San Marcos decides to veer into passing
zone Nearly two-thirds of the starters are back from a San Marcos team that won seven of its first eight games last year. But the "eight great" departures will leave some huge holes to fill, namely the ones opened by big linemen Alex Mack and Joe Berteloot and the ones run through by quarterback Justin Gillett. Coach Will Gonzales has dropped the triple-option veer offense in favor of a pro-style passing attack. He made the move to take advantage of the talents of 6-foot-4 senior quarterback Cameron Ely and Elliott Brown, last year's leading receiver with 25 catches and a 15-yard average.
"We have good chemistry and we're just going to get after it." Ely was doing well on the JV squad last season before breaking the elbow on his throwing (right) arm halfway through the year. "We've always run some semblance of the veer and last year, we went to a full triple-option," Gonzales noted. "Now, we have to be more pro style with a 6-4, 190-pound quarterback. We're not going to run the veer with a guy like that. "Hopefully, the passing will open up our running game." Nineteen players are back from last year's 7-4 edition that lost in the first round of the CIF Div. 4 playoffs to top-seeded Westlake. Of those players, 14 were starters, including 6-foot senior Phillip Lopez, who led the Royals in rushing in 2003 with 616 yards and nine TDs. Lopez had a 60-yard run against Camarillo and raced in from 65 yards out on the first play against Ventura. Rick Escalera is the only other experienced runner from last year's fourth-place Channel League team (2-3).
Elliott, a standout goalie on the soccer team, is expected to handle the kicking duties. He's is coming off a stellar offseason campaign as a receiver. "He had a fantastic summer, earning all-tournament honors at a very competitive Oaks Christian passing tournament," said Gonzales. Ely's other targets will be senior Chris Vail (6-0, 145) and returning senior tight end John Gutierrez (6-1, 177), who will also see time at outside linebacker. Allen Gutierrez (6-3, 210), John's brother, will play defensive tackle. One player who will be missed by defensive coordinator Dare Holdren is all-Channel League strong safety Vaughn Elbek, who set a school record last year by making more than 20 consecutive PATs after missing his first try. "He broke his leg during soccer and has had complications in his recovery," said Gonzales. "At best, we'll get him back for league." Jack Cearnal could start at strong safety and senior Emil Kraus is pencilled in at cornerback. San Marcos has been holding two-a-day practices since Aug. 24 and will host Santa Ynez in a scrimmage tonight at Valley Stadium, starting at 6 o'clock. A pair of new faces figure to have an immediate impact. Senior Sam Shipley (5-11, 225) will play linebacker and some offensive line, according to Gonzales. Shipley attended San Marcos as a freshman, then moved to Utah where he was all-league on both sides of the ball. Alex Gould, a 6-4, 220-pound junior, will play offensive tackle in the spot vacated by the 6-4, 265-pound Mack, a two-time CIF-Southern Section wrestling champ who accepted a scholarship to play football at Cal. "I don't think we'll ever replace Alex Mack," said Gonzales, a 36-year-old who played in the line for San Marcos in 1985-86. "He's a once-in-a-coaching-career guy. He set the bar pretty high for all of our linemen. "Right now, Alex Gould is working on being the best Alex Gould he can be. Mack left some pretty big shoes to fill." Senior Jimmy Brandon (5-9, 235) is battling for a starting spot in the offensive line while Chris Lloyd (6-1, 180, SR) will play nose guard on defense. "Chris is one of the strongest guys in our weight room and he got a lot of playing time last year on the D-line with three all-leaguers (Mack, Berteloot and Jason Mendoza)," said Gonzales. "It will be a young team and it may take a while for us," he added. "We're going at a slower pace in terms of teaching. "To have success, we need to have minimal mistakes," he added. "We're so young, we can't get down when things go wrong. We expect a lot more good than bad this year." — Dave Loveton |
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"I
really don't know what to expect and that's what makes it so exciting,"
said Gonzales, who enters his fourth year at the helm with an 18-15
record. "That's the interesting thing about coaching in high
school: sometimes you don't know what you've got and exactly how
they'll do.