Sports

Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

Prep Football Preview: North County Christian Crusaders return Roth at QB

North County Christian looks to build on last season’s 9-2 campaign

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Travis Roth is back, bigger and bulkier, making him something of an exception to the norm this season for the North County Christian High football team.

“He’s developed a lot over the summer, went to a couple big camps and got in the weight room,” Crusaders coach Shane Sander said of his quarterback, who as a 5-foot-11, 165-pound junior led 8-man NCC to a 9-2 mark last season.

Only one Crusaders starting offensive lineman (senior center Garner Thompson) is back, and both of last year’s middle linebackers graduated, including John Thompson, who made 14 tackles per game a year ago and now plays for Azusa Pacific.

“The defense will definitely look dif ferent,” Sander said. “We’ve got a lot of freshmen this year, and the seniors are going to have to be flexible and adaptable and help the younger guys along.”

But not all faces surrounding Roth (who last year completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,483 yards and 27 touchdowns with six interceptions) will be new.

Returning weapons at his disposal are senior running back T. J. Mitchell, senior receiver Kirk Sheplay and junior receiver Josh Feld. Last year, Mitchell accounted for 1,110 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns on 114 touches. Sheplay and Feld combined to haul in 60 passes for 906 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“Having all those guys back really gives us a lot of speed,” Sander said.

The same theme seems to run through the defense.

“We’ll be relying on a lot of speed,” Sander said. “I think that across our back five guys, throwing should be difficult. The biggest challenge will be competing with the running game up the middle.”

While NCC will have to utilize a smaller team, Coast Valley League rival Shandon will field a larger bunch than it has in years past — at least in numbers.

For the first time in years, Outlaws coach Mike Coon said, his program will employ a junior varsity squad, which at present is comprised of 11 players.

“We’re going to try it as long as we can to keep the numbers up,” Coon said. “Then the program will grow.”

Although the Outlaws went 0-9 last year, they bring back 12 players at the varsity level — five of them seniors and three juniors.

Highlighting the Outlaws backfield are senior quarterback Jacob Lehar and junior running back Aaron Valdez.

Leading the way up front figures to be 6-foot-6, 240-pound sophomore tackle Jose Reyes, who Coon said is “just now starting to come into his size” while “starting to show quickness and speed.”

Defensively, the Outlaws lost four seniors but return senior defensive back Cain Lopez, who Coon dubbed the “anchor” of the unit.

While both Sander and Coon tabbed Cuyama Valley as the CVL favorite, each said the league is more even than in years past.

All CVL teams will partake in a controlled scrimmage this weekend at Valley Christian Academy, before Shandon hosts NCC at 1 p. m. Sept. 13 in each team’s opener. Both begin league play Oct. 11.