Football remains hopeful for the return of Friday Night Lights

By: Dominick McCormack and Krissy Hetherington

It’s been over a year since the boys in blue last stepped on the field surrounded by a packed Mineral King Bowl on a cool Friday night.

For many, players this was going to be their breakout season. The one that would secure their spot to play in college. For seniors, their final season with their friends, their chance to lead. And for many upcoming players, their chance to prove they have what it takes.

As CIF has recently pushed back the start of their season to January 2021, the team continues to adjust to the “no official practices rule” by simply conditioning and solidifying routes and plays.

Recap of the 2019 season

Last year, Redwood’s Varsity Football team had their first winning season since 2016 led by first-year Head Coach, Kevin Scharton. There were over 90 kids on the roster, all of who got to touch the field at least once.

Despite many injuries, the team pulled out a 10-2 overall record and went 4-1 in league. The team also made it to the second round of playoffs, for the first time since 2014, before falling to St. Joseph 28-21.

The Rangers started their season with a 7 game winning streak, put an end to Tulare Union’s 29 game win streak, took second in WYL, had their first 10 game win season in over 15 years, brought the Cowhide home for the 65th Annual Cowhide game, and defeated Dinuba, Scharton’s former team, in the first game of the season.

The team graduated many vital players such as starting quarterback, Ryan Rios, ’20, starting tight end, Sam Olson, ’20, starting defensive end, Hudson Walker, ’20, and key running back, Brian Brown, ’20.

Head Coach Scharton had this to say as he reflected on last season:

” I learned that our kids had a lot of passion and were willing to work hard to be successful on Friday nights.  The team learned how to play hard and finish strong despite learning a new offense and defense.  That team set a standard for this year’s team.  This year the team will have a year of experience under their belt and I believe they will expect to be successful on Friday nights because of the hard work they put in”

Player to watch

Despite many players graduating, the upcoming team has many returners or new and young talent surfacing.

Leaders who have stepped up in the pods include Dominick McCormack, ’21, Marcus Correia, ’22, Matthew Ramirez, ’21, and Caden Shafer, ’21, according to Scharton.

Some younger players to keep an eye out for include: LB/RB Marcus Correia, RB Karson Everett, TE Kolby Howard, Receiver Ashton Ibarra, Safety Gavin House, DB Chris Shin, Safety Daryl Tillman, DT Jacob Gonzalez, and DT Colton Bowser.

The senior class is filled with lots of experience and passion. Safety/Rec Dominick McCormack, DB/Rec Reid Terry, and LB/RB Caden Shafer will get playing time on both sides of the ball and be key players on special teams, says Scharton. Also, LB Gage Walker, LB Joseph Madruga, LB/Safety Mitchell Wilson, RB Aram Babagian, and Receiver Ivan Saddler are players to look out for.

Although no quarterback has been officially named yet, Scharton does confirm there is a three-way battle between Franky Alvarez, ’23, Reece Bueno, ’23, and Alexander Garza, ’22 for that starting position.

“All three quarterbacks are very talented and throw the ball really well.  It will come down to which quarterback can run the offense, take control of the huddle, and make plays.  We still have a ways to go to determine a starter.”

Expectations for potential 2021 season

Although there was great talent on both sides of the ball last season, the Rangers relied heavily on their defense.

The new coaching staff played a big role on what they were able to accomplish last year as well. With great play calling, use of personnel on the offensive side, and a strong scheme on the defensive side, the Rangers were able to put up a fight with whoever they faced, and they won majority of those battles.

This time around, practices look very different. Frosh, JV, and Varsity practice 4 times a week, each for an hour of conditioning only. Players are required to wear a mask unless doing physical activity, must fill out a dailey Questionnaire for COVID, and remain in the same pods of 15 players without interchanging at any point.

Varsity is split into 6 pods dependent on their positions.

“We begin with daily drills and work on fundamentals which differ by position.  We also get some form of conditioning done within each pod.  We are limited in some things we can do as a team due to guidelines such as running a full-on offense or defense.  However, we can do some things within the pods such as run routes with the receivers, run pass plays against air, or work on pass drops with the defensive backs.  We really have to be creative in what we can do,” is how Scharton describes practices.

“The coaching staff has done an amazing job being creative to make practice a place to learn, be competitive, and to keep the players in shape.  The players work hard and seem to enjoy themselves during practice time. “

Redwood Varsity Football Coach, Kevin Scharton

Since the team has been practicing for about 5 months before the start of the season, they believe that they will have very good team chemistry this season

Although CIF has recently pushed back any competition, scrimmages, or official practices to January 1st, Scharton shares that this was a positive thing because they didn’t cancel the whole season, so there is still hope.

“If and when we get the green light to return, I expect the Rangers to be ready to work hard and to be a very competitive football team. I’m especially looking forward to coaching our seniors that have been through so much.  I believe we can be a successful team because our players and coaches have spent time getting ready for this season to begin. When the time comes, we will be ready,” adds Scharton.

” I can’t wait for the day we play real football, and I’m able to celebrate with my guys on the sideline after a great play.”

Redwood Varsity Football Assistant Coach, Michael Wright II

The whole team studies film 4 times a week during pre-first, rather than last year’s one film session a week. The Rangers are doing their part to gain a better understanding of the game, as well as learning the importance of teamwork. They can also see what worked from last year and what they still need to work on for the upcoming season.

Tags: Central Section, CIF, high school sports, redwood football, redwood high school, redwood rangers, redwood sports