SBHS hopes to 'receive' many happy returns Quarterback Kevin Dunn returns for his third season as Santa Barbara High's signal caller after throwing for 1,404 yards and 10 touchdowns last year as a junior. A similar output this season would allow Dunn to break Dons career passing records in completions, attempts and yards.
"We need to limit the number of dropped balls by our receivers," said Moropoulos, whose team was 3-6-1 overall and 1-3-1 in the Channel League last year. "If your receivers aren't catching the ball, then I don't care how good a quarterback you are." Moropoulos said Dunn has shown considerable growth as a quarterback since last season. "He's worked hard to continue to grow and he had a good summer in our passing league," he said. "The main area we concentrated on this summer was not forcing the ball. We focused on finding his No. 2 and No. 3 receivers and going through his checkdowns. "He did a very good job and he's drawn some attention from a few colleges — Texas A&M has shown the most interest — but he knows he still has things to prove. He realizes what he has to do and he knows that he has to produce."
OFFENSE: One receiver who has made impressive strides this summer, Moropoulos said, is junior Reid Lathan, an all-county defensive back as a sophomore. Lathan was a hurdler on the Dons' track team last year. He's the defending county champion in the 300 hurdles, which he won with a time of 40.4 seconds. "We didn't play him at wide receiver as much as we should have last year, but he's had a great summer," Moropoulos said. "He's really progressing and could become a darn good receiver. But he also has strong ability at quarterback." Senior wide receivers Nick Martin and David Burge will also be among Dunn's targets, along with junior tight end Bo Bramel. The Dons will feature a new group of running backs, including senior R.J. Valdez, junior Justin Fareed and sophomore Paul Vallez. "R.J. broke his elbow before last season started, but he's back this year and had a great summer," Moropoulos said. "Vallez played well as tailback and strong safety on the freshman team last year." Santa Barbara also has new faces in the trenches, but Moropoulos said he'll have one of his biggest lines in recent years. "We have a new line, but we're replacing seniors with seniors," he said. "We have several guys who had experience last year as juniors who will step up this year." Kenny Ruiz (6-2, 305) and John Pena (6-1, 257) will work as tackles, with Anthony Robles and Matt Corral at the guard spots. Bryson Pintard (6-2, 220), who was a linebacker and running back last year, moves to center. Each will also be featured on the defensive line. "It's a bigger line, and these guys are athletic, too," Moropoulos said. DEFENSE: Christian Cerrilla and Bramel, a second-team all-league selection, return as defensive ends, but Moropoulos said he's concerned with the team's status at linebacker. "We need some help there, but Todd Kingston will step up and play some linebacker for us," he said. "He has the chance to be a very good player. But, overall, we just need to tackle better on defense." Solidifying the secondary will be Fareed, Burge, Vallez and Lathan, who was an all-county selection for his defensive play as a sophomore. And Beto Angulo, an all-league pick in 2003, assumes his role as punter and kicker. "We have experience on offense, defense and in our kicking," Moropoulos said. "If we can capitalize on our opportunities and come through when we need to, then we'll have a good chance in league." Dunn needs just 28 pass attempts and 35 completions to eclipse team records held by Preston Maloney (434 attempts, 226 completions). He needs 1,014 yards to surpass Dustin Spencer as the Dons' all-time passing leader. — Mike Traphagen |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bishop Diego Cardinals
• Cabrillo Conquistadores •
Carpinteria Warriors • Dos
Pueblos Chargers • Lompoc Braves |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sixth-year
coach Craig Moropoulos said the team's offensive success will ride
on the receiving corps' ability to catch passes.