For the first time in the school’s three-year history, Sobrato
will field senior athletes and the Bulldogs are prepared to make
great strides
Morgan Hill – After a tough 2-8 campaign during its first year of varsity competition, the Sobrato High football team is anxious to start its second season, and its first season with seniors on its roster.
“I think we’re as ready as we can be,” first-year head coach Dan Brown said. “We’re looking for our seniors to lead. We think they’ve bought into what (the coaching staff) is all about.”
The players confirmed that they are behind what the coaches are teaching.
“They’re smart. They’ve taught us a lot,” senior wide receiver and defensive back Ramon Watkins said. “We’re very conditioned.”
“We have experience at varsity now,” senior lineman Darian Chatman said. “Last year we came from JV where the game is a lot slower. You can get away with mistakes. Now we have a new coaching staff who has been there. They’ve been to CCS all the time. They’re coaching top teams in CCS all the time. Now they’ve brought us experience.”
“With this new coaching staff, we’re playing together as a team,” added Erik Woodruff, a senior running back who Brown expects to carry a bulk of the load in the running game.
The offense suffered a bit of a blow during its Aug. 31 scrimmage when projected starting quarterback Erick Levell broke his thumb.
The sophomore won’t be available for tonight’s season opener against Cupertino at 7pm at Live Oak and another sophomore, Alex Meldrum, will step into that role.
“He’s kind of like a decathlete,” Brown said of Meldrum. “He can do many things. He’s a pretty tough kid.”
Junior receiver Joe Anaya and senior tight ends Bryan Yates and Brandan Duggan should be the main targets for Meldrum and eventually Levell, who are both part of a strong sophomore class that includes six expected starters.
“We’ve got a lot of good mentors for teaching them,” senior lineman Weston Webenbauer said of the younger players. “It’s a learning process but they’re learning quick. They’re stepping right in and it’s just a smooth transition.”
Seniors Itzcally Valencia and Genaro Redmond, a 6-foot, 285-pound wrestler who was the Central Coast Section champion in the heavyweight division, will join Webenbauer and both tight ends in anchoring the offensive line.
“Our line was our weakest point last year but now it’s come back and it’s our strongest,” Yates said.
Redmond, Valencia and Webenbauer all should be a big part of the Bulldogs’ defensive line and senior inside linebackers Nathan Fiala and Juvenal Rodriguez are the two of the key players Brown is looking toward to make tackles.
Brown understands that for a young school, this year could be critical for building a legacy of success.
“I think this is the group that is going to kind of lay the foundation for a view of what we’re all about,” Brown said. “Hopefully we can be successful on the field. I think it’s very important to the community and the neighborhood that are going to go to Sobrato.
“There’s a lot of pageantry and community support through cheerleading and the band,” he added. “When that is a winning atmosphere its spreads quickly. You see the student body starting to come out the to games. It’s critical that we do well, we need to do well.”
While Brown feels he has his team prepared, he knows it won’t be easy against Cupertino, which is coming off a 26-6 win over Yerba Buena last week and beat Sobrato 22-0 to open last season.
“They’re a run right at you, ball control team,” Brown said. “Their quarterback is pretty good. They let the other team screw it up. They played smart football.”
