RSS Feed
Print Story
E-mail Story
Coaches consider Drillers front-runner, but SEYL is still anyone’s game
| Thursday, Sep 4 2008 11:00 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, Sep 4 2008 1:25 PM
In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore and George W. Bush were separated by one half percentage point in the popular vote.
BAKERSFIELD.COM HOT TOPICS:
Loading Stories
Advertisement
Have we got a proposition for you. Correction, make that 20 propositions for you.
The Bakersfield Californian sports department presents the first of three preview sections on high school football, and we’re asking you the reader to vote. It’s not a debate without your involvement.
Today, we focus on the six teams of the South Sequoia League and the rest of the area programs in Kern County. On Thursday, we’ll take a look at the Southwest Yosemite League and Friday it’s the Southeast Yosemite League.
From Taft to Ridgecrest, from Delano to Frazier Mountain, and every non-SEYL and SWYL team in between is covered in today’s section, including information on the area’s three 8-man football programs.
In addition to these features, you will find the most comprehensive preview of Kern County high school football teams available. We produced three sections with the idea that it could be a reference for fans to keep at their fingertips throughout the season.
We’ll also have more features, predictions, blogs, podcasts and more as the season continues. So you’ll be able to read about your favorite team and all of the area’s programs in the daily newspaper or on www.Bakersfield.com.
ABOUT THE BALLOT
Look in today’s, Thursday’s and Friday’s football preview sections for all the propositions or go online at Bakersfield.com/footballballot.
The answers to these 20 propositions, written by The Californian staff, could determine your team’s fate this season.
INSTRUCTION TO VOTERS
Be sure to cast your votes online at Bakersfield.com/footballballot.. Votes will be tallied at the end of Week 2 of the season.
QB: Dylan Finch, Golden Valley; Matt Guerra, Foothill
RB Alfonso Jackson, Bakersfield; Chris Neal, Liberty; Byron Newman, Golden Valley; Alan Roy, Highland
WR/TE Ronnie Churchill, Foothill; Nathan Lyday, Golden Valley; Garrett Pierce, East
OL Jordan Austin, Highland; Emilio Cantu, Bakersfield; Sean McNally, Garces; Hector Sedano, East; James Zontek, East
DL D.J. Enderton, Foothill; Trent Eskew, Liberty; Tevin Jackson, Bakersfield
LB Jacob Clagg, Foothill; Andrew Fanucchi, Garces; Jerek Johnson, Bakersfield; Pat Su’a, Highland
DB George Ming, Bakersfield; Phil McCullum, Garces; Chris Taylor, Garces
K/P Colton Schmidt, Liberty
Photos:
BHS' Tevin Jackson, center left, and Liberty's Trent Eskew shake hands with supporters while "campaigning" in the front of the historic Fox Theater.
Bakersfield High School's Tevin Jackson and Liberty's Trent Eskew prepare to "debate" each other.
Related Stories:
- Liberty High: Coaching change, turnover leaves Patriots in transition phase
- Highland High: Senior linebacker’s hard-nosed play reminds Scots coach of former BHS standouts
- Golden Valley: Bulldogs prefer to throw but will need rushing attack for wins
- Garces High: QB fully recovered from foot injury suffered in car crash
- Foothill High: Trojans look to earn title after finishing as runner-up twice
- East High: Under Pierucci’s pro-style system, ‘everyone can be involved’
- BHS: Drillers focus on Central Section title defense, run at state title
Bush beat John Kerry by 2.5 percent four years later. Most polls have this year’s race between Barack Obama and John McCain within the margin of error.
Point is, many elections don’t have a clear-cut choice. The winner is the one who survives the race and rides momentum from the final days before the election to victory.
But this year’s Southeast Yosemite League race is here to prove that true front-runners still exist.
In sweeping through the league season to an SEYL victory last year, Bakersfield High didn’t win a game by fewer than 18 points.
After allowing a league-opening field goal to Garces in a 40-3 victory, the Drillers never trailed in the league season.
“I think anybody’s going to be chasing after BHS,” new East coach Jerald Pierucci said. “It doesn’t matter what everybody says; they always end up pulling out what puts them over the top.”
So it’s safe to say BHS has a big lead in any preseason poll you might take. But voters have yet to go to the polls, and the SEYL’s other candidates have their eyes squarely on BHS, which also happens to be the defending Central Section champion.
The list of contenders starts with Liberty, which has been second each of the past three years — twice to BHS, once to Golden Valley — but must replace its top quarterback, running back, receiver and defensive player from a year ago.
Charged with leading the young Patriots is Tony Mills, a first-year coach who added football to his baseball duties.
“Our league’s solid from top to bottom,” Mills said. “You can’t count anybody out. Bakersfield High School, defending Valley champions, OK? Then you go to Garces High School, which won the Division II two years ago, and then you go to Dennis Manning and what he’s done at Foothill. ... Then you talk about East, they weren’t too far removed from a title. Then you talk about Highland, those guys are getting better and better. And you can’t even throw out Golden Valley, because, heck, they won the league title two years ago.”
Foothill returns an experienced team and could threaten in the league race. Dennis Manning’s club hasn’t beaten Liberty or Bakersfield in his two-year tenure, though the Trojans have made the Division III section championship game in both seasons.
“I think our kids are expecting to win,” Manning said. “Our first couple years here, they wanted to have enough confidence to win, but now they think they can win.”
Don’t count out Highland, either. The Scots are led by linebacker Patrick Su’a and have SEYL veteran Tim Hartnett in his second year as head coach. Hartnett knows what it takes to manage a campaign in the SEYL — he’s won titles with Bakersfield and Golden Valley — but he knows this year’s conversation again starts with the Drillers and Patriots.
“Typically, BHS, Liberty and Foothill are three solid teams,” he said. “I’m assuming they’ll be strong again.”
No race is interesting without wild cards, so it’s a good thing the SEYL is full of them.
Garces won a section title in 2006 and struggled last year, but the Rams seem to play everyone tough under coach David Fanucchi.
Of the seven Bakersfield teams with new head coaches, East’s Jerald Pierucci was the only one to travel from outside Kern County. Originally from Shafter, Pierucci came from Nevada to take over the Blades. He’ll try to win while the team transitions from a Wing-T to a pro-style offense.
Golden Valley likely will put up big passing numbers, but there’s a question whether the Bulldogs’ defense will keep them in games.
“Top to bottom, there’s no schluf game in our division, which is nice because you have to prepare each week,” Pierucci said. “You have to perform in the toughest league in the city.”
Of course, it’s not a given that Bakersfield will be as good as last year. The Drillers lost nine offensive starters and will attempt to strike gold with undersized quarterback Alex Mitchell like they did with his brother Pete last year.
Still, if the Drillers don’t end up on top, it’ll be an upset.
“Right now, we’re potentially good,” BHS coach Paul Golla said. “But we also tell our kids: ‘Potential’ is a bad word. It’s like a cuss word. You don’t want to be known as a team with potential. That means there’s no results.”