Football team: Result of 6 years of work

VARSITY FOOTBALL PLAYERS:

FRONT — Sam Duvall, Quint Brown, Dustin Allen, John Rice, T.J. Lee, Jordan Michel, Cavan Shea, Matt Troutner, Jonathan Garcia, Zach Dorn, Brian Johnson.

SECOND — Ian Brooks, Jason Price, Daniel Reagan, Mitch Simon, Chad Petros, Sam Rowlett, Daniel Talbot, Richard Watkins, Mike Graves, Becher Marr, Sean Houston.

BACK — Anthony Posey, Jeff Easley, Justen Peek, Karl Ressler, Bryan Rold, Cole Popovich, Greg Montgomery, Justin Berna, Nate Follette, Mike Corroo, Nick Mellon.

Head football coach, Aaron Eames believes this coming year will be the culmination of a building process started six years ago by his coaching staff.

Coach Eames told the community it would take a few years to build a winning program. This year could produce a very exciting season for Badger faithfuls. “The biggest difference in this team and teams of the past is the commitment to the weight room by the players,” says Eames.

“The Badgers have followed a strict routine called bigger, faster and stronger. The time spent pumping iron will reduce injuries and produce bigger, faster and stronger players.”

JV FOOTBALL PLAYERS:

FRONT — Brian Stout, Justin Hultman, Alec Campbell, Manuel Gallegos, Ronnie Miers, Andrew Oleson, Jake Tidd, R.J. Marez, Jake Dodderidge, Forrest Reyes, Eugene Gould, Chris Russel, Richard Batey, Joey Payne.

SECOND — T.J. Grihalva, Ryan Caywood, Eli Luca, Brian Troutner, Casey Marr, Brandon Brown, Tyler Davis, Justin Stewart, Kevin Rose, Tommy Marsh, Moody Knotts, Fred Worstein, Tim Sargious.

THIRD — Butch Romine, Ryan Thompson, Casey Wolters, Jonathan Nickel, Billy Thornton, Price Walling, Kyle Harders, Mike Stansbury, Ryan Walthius, Ivan Tomazin, Burke Wardle, Jordan Cramer, Austin Stewart.

FOURTH — Chase Zinich, Chris Warder, Ben Withrow, Tyler Greathouse, Garret Thompkins, Robert Ratchford, Francis Corgiat, Kyle Mosher, Jacob Lownsbury, Shawn Long, Mike Phillips, Casey Robinson, David Dan.

FIFTH — Raymond Lynch (water boy), coaches Phil Brandstetter, Richard Joseph, Bonner Cunnings, Matt Mohulski, Jake Thomas, Pat Lynch.

Strong defense may make the difference

One of the cornerstones of the team is in the return of senior defensive back and quarterback, Justen Peek. “Peek has made great strides in the off season in the weight room. He has increased his speed. He could be a Division 1 scholarship player,” says Eames.

For the first time in five years, the Badgers will have depth in the line led by seniors Justin Berna and Greg Montgomery.

The league’s under-classman of the year in the line, Cole Popovich, will be joined by Brian Johnson and much-improved Chad Petros.

Defense wins championships, and this year’s ‘D’ should be as fast as we have seen at Yosemite in some time,” says Dwayne Hurd, varsity line coach.

Starters return

With the return of last year’s starters in the defensive backfield [Rold, Ressler, Dorn and Peek], this is going to be a defensive-minded team,” adds Hurd.

Popovich will be the anchor in the middle of the line along with Berna and Montgomery. With the emergence of Petros and a number of capable defensive players, the defense looks strong.

“With a deep bench to call upon this year, it will be a luxury not found in the past,” says Eames.

Offense in shape, too

Peek will throw to Brian Rold, Carl Ressler, Zack Dorn, and all-league tight-end Jeff Easley. With this group of athletes, the Badgers will throw the ball.

Quint Brown, John Rice and Daniel Reagan will lead the ground attack. Dorn, an all-league kicker and defensive back, will kick the extra points and field goals.

Big game with Sierra

Of course, the big game for the Badgers is against the Sierra Chieftains on October 12 at Sierra. Sierra was the Valley Champion in Division 3.

“When you play Sierra, it’s not just a game. It’s on another plane. You can feel it in the air,” bristles coach Hurd.

“So, this season has the makings of a good year. The pieces are there, and if we come together, it could be a dream season,” boasts Eames.