SEASON OUTLOOK
The Jackrabbits have talented players back, and the lessons they have learned should also be viewed as assets.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Los Angeles City Section finalist Crenshaw? Nope. Trinity League power Servite? Not a chance. Central Section legacy Bakersfield? Ha! It's a brutal first four weeks against great teams. But the toughest opponent in the regular season is undoubtedly Centennial (Corona), which played in the Open Division state final last season. The game will be played Sept. 13 at Mission Viejo during the Mission Viejo Classic. And let's remember that the toughest games come in the Pac-5 playoffs, so Centennial may not be the strongest foe overall.
Quarterback Tai Tiedemann
Photo by Louis Lopez
Can this team find running backs to fill the void left by a pair of Division 1 recruits who left? It better. Tiedemann can't take this team all the way by himself, he needs a running game to provide balance and keep defenses honest. Juniors
Jeremy Calhoun and
James Brooks will try to fall in and produce.
Local outlook: "The Moore is less." That's the saying in SoCal, referring to Poly's league, which it has won in seven of the past eight years with unblemished marks (only two losses in eight years). But, the Pac-5 Division for the Southern Section playoffs is another story. No. 6 preseason team St. John Bosco (Bellflower) is about 10 miles away, Mater Dei is always good, St. Bonaventure is a perennial contender and of course No. 10 Centennial (Corona) could lurk in the regional playoffs (it plays in the Inland Division). The Pac-5 is perhaps the toughest bracket in America, so there barely any easy draws in the playoffs.
Overall outlook: An undefeated season is an unrealistic expectation. There are simply too many tough games early on. But this team has talent, and learned an important lesson last year, so a run through the playoffs is something that would not surprise anybody. The running game will have time to learn and acclimate, and if it's the right players, this team will be a contender to get back to a state title game. When you're the
No. 3 dynasty in California, a new slew of players hardly means a drop in quality.
Coach quote: "Of course the 'bounce back' will be a factor this year. It will help us in many ways. For sure to never give up and always work hard. Our team will be better because of experience. I have most of the guys coming back from last year's Pac-5 championship team."
- Head coach Raul Lara
