Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005 | 9:25 a.m.
Bonanza BENGALS
COACH: Eric deYoung (1st year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 2/4
KEY PLAYERS: Aaron Holly (Sr., QB); Ben Jaekle (Sr., K); Jesse Bowler (Sr., OT/DT).
X FACTOR: Brian Ladeira (Sr., TB/SS). The star of Bonanza's offense last year was Nigel Moore, whose spot Ladeira fills this year. A tight end and linebacker last year, Ladeira is quick and a hard hitter.
"He may not have that final step that Nigel did but he's got a lot better smarts when it comes to playing football," deYoung said.
OUTLOOK: Bonanza soared to new heights last year, winning a playoff game at home for the first time since the school opened in 1976 under the power of senior running back Nigel Moore and first-year coach Jay Weinman. Things were looking up, then Weinman fell out of a tree.
Seriously. Weinman's back injuries were severe enough to prompt him to turn in his whistle for at least this year, leaving the reins to JV defensive coordinator Eric deYoung.
"We graduated about 13 starters, mostly linemen and obviously the quarterback and both tailbacks," deYoung said. "We took a big hit on skill positions and on the line."
Also gone is running back Drew Bernhardy, who transferred to Bishop Gorman. The formula sets up for Bonanza to return to its old ways, waiting till next year.
Clark CHARGERS
COACH: Jason Klinger (1st year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 5/5
KEY PLAYERS: Chris Burns (Sr., QB); Paul Gomez (Sr., DE); Chris Ashley (Sr., RB/LB).
X FACTOR: Willis Estes (Sr., RB). Estes, a transfer from Minnesota, is playing his first year of varsity football. But that doesn't diminish Klinger's enthusiasm one bit.
"He'll be a mainstay in our offense," Klinger said. "This is his one and only football season. He's a good athlete."
OUTLOOK: Klinger has already faced a monster task overcoming the attitude that comes with being 0-18 in a two-year stretch.
"It's going outstanding," Klinger said. "We've got a good group of seniors that have been there and just want to win, and we have a good group of juniors that have been through the same thing."
The Chargers will get their chances at a victory, with a relatively weak overall schedule. But don't let that discredit some of the work of their players, particularly running back and linebacker Chris Ashley, who is being recruited by Ivy League schools, particularly Columbia.
With a couple of timely wins, the Chargers could find themselves playoff-bound. It's a stretch, but it's also the Southwest Division.
Durango TRAILBLAZERS
COACH: John Mausbach (10th year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 6/6
KEY PLAYERS: Jake Butera (Jr., QB); Mike Pfrimmer (Sr., WR/DB); Shaun Mullen (Sr., WR/LB).
X FACTOR: Louis Kimble (Sr., RB). Having survived a dreadful season by Durango standards, Kimble is ready to be one of the dominant rushers in the Southwest Division. He rushed for more than 600 yards last year.
"He came on strong at the end and he's got good speed," said Mausbach. "He's an explosive runner. He's pretty strong, he's got good speed, and when we run inside and stuff, he's got enough strength to break tackles."
OUTLOOK: Last year was trying for any school, but especially so for a team with the tradition and expectations of Durango. The Blazers have been hit hard by rezoning, but the numbers are starting to go up, as are expectations. Many of Durango's starters last year were sophomores.
"They got a taste of what it takes to play at the varsity level," Mausbach said. "A week after the last game, all the guys were in the weight room."
Durango has faced several injuries in camp so far, particularly to quarterback Jake Butera, who broke his finger last weekend. Butera is out for at least two weeks.
Sierra Vista MOUNTAIN LIONS
COACH: Mark Sauve (1st year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 3/0
KEY PLAYERS: Stacey Randolph (Sr., TE/DE); Bradley Blankenship (Sr., RB); Sim Hall (Sr., KR/WR).
X FACTOR: Jake Whittaker (Sr., QB). Whittaker is one of Sierra Vista's few returning players, but has shown signs of growth.
"In terms of his focus and working on his basic skills, he's been real solid," Sauve said. "His arm seems a little stronger this year, which will be a real lift for us. We're getting it in his head that he's got to take command in the huddle."
OUTLOOK: A year ago, an ambitious non-league schedule might have seemed like a good idea. But gone is coach Ben Johnson, and gone is much of what made the Mountain Lions a playoff team two years running.
Sauve is undaunted, though, and others in town think Sierra Vista is a legitimate team, despite the turnover. "We had a pretty good camp at Utah State. The guys coaching with me do a good job," Sauve said. "Preparation is going to be a real key for what we do. We've got some good size up front, which is going to help on the offensive line."
Jeff Long, Garret Chapel and Steven Hill may be gone, but Sierra Vista is still well in the hunt for a playoff position in the Southwest Division.
Spring Valley GRIZZLIES
COACH: Johnny Macon (2nd year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 11/11
KEY PLAYERS: Perry Martin (So., RB); Corbin Brown (So., LB).
X FACTOR: Adam Aguilar (Sr., QB). Aguilar's top goal will be to get the Grizzlies in the end zone, something they weren't able to do last year. To do that, Macon said, Aguilar will have to take charge on the field.
"He does a good job in calling the plays and keeping things organized," Macon said. "He's consistent and he's always here. You need someone that's going to be there, a face that you don't need to guess whether or not he's coming to practice."
OUTLOOK: Spring Valley enters the big leagues this year after its mulligan season as a first-year school. Now, Spring Valley looks to get its first win in school history, and preparing for that is as much mental as physical.
"It was a learning experience for everyone involved," Macon said. "You talk about adversity. It's tough to go through a nine-week football season in general. To go through it and not get any victories is very difficult."
But with a lot of the offense still set to run through sophomores, they're just not yet ready to compete with the big boys.
Western WARRIORS
COACH: Brian Murray (2nd year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 7/9
KEY PLAYERS: Julian Sample (Sr., QB); Chris Fowler (Sr., WR); Chase Bast (Sr., TE).
X FACTOR: Ron Paulo (Sr., LB). He hasn't gotten the hype that Ryan Reynolds had last year, but who cares when Nebraska and Utah are making you offers?
Paulo moves from outside to inside linebacker this year, getting him more involved in the action in Western's tough defense.
"He's the real deal," Murray said.
OUTLOOK: Last year, Western's defense made miracles happen against a tough non-league schedule that included Eldorado and Palo Verde.
This year, the offense hopes to catch up. Murray's put in a Wing-T formation and has lessened the coaching burdens on himself in hopes of sparking scoring.
"We're going to get some misdirection going on," Murray said. "They (the players) like it a lot. It's been looking pretty good. We've got a scrimmage on Saturday, so we'll get a good test there."
If the offense can show as much promise this year as the defense did last year, the Warriors should be a lock for the playoffs.
Bishop Gorman GAELS
COACH: David White (3rd year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 10/5
KEY PLAYERS: DeAngelo Wilkinson (Sr., DB); CJ Sedoris (Sr., QB); Corey White (Jr., RB)
X FACTOR: DeMarco Murray (Sr., RB). Murray has shown flashes of brilliance -- flashes bright enough to attract the attention of Florida, Oklahoma and both USC's. But he's yet to shine steadily and strong, which is why the Gaels haven't made it to the Sunset Championship with him on the roster.
-- Nick Christensen
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