It’s the midway point of the high school football season and time to clean out my notebook with some of my observations from the first six weeks of the season. I have yet to see every team play, so I just started with the first game I covered and went on from there.
Just like old times in Live Oak
Watching Live Oak take the field for warm-ups in the opening game of the season against Colusa was kind of like deja vu all over again.
The Lions’ pregame routine was almost identical to the way longtime coach Jim Arostegui ran things and you don’t have to search long to find out why. First-year head coach Dan Johnson has played a big part of the program’s success over the years by coaching the junior varsity team and knows what it takes to build a winner.
Besides the Lions’ pregame routine, Johnson brought back the past in a more subtle way be wearing shorts on game night, something Arostegui famously did regardless of the game’s time, place or temperature
It’s also obvious to me that they share the same philosophy and the Lions’ smashmouth running game and a fundamentally-sound, hard-hitting defense has been Live Oak’s tried and true recipe for success over the years.
But don’t get me wrong, this is clearly Johnson’s team and both he and his coaching staff have done a heck of a job despite dropping their last three Sacramento Valley League games in very close fashon.
Where’s the Redskins?
Live Oak beat Colusa 28-14 in the opening game of the season, but after the game I was left wondering where in the heck are all the Redskins.
Colusa suited up no more than 18 players in that first game compared to around 35 for Live Oak and the Redskins’ lack of numbers was definitely a difference maker. The lack of fresh bodies became more and more apparent as the game went on and eventually the Lions wore down Colusa to outscored them 14-0 in the second half to earn the win.
A few more breathers for Colusa’s two-way starters could have made all the difference and one of the officials even chimed in, telling coach Bob Miller after the game that the Redskins could have won if they had three more players to rotate in. They just ran out of players.
But as the season has progressed, Colusa’s numbers have increased up to around 22 and not surprisingly the Redskins won four straight games after the opener before running into traditional powers Hamilton and East Nicolaus.
Fear the Pirates
Some out there may wonder why in the heck Wheatland is ranked so high on our weekly power rankings. Well it turns out that I just may be the culprit.
I’ve covered the Pirates three times this season and each time I’ve came away impressed.
For starters, just look at the backfield. Vince Vetrone is the most exciting player I’ve seen so far and is that rare back that can either outrun you, fake you out or just bull you over en route to the end zone.
Add in speed burners Lecarlis Moore and Derrick Seward, and stud Clint Johnson at fullback and Wheatland easily possess the most talented group of backs in the area. Oh yeah, Jonnie Millington is also one of the best passing quarterbacks in the Mid-Valley and Tyler Kreditor has quickly become one of the top pass catchers around.
Then there’s the Pirates’ defense. Johnson is a flat-out terror at middle linebacker and is constantly making plays from sideline-to-sideline. Fellow backer Zach Downing is one of the nastiest players around and has a knack for getting to the QB and Mario Catellanos is as sound as the come at outside linebacker.
Rodney Faplulo is another strong defensive player who clogs the middle and safety Sean Rawlin is solid in the secondary. And with an experienced staff including former Marysville High head man Neil Stinson calling the D, the Pirates are also well coached.
Meyer makes his mark
After winning the first section title in the 137-year history of the school last season, Marysville stumbled out of the gates with three-straight losses to begin this year.
However one thing that hasn’t changed is the Indians’ rugged, physical style of play that has been their calling card since coach Cullen Meyer took over three years ago.
Yes, Marysville may not possess the overall team-speed it had last year, but the Indians are well disciplined, they hit hard and they tackle well. They also play the game the right way. Even in two tough losses to Wheatland and Yuba City, the Indians still came hard until the final whistle and showed that they are indeed the defending champions who take pride in not being outhustled or outworked.
As a former MHS alum, I never thought I’d see the day when Marysville would be known for toughness and physicality on the football field – and all the credit goes to Meyer, especially after the Indians rebounded with three straight victories.
Ithurburn: a leader of men
One of the coolest part about this job is getting to meet the area’s coaches and it’s always a treat to talk to Yuba City’s John Ithurburn.
He has said repeatedly that many of his friends want to see more trash-talk and nastyness to the Honkers’ rivalries with Marysville, River Valley and Sutter, but the coach will have none of it. He sees football as more of a celebration of the community and the kids, and he has little time to stoke the fire.
When talking to Ithurburn, the conversation usually starts with football and ends with his philosophy on life and other matters much more important than sports.
His no-nonsense approach and brutal honesty is appreciated. Ithurburn tells it like it is and pulls no punches. And by the way, the guy is a heck of a football coach.
Suit him up
All 14 Mid-Valley coaches bring something different to the table and are a joy to work with, but no coach displays more youthful exuberance than East Nicolaus head man Mark Varnum.
Heck, the guy isn’t that far removed from his playing days and at times it looks like he may just get out there and deliver a forearm-shiver to somebody. Varnum is as intense as they come on game nights, but he still has that knack for keeping things loose on the sidelines during tight situations.
Most importantly, it looks like the guy’s having fun. For an example, look no further than the game against Williams on Sept 25. Nursing a two-touchdown cushion and with under a minute remaining in the first half, Varnum called a timeout and then went for the jugular by dialing up a perfectly-designed play for six.
With the ball at the Yellowjackets 40, the Spartans lined up and sent one of their backs in motion towards the right sideline, where they already had two receivers positioned. When the ball was snappped, the Williams safety immediately attacked the line of scrimmage to stop what looked to be a quick-hitter into the flat.
It was just what the coach was looking for.
The instant the safety took the bait, Varnum knew it was a sure touchdown by yelling “There it is” just before quarterback Adam Michel lofted a beautiful pass to his completely uncovered brother Kenny Michel in the end zone.
As only he could do, Varnum sprinted the length of the sideline to the end zone pumping his fist in triumph. It was a heck of a play call by the coach, who also showed surprising speed for a for a former offensive lineman.
Joked Varnum after the game: “I think I pulled a hammy on that one!”
Williams not so bad
It was nice to see Williams and coach Dan McDonald finally get in the win column with their 38-14 win over Esparto last week.
Yeah, the Yellowjackets may only be 1-5, but they do have some talented players with quarterback Carlos Velasquez and running back Jesus Camarena lining up in the backfield and lineman Patrick O’Sullivan and Eduardo Velasquez mauling people up front.
However their is one glaring spot where the Yellowjackets could use some help. While Williams is relatively deep both at the skill positions and in the trenches, I’ve never watched a team that was in such a need for that bruising fullback/linebacker type.
Velasquez and Camarena are both gifted runners in the open field, but neither have the size and power to pound it up the middle consistently. Defensively, the Yellowjackets can hold the point of attack up front and have good tacklers in the secondary, but what I noticed against East Nicolaus a few weeks ago was that there was rarely someone in the middle to step up and meet either the lead blocker or the runner in the hole.
Put someone like Wheatland’s Clint Johnson on Williams’ roster and I would bet they would be a .500 team at worst.
More thoughts to come on Sutter, River Valley and the rest so stay tuned.
–Andy Arrenquin