2019 Triton Football Preview

L Run It Again San Clemente High School Football deals with the burden of expectations to try and deliver an encore performance

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

2019 TRITONS FOOTBALL PREVIEW

ast season, the opening question of this season preview was “Where can they go from here?” The same can be asked of the San Clemente football team entering the 2019 season.

Last year, the question was posed as could San Clemente ever break through the seemingly unbreakable barrier of Mission Viejo and the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs?

Optimism always springs eternal, but everyone involved knew it would be the toughest of tasks.

Well, San Clemente did it.

The Tritons beat Mission Viejo for the first time since 1999, in unimaginably thrilling fashion, and won their first South Coast League title since 1999. San Clemente even broke through in the Division 1 playoffs in a first-round win.

Even though the gap between the Tritons and the level beyond was evident in their second-round loss to then-national-No. 1 St. John Bosco, the San Clemente program had elevated its ceiling.

Now, after the great accomplishment, the burden of expectation arrives—the anticipation of an encore.

Can San Clemente beat Mission Viejo again? Can the Tritons win another league title? Can they go undefeated? Can they

push further in the Division 1 playoffs?

With the advent of a new CIF-SS playoff format, San Clemente’s first CIF-SS title since 2016 is a worthy aspiration.

This season, the top 24 teams in the CIF-SS power rankings have been put into a combined Division 1 and 2 grouping. At the end of the season, the top eight teams will form the Division 1 playoff bracket, and the other 16 will make up the Division 2 playoffs.

So, yes, for those doing the math, before a down is even played this season, those top 24 teams, including San Clemente and Mission Viejo, are guaranteed a CIF-SS playoff berth.

“Every team makes the playoffs,” San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz said. “It would’ve been nice if there were more teams to put some pressure on teams (with a possibility of missing the playoffs). We’re excited to fight for that Division 1. I know our kids are excited about the opportunity to win a league championship.”

A league championship is probably the only door to a Division 1 spot for San Clemente, and that will be tough with an on-the-rise Tesoro in the league opener and a reloaded and motivated Mission Viejo waiting in the season finale.

However, a strong season and a top (Continued)

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(Continued) spot in Division 2 could put the Tritons in a favorable position. It would also be familiar territory, as San Clemente claimed its first and only CIF-SS championship in Division 2 in 2016.

With 32 graduates gone from last year’s group, the Tritons have plenty of questions to answer before that, and there will be plenty of tests to see if this San Clemente team has the mettle to push through once again.

Inheriting the Offensive Mantle Graduation hit San Clemente the hardest on the offensive side of the ball.

From Ortiz to senior quarterback Drayton Joseph, the repeated mantra is “next man up.”

While there was competition in camp, Joseph is likely the next player to step up and inherit the mantle of the Triton quarterback.

Following a line of accomplished QBs including Brendan Costello (Oklahoma State), Jack Sears (USC), Sam Darnold (USC, New York Jets), Travis Wilson (Utah) and Chase Rettig (Boston College), Joseph has one thing none of those NCAA Division 1 predecessors had: a win over Mission Viejo.

“I told Jack Sears, don’t be Sam Darnold; be Jack Sears,” Ortiz said. “Go be yourself, and don’t be someone you’re not. I think that’s something Drayton did well against Mission last year.”

Joseph relieved an injured Costello in the second quarter and led the comeback against the Diablos with a quick passing game. As a golf commit to the University of San Diego, you could say Joseph is working his short game with the San Clemente offense.

“Offensively, we’re a quick-tempo, quick-

passing team,” Joseph said. “We don’t have a lot of time. As for getting down the field and making big plays, that’s very limited. Our offense is very catch-and-throw, catch-andthrow, and we excel at that.”

Joseph is taking tips from the San Clemente quarterback lineage as well. Joseph said he worked on his speed in the offseason, as the last four Triton quarterbacks have been

dual threats and have excelled. Joseph said he also FaceTimes with Costello in Oklahoma for “a couple hours a day” to go over defenses and the like.

There will be plenty of help from the skill positions, with seniors Preston Rex and Cian Smith at receiver. Rex is an athlete who will make an impact on both sides of the ball for San Clemente, and Smith will be expected to

help stretch the field.

Out of the backfield, junior James Bohls will be relied upon a lot early as the passing game finds its footing. Bohls has the size and blistering speed. Ortiz said the Tritons will use Bohls to their advantage and be a heavier team when they need to be.

The key will be getting the offensive line together as a cohesive unit. Junior Ryland

FIVE TO WATCH: OFFENSE

James Bohls

Drayton Joseph

Preston Rex

Cian Smith

RB • JR. • NO. 33

QB • SR. • NO. 7

WR • SR. • NO. 1

WR • SR. • NO. 15

Bohls steps up from the No. 2 spot in 2018 into the spotlight in 2019. As a sophomore, Bohls ran for 331 yards and three TDs on 41 carries, but he’ll handle a much larger load as a junior. Bohls has bruising size at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and blistering speed as a 100-meter sprinter.

