CCC football preview: Local teams return depth, Patterson eyeing 3-peat
In 2022, 14 Stanislaus District teams qualified for the playoffs. Five local teams won league championships, three won section titles and a pair played in the last football games of the season, taking home state championships. Now, every team’s record is the same, 0-0. Each team hopes to sit atop its league after 10 games, practice on Thanksgiving leading into a section championship game and eventually be crowned a state champion.
Over two weeks, The Bee is previewing each league heading into the new season. Coverage includes notes and information on each Stanislaus District team, coach quotes and a look at team practices.
Patterson is looking to do something big in its final season in the Central California Conference: three-peat. The Tigers enter 2023 looking to secure their third straight perfect CCC run and league title. In both league championship seasons, the farthest they made it in the Division III section playoffs was the semifinals. This year, that is something they hope to change. The same schools that made the 2021 playoffs made the postseason in 2022; Patterson and Merced, again, were the two of the three schools to secure a playoff win. Central Valley is hoping its added depth can propel it from the league’s last spot to a playoff game.
2022 CCC Standings
Team (Overall record, League record)
Patterson (10-2, 6-0)
Merced (7-5, 5-1)
Golden Valley (8-3, 4-2)
Buhach Colony (5-7, 2-4)
Atwater (3-7, 2-4)
El Capitan (1-9, 1-5)
Central Valley (2-8, 1-5)
Patterson’s quest for a three-peat
Rob Cozart can go on for at least 10 minutes naming players who he expects to have an impact for the reigning back-to-back Central California Conference champion Patterson Tigers.
Quincey Simien on the line, Noah Cozart in the secondary, Max Medina at quarterback, Tresor Mulumba and Danny Mataele were all impact players for the Tigers last season who have improved this offseason. But they aren’t the only ones.
“We have 45 guys and we’re excited about all of them,” Rob Cozart said at a preseason practice. “They’ve put in so much effort and work ... to get better and rise to the challenges that we gave them in the offseason that it would be a disservice to them if I didn’t say ‘everybody.’ … That’s the kind of depth that we have. We haven’t had that.”
Eight to nine of the team’s 11 2022 offensive starters are ready to run it back in 2023. The linebacker group has a good mix of veteran leadership and skilled youth along with both offensive and defensive lines. Because of their depth, the Tigers this year were ahead of schedule in terms of installing offensive and defensive schemes. And there’s size everywhere from the line to a number of 6-foot-and- above skill players on the outside.
“We have more personnel packages right now than we did last year mainly because of the depth we have,” Cozart said.
Lolo Mataele and Sean Hansen graduated last year after combining for over 2,100 yards in both their junior and senior seasons. Now, instead of a rotation of two backs, there are a number of players that could get touches out of the backfield from Jeremiah Lugo to Coby Joseph to Nehemiah Va’a. There could also be an increase in passing attempts from Medina, who passed for 1,901 yards and 25 touchdowns with just eight interceptions during a stellar freshman season.
“We’re losing a lot of offensive production … I think it’s going to take probably two or three guys to be able to make up just that production and stay healthy at the same time,” Cozart said. “Maybe it is more balanced and maybe we don’t have to replace all those rushing yards, we just have to replace the offensive production. So if it means Max is throwing the ball more, so be it. Maybe it means he’s throwing the ball but maybe not as far with play action, RPOs (run pass option) or bubble screens to get those guys involved, and try to replace that production in creative ways.”
The Tigers have a chance to win a third straight league title. The past two seasons, the winner of the Patterson-Merced matchup took the CCC crown and this year’s result could be the same. The Tigers host this year on Sept. 29. Cozart preached all offseason to his players the importance of staying healthy and embracing their roles. In the Patterson locker room, there will be a sign that says “your role does not equal your value.”
Patterson is itching for a section title berth. The last championship game the Tigers played in was in 2007 but they have been at the doorstep of a section championship appearance multiple times. In 2021 they advanced to the semifinals but fell to Oakdale. Last season they lost in a home game in the semifinals to Grant, which won the section and state championships.
“We’ve got to stay healthy. We can have all this depth but we can still get hit by the injury bug and it would still hurt us,” Cozart said. “Everybody is going to have a role in this thing and everyone’s extremely valuable. ... Taking care of business in league is the No. 1 goal. Winning a playoff game is our next goal and then we’ll see what happens after that.
“It’s difficult to get to that championship game and you’ve got to have a special team. Do I think we have a special team? Yeah, I think every year we have a special team. They’re all unique. But these guys have to work for it.”
Central Valley leaning on depth, new look defense
Central Valley coach Derrick Goblirsch has been most impressed with the team’s depth this offseason. In the Hawks’ summer camp, a number of players stepped into new roles, providing a pleasant surprise. Tristan Villicana led the team with 66 tackles last year and was second in sacks, but his role changed this offseason. He thrived as a linebacker in 2022 but has “flourished” as the team’s newest hybrid safety.
Pahulu Anitilea enters his first varsity season as a junior but impressed in the summer and preseason practices. He will play linebacker for a team that is looking to improve defensively after allowing 35 points a game last year.
Central Valley is in a unique position in that it returns both of last season’s quarterbacks. Mario Gonzalez played in three games last year before he broke his collarbone in the rivalry game against Ceres. Daruis Jackson stepped in and passed for 851 yards. Gonzalez gets the starting nod in the duo’s senior seasons, but Jackson will still be on the field. He will get a lot of snaps at receiver but the Hawks also have packages with him at quarterback.
“We run a bit of a two quarterback system because we have two guys that are different types of athletes,” Goblirsch said. “We’re trying to use them both because they both have special abilities.”
Anthony Ramirez, the Hawks’ interceptions leader, will remain a key to the team’s defense while seeing more touches on offense as a senior slot receiver. Goblirsch said Andrue Olivas was “probably our best o-lineman as a sophomore last year” and will be called upon as one of the line’s experienced leaders.
The Hawks have won one CCC game in each of the past two seasons but Goblirsch believes this year’s team could surprise people. The defensive adjustments and added depth could be big reasons why.
“We’ve kind of revamped a little bit of what we’re doing defensively and I think it gives us a little bit of an advantage for the guys that we have out there,” he said. “I’m excited to see what our defense can do. If our defense can keep us in games, I think we might surprise some people this year.
“Our hopes are to compete every game. Last year, we had some key injuries and I felt like that really contributed to why we struggled so much because we didn’t have the depth. But we’re starting to build that this year and our guys are building some confidence. I’m excited. I think we can compete with every team in our league if we can stay healthy.”
