WAC football preview: League champ brings back quarterback, Modesto schools push for playoffs

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.

Los Banos won the league but the second through fifth spots were up for grabs. Ceres, under first-year head coach Brett Johnson, Lathrop and Pacheco all finished with the same league record, and with only three Western Athletic Conference playoff spots, someone was left out. In the end, Los Banos, Ceres and Pacheco made the postseason. While they extended their season, none were able to come out with a first-round victory. This year, Stanislaus District teams Davis, Johansen and Beyer hope to get back into playoff contention and be among the teams to play an 11th game in 2023.

2022 WAC Standings

Team (Overall record, League record)

Los Banos (8-3, 7-0)

Ceres (8-3, 5-2)

Lathrop (6-4, 5-2)

Pacheco (6-5, 5-2)

Davis (4-6, 3-4)

Mountain House (5-5, 2-5)

Johansen (1-9, 1-6)

Beyer (0-10, 0-7)

Same message, new messenger for Davis

The football team at Davis High will hear a different voice for the first time in nine years after Tim Garcia stepped down and Trevor Mew was hired this off-season. While the voice will be different, the message will be the same, as Mew and Garcia have a long history.

Mew played quarterback when Garcia coached at Central Valley and has been a member of the Davis High staff the past few seasons.

“We’re preaching attitude, effort and consistency,” Mew said. “The terminology and all those things are the same, so it’s been an easy transition for the kids. The transition was simple. We showed up day one and the kids already knew the offense. … There’s a shorthand there.”

Mew spent his first seven seasons as the Davis junior varsity football head coach and offensive coordinator until last season, when Garcia promoted him to varsity offensive coordinator in preparation for when he would take over the program.

This season, he will continue to call the offense but will in addition coach the secondary. Eric Sonnenberg is the team’s defensive coordinator. Mew brought a pair of former Central Valley teammates onto this year’s staff in tight ends/defensive ends coach Stephen Fonsworth and receivers coach Greg Tripp.

A pair of seniors, Jackson Brooks and Izrael Sanchez, will lead the Spartans as they look to get back to the postseason after finishing fifth in 2022. Brooks enters his fourth year on varsity and has played everywhere from quarterback to receiver to kicker and defensive end. He starts this season as the team’s QB1 and defensive end.

Mew describes Sanchez as an athlete who plays offense, defense and special teams. Miguel Olvera enters his junior season with a year of varsity experience after playing up last year. He’s a “silent leader who does everything right,” according to Mew.

The Spartans enter their second year after the perfect regular season. Last year, they finished 4-6, but if a few plays had gone their way, they could have been 6-4 or 7-3. In 2022, they went 2-2 in games decided by five points or less. This year, they hope to turn those narrow losses into victories.

“It’s all about doing the little things right,” Mew said. “That’s why we preach attitude and effort so much. If we’re doing things the way that we coach them and it’s full effort, I can never be upset with a kid or the result.

“My biggest goal is to make sure they’re comfortable. They’re the ones out there, we’re going to do our best to put them in a position to be successful. If we make sure that we’re prepared … we’re going to be in a position to compete.”

WAC NOTES

Beyer’s program rebuild could start this year

Mike Young believes Beyer is in the midst of a turnaround. For the first time since taking over the Patriots program in 2021, he is a teacher on campus. He thinks that will be a game changer. He hired more coaches, bringing the staff from three to nine.

Last season, he called varsity offense and defense, then called junior varsity defense. That is no more. This season is the first time since 2018 that Beyer has all three levels.

The resurgence of a freshman team is encouraging to Young, who looks to build the program back up. “It feels like a team now,” he said. “It feels like we’re turning a corner. We’ve got some talent down there, too. The future is bright.”

The key to building a program is securing talent for not only now but the future. The Patriots’ roster is very heavy with sophomores and juniors. He estimates there are fewer than 10 senior starters.

“We’re really young, so we’ve got a lot of learning to do … but they all played together last year, so as a team I think they’re coming together,” Young said.

Though they lost some of last season’s stars, Young is confident this year that the line will shine. Starting center Jesse Edmonson played varsity ball as a sophomore last season and has only improved heading into his junior season as the unit’s leader.

“All those guys have played together for two or three years now, so that’s going to be our strength,” he said.

After spending the previous two seasons winless, Young knows the challenges ahead facing Los Banos, Mountain House, Lathrop and other WAC frontrunners.

“It’s going to be tough, but I think we’re going to hang a little bit with those guys,” he said. “It’s going to be a process. We’re not just trying to build a team, we’re trying to build a program. … We’re going to plant our seeds, then grow from here.”

Ceres coming off record season while Johansen’s rushing attack is back

The Bulldogs put together two separate three-game winning streaks last season en route to securing a spot in the postseason and the most wins (8) in more than 15 years, according to the team’s MaxPreps page. Ceres finished second in the WAC and qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.

In 2022, under first-year coach Brett Johnson, seniors Landyn Hudson and Tarrell Lee-Gill were primed for a good season. Hudson passed for 1,615 yards and 16 touchdowns and Lee-Gill rushed for 1,313 yards and 17 touchdowns. They had no problems putting up points, averaging 31.5 points a game, with six games of 35 points or more.

This year, the Bulldogs will have to replace a ton of offensive production. Hudson and Lee-Gill are gone, along with last season’s second and fourth leading rushers, top receiver and top four leaders in tackles.

Johnson enters his second season with a team led by mostly juniors. Neither Kyle Phongsa nor Donovan Osuna, both quarterbacks on this year’s roster, were credited with game action as the Bulldogs’ signal caller last season as Hudson played in every game.

The Vikings graduated both of their 2022 quarterbacks, which for most teams would be a problem. Luckily for them, most of the offensive production came from the run game and both running backs were juniors. Chad Conley led the team with 707 yards on 125 carries and Aeric Amerel wasn’t far behind, carrying the ball 109 times for 701 yards. Both also were extremely durable, playing in all 10 games.

The Vikings hope to return to their 2019 form. Despite missing the playoffs, they went an impressive 7-3 overall and 5-2 in league. That was the most wins in a single season since 2008, when the Vikings went 8-4.

League champ Los Banos looks to repeat

Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year David Herrera is back for league champion Los Banos, meaning it will be a tough out for anyone it faces. The quarterback passed for 1,206 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 879 yards and 13 touchdowns. He led the team to an 8-3 overall and a perfect 7-0 against WAC opponents. According to The Merced Sun-Star, Herrera will be the first three-year starter head coach Dustin Caropreso has had at quarterback.

The Tigers enter 2023 with talent and experience on both sides of the ball. They bring back seniors Jett Lindeman, Philip VanderPoel and Jackson Silva on the offensive line, running back Joel Alveranga impressed Los Banos coaches, and receivers Cade Torres, Yahir Zuniga and Byron Zuniga are weapons for Herrera.

“This group is awesome,” Caropreso told the Sun-Star. “There’s no complaining, no arguing, nobody asking why are we running this? They just come in, show up on time, get the work in and get out.”