Joseph already put himself into Triton history last season by coming off the bench for his first varsity snaps and leading the comeback upset win over Mission Viejo. Now, the University of San Diego golf commit will inherit the San Clemente quarterback mantle and take full command of the Triton offense.

Rex will be involved all over the field. The BYU commit was the only San Clemente junior to be named firstteam all-league, but that was on the defensive side.

Rex will make an impact as a receiver, free safety and kick returner. Rex grabbed four TDs and four interceptions last season.

Smith is another player stepping into the No. 1 role.

Second-team all-league as a junior, Smith pulled in 571 yards and three TDs on 40 receptions, behind only Jaydel Jenkins (1,003 yards and 12 TDs). Smith will be expected to stretch the field as a deep threat.

2019 TRITONS FOOTBALL PREVIEW

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

Ryland Swarthout OT • JR. • NO. 56 Swarthout started off and on as a sophomore, but returns as the leader of the Tritons’ muscle up front. Swarthout is the most physical lineman San Clemente possesses.

At 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, Swarthout will take charge in protection and carve holes for the run game as the offense finds itself early on.

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Swarthout is the lone returner who will lead the group up front that lost a lot of experience from last season. Ortiz said he was rotating a couple of guys in and competing for jobs on the line in camp.

Senior kicker Cole Thompson will also be a weapon for San Clemente. Ortiz said it’s “Touchback City” when the Navy commit lines up his leg. Nearly every kickoff should reach the end zone, and the Tritons will have a lengthy field-goal range.

Experience on Defense Defense was a rough spot in the first half of last season, but Ortiz and his staff retooled the defensive look just in time for league. The changes paid off in spades, especially in the Mission Viejo game, where the Diablos’ passing game was stifled and a potential go-ahead two-point attempt was stuffed in the final minutes.

Many major players who spurred on that second-half success return.

Rex and junior Cole Batson will patrol the secondary. Rex grabbed four interceptions last season.

Senior Trenton Brail moved from strong safety to linebacker during that change, and Brail was much more effective as a physical presence near the line of scrimmage. Fellow linebackers senior Trey Torticill and junior Caiden Robertson also provide the attitude and physicality.

Defenses are usually ahead of the offenses to begin the season, and the Tritons will need that as the passing game finds its groove. With another grueling schedule ahead, San Clemente can’t afford the same early defensive letdown as a year ago.

Playoff Preparation With a playoff spot already guaranteed, there’s no need for San Clemente to shy away from a tough schedule.

While the early results didn’t come for San Clemente last season, there’s no arguing that once they got the defense turned around, they were more than ready for league play and a Division 1 playoff test.

That’s a credit to Ortiz and the schedule.

“We’re playing some high-level teams,” Ortiz said. “That’s a good test. Last year, the games that we lost, those games got us ready for the league championship game.

We’re going to test ourselves. I’m not a fan of scheduling easy games.”

San Clemente again opens with a threegame run against San Diego’s elite Avocado League, with trips to Oceanside and La Costa Canyon sandwiched around a game against reigning league champion Torrey Pines at SCHS. The only new opponent on the schedule comes in the fourth game against Lincoln of San Diego, the San Diego Division 2 champion.

The welcoming of Orange County competition doesn’t lower the bar for San Clemente, with games against powers Edison and Corona del Mar and, of course, the South Coast League. San Clemente opens league with their Homecoming game against Tesoro on Oct. 4 and the finale at Mission Viejo on Oct. 25.

“It starts with each game,” Joseph said.

“If we take one game at a time and one play at a time and build our way up, I think we’re going to be prepared to play (Mission Viejo) this year. It’s going to be a great battle for a league championship this year.”

San Clemente will fight to play that encore.

FIVE TO WATCH: DEFENSE

Cole Batson

Trenton Brail

Caiden Robertson

Trey Torticill

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

Dean Westerberg

S • JR. • NO. 23

OLB • SR. • NO. 4

MLB • JR. • NO. 8

OLB • SR. • NO. 3

DE • SR. • NO. 11

Batson made his mark as a sophomore with secondteam, all-league honors and 98 total tackles, fourth-most on the team. Batson grew three inches over the offseason and will bring a physical presence. Batson will also take reps at wide receiver.

Batson’s father, Brian, is a defensive coach for San Clemente.

Brail was part of a key change that turned around the San Clemente defense last season. Brail opened the season as a safety but was moved closer to the line of scrimmage as an outside linebacker. Brail was second on the team with 106 tackles, collected three sacks and was second-team, all-league.

While only a sophomore last season, Robertson was one of the Tritons’ heavy hitters.

Robertson led the team in total tackles with 114, as well as solo tackles with 57.

Robertson has gotten bigger at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, and Coach Jaime Ortiz said Robertson has stepped up mentally and physically.

Torticill is getting his first full-time varsity action in his senior season. Torticill will get his reps as the strongside linebacker. Ortiz praised his tenacious attitude, which is perfect for a player expected to get pressure on the talented quarterbacks San Clemente will face. Torticill is also a rugby player.

Westerberg made an impact