A lot of high school coaches for various sports will often preface a season by saying, “We’re young.” Never mind the fact that said team could very well possess plenty of seniors who saw action the previous season. But when Sobrato High coach Tony Holmes describes his team as young, he’s simply stating it as a matter of fact.
Out of the team’s 30-player roster, just six are seniors—almost unheard of in prep football. The Bulldogs are loaded with a junior class of 19 to 20 players to go along with four sophomores. Two weeks before the season started, Holmes felt good about his team.
“We are further along than we expected,” said Holmes, who is entering his fourth season as the Sobrato coach. “Right now our guys are picking up on play calls, adjustments, audible, motions. They’re a really smart group and they’ve meshed well and grown a lot.”
The Bulldogs are coming off a season in which they went 8-3 overall and 7-0 in league play to win the Blossom Valley League’s West Valley Division championship. Even though they graduated 26 seniors off of last year’s team, Holmes and standout senior Jonathan Sheets expressed confidence in the returning talent and newcomers.
“Talent-wise, we still have a lot of talent on this team,” said Sheets, a 6-foot-3, 231-pound fullback/linebacker/defensive end. “We have talent in a lot of different positions, and a lot of guys are stepping up who hadn’t done it before.”
Said Holmes: “It’s a young team, but we’re very smart and fast.”
The Bulldogs received a boost with the return of senior Jason Martinez, a 6-4, 185-pound wide receiver who possesses good hands, speed and is aggressive to the football.
“He’ll be a very key element to our offense,” Holmes said. “He can make plays, so it’s going to be very interesting.”
That’s how Holmes described the receiving corps, as they have speed and playmaking ability. Nick Fernandez and Santa Teresa-transfer Jona Turagavou have the potential to for big plays through the air. Turagavou is a big target at 6-4 ½ and 195 pounds. Fernandez, a 5-10, 175-pound running back/slot receiver, is one of the fastest players on the team and has the potential to break off some big plays. Sobrato likes to air things out, and junior Jordan Sheets worked hard in the off-season to become the team’s projected starting quarterback with Isaiah Avery serving as the backup. Expectations are also high for cornerbacks Raymond Valles and Jackson Gonzales, as the two are projected to play a key role on special teams as well.
Jesse Redmond, a 5-10, 170-pound running back/free safety, has the potential to be “explosive” and bust off big gains or make an impact defensively. Junior Brian Zarate, a running back/linebacker, has looked solid as has the defensive line, which Holmes expects to be the strongest unit on the team.
“Our defensive front will be pretty good,” Holmes said, referring to defensive tackles Alejandro Lopez and Riley Hedden, and defensive ends Gunnar Vereyken and Avisad Negrete. “They’re big, physical and fast. They’re going to be nasty.”
Negrete is a 6-2, 225-pound sophomore who also plays tight end and is fast off the line of scrimmage. Holmes said all of the defensive linemen can bench-press 300 pounds and squat 400.
The offensive line started as a work in progress, and Holmes expressed satisfaction in how far the unit has come along.
“One of the things about our O-line is we’re not big, but we’re physical,” Holmes said. “We’ll be fast with our O-linemen and very aggressive.”
“Both of our lines are coming together and striking with a lot more power and speed,” Jonathan Sheets said.
Orion Woods, a 6-1, 210-pound junior center/guard, possesses strong leadership qualities, and can get the team going vocally. With just 30 players, Sobrato can ill afford to suffer a rash of injuries. If the Bulldogs stay healthy, they’ll be poised to defend the division championship.
Whatever happens, Holmes has done his best to foster a sense of camaraderie to make the season an enjoyable one.
“You have to make the game fun so the kids don’t lose interest,” he said. “We’re here to give our guys the best experience possible. It’s not about wins and losses; it’s about these guys learning and building memories and being competitive. Everyone has their own unique way to show their warrior faces.”
Despite the team’s small numbers, Holmes was resolute in that quality trumps quantity.
“If have a roster of 40 or 50 players, there is still only 11 kids on the field at the time,” he said. “I’d rather have 25 warriors than 50 sailors or marines. The hard part is the physical wear and tear that you’re going to encounter over the course of a 10-game season. You’re going to get beat up and a lot of these young men’s bodies are not Ford tough yet. But they have to be able to embrace that uncomfortable situation and get comfortable being uncomfortable. When you embrace that, you’ll make it through.”
