as we start the 2012 season. Today we'll be taking a quick look at tonight's match-ups, with a look at some of the bigger picture items appearing over the weekend. Both schools are coming off what are arguably their best seasons ever. Lompoc posted yet another CIF Championship along with their 1st ever undefeated season & Cabrillo achieved one of their finest records ever while reaching the 1st CIF Football Championship in school history. I'll start with the Braves ... 

Lompoc [6-0, 14-0]: Andrew Jones 3rd year [25-3]

Lompoc comes into the season as one the more highly regarded squads in the state - currently ranked from 17th to 32nd depending on who's doing the counting. They have one of the longest winning streaks in California (20 games - 4th in CA, 47th Nationally according to MaxPreps) and have won back-to-back CIF Northwestern Division (Div X) titles. They also have a running back who was recently named to the Cal-Hi All-State Preseason 1st Team.

The Braves are led by massive ground attack. Most of the attention, justifiably, goes to U-Dub bound senior Lavon Coleman [295att-2038yds (6.31 ave), 28 TD] and his tag-team partner Taylor Cornejo [203-1078 (5.3), 14], but the team had incredible depth. Sixteen individuals (only 3 seniors) toted the ball for the Braves last season and not one of them had a negative average. Of the top 10, only 1 was a 12th-grader (starting LB Joe Valla - 8-90 (11.25) 3TD), and only 1 had an average under 5 yards per attempt. That would be starting QB Luciano Lopez whose 4.70 average also included sack losses.

The 'other' 14 ball-carriers, including 3 sophomores and a freshman, racked up 1122 yards on 191 carries (5.87 ave.) and scored 16 touchdowns. In total 8 players had runs longer than 20 yards & 5 players had runs longer than 40 yards. To sum up - the O Line was Great !!  Sam Wellmaker and Joshua Powers lead the group that are back. 

So how about throwing the ball ? Well, Lopez didn't throw very often, but in a league where most QB's had pass efficiency ratings below 50, he hit 34 of 65 for 499 yards and a 102 rating. That number was helped significantly by a 6-1 TD/Interception ratio.

Most of those completions were to backs, although some subs listed at RB also played wide-out. Eleven Braves caught passes - 3 FB's (13-176, 2TD), 4 RB (11-168), 3WR (13-203, 2TD), and 1 TE.  Senior FB Aaron Kucharski (7-108, 2TD), RB Coleman (7-105), soph WR Gregory Mitchell (5-103, 2TD), senior WR Colton Concellos (7-92), and soph TE Ainuu Taua (2-14, 2TD) did the most damage. 

The defense was typically very stingy, but perhaps a notch below the 2010 team. They also gave up yards/points in "garbage time" which have skewed the stats a bit. They held opponents to 10.9 ppg, and held  a very good Cabrillo offense that scored over 40 points on 6 occasions to just 7 points in two games. 

While they lost some quality players like Joe Valla, Colton Concellos, Charlie Hawkins, Oscar Arellano & Aaron Kucharski, they also return a bunch of solid to spectacular players including Ainuu Taua, Willie Irribarren,  Rafael Arellano, Keldon Marmalejo, Keith Joseph, and Anthony Gonzalez. Several special teams  players and guys from the JV will have opportunities to play on this side of the ball.

There is also an interesting new addition to the line-backing corps. QB Lopez asked the staff if he could play some defense this year, so he has turned over some of the offensive duties to Tyler Ornales. Ornales was the backup QB last year and also handled the infrequent punting duties. 

All that, and I haven't yet mentioned one of the finest players the Braves have available - K Juan Morales. Already a two year varsity starter he has been lights out. He has been virtually automatic on PATs, has 50+ yard range on FGs (17 in 2 years), and a wizard on kick-offs - pounding them into the end zone for automatic touchbacks or dropping them into the corner of the field inside the 5 yard line. And was named to the Cal-Hi All-State Preseason 2nd Team.

Tonight's Game - Arroyo Grande [Max Prep # 98] @ Lompoc [MP # 27]

Prediction - Braves by 17

Last year AG took a 21-0 lead, before Lompoc woke up and stormed back to win 38-28. Both teams won CIF Championships, AG in the division to which the Braves have been relocated. But whereas Lompoc had a bunch and lost a few, the CIF Div IV Champion Eagles had a bunch and only kept a few. AG graduated 25 of their 54 players, including all 7 captains. They had 459 carries for 3325 yards and 49 TDs - all but 104 yards (33 rushes) are gone. No returning player attempted a pass last year, and of 160 receptions for 2462 yards and 20 TDs, just 24-353y, 2TD remain. 24 of 536 points were scored by returning players.

Not just the offensive 'skill' positions are effected - 24 of 25 pancake blocks have moved on, including Garrett Weinreich's 18. All Punt, Kick- off, and likely FG attempts have left campus as have most Kick-off and punt returns, and 20 of 27 Sacks. The list goes on, but you get the idea. 

AG has to replace QB Brent Vanderbeen (OreSt), WR/DB/K/P Garrett Owens (OreSt), RB/LB/Ath Seth Jacobs (OklaSt), OL/DL Garrett Weinreich (OreSt), LB/FB/RB Henry Adelman (Willamette Unv), CB/WR/RB Gabe DeLeon, FB/LB Ciaren Costa, OG/OT/DL Brandon Berguia, LB/G Morgan Beaudoin, etc. .

They return two major contributors to last years stat sheet. Senior (#5) Matt Wilkommen who was Seth Jacobs back-up as the team's 'Swiss-Army knife' last year. He returns to QB (JV in 2010) as a dual threat to run or pass. The other is junior (#3) CB/RB/WR Tyler Auerbach. Also keep an eye on TE Grant Allon.

In short while they have talent and some mammoth size up from JV, this is an in-experienced group playing on the road against a very good outfit and a 'somewhat' hostile crowd.

Cabrillo [5-1, 11-3]:
 Craig Knowles 5th year (20-24)

Cabrillo is in a similar circumstance to AG - they lost one of the highest rated passers in the LPL (Henry Fienga), his back-up (Sam Beltran), the LPL's leading receiver (Jeff Aldridge) and group of talented RB/LB types (Isaiah Montes, Wyatt Esola, Dan French, Ryan Badertscher, Marshal Larson,and T.J. Babauta). Fortunately, they also have several of those types back - Eric Naputi, Dalton Pacheco, Bryce Moses, & Nate Tulloch. 

Guys coming up from JV incude Gage Buckley (6-4, 190) who steps into the QB slot, TE/LB Jake Heath and from the 2011 frosh team Collin Babauta (5-6, 210) who will be wearing his brothers number and will likely be the Conqs 'rolling-ball-of-knives' runner.

Two BIG bright spots for Cabrillo are the return of linemen Creeka Drap and Caeden Johnson-Green. The Conquistadors should do well this year, but advancing to the Championship again this year will require a number of kids to really step up.

Tonight's Game - Cabrillo [Max Prep # 189] @ San Marcos [MP # 657]

Prediction - Conqs by 28 [Last year Cabrillo 44-7]

Anthony Linebaugh is one of three new SB area high school head football coaches. The Royals were 1-9 last three seasons (last year won 24-0 over Hueneme), and haven't had a Channel League win since 2009 or a winning season since 2003. Their leading returning rusher is senior Thomas Nelson (46-131y in 2011). San Marcos will run the Wing-T offense & the 46 defense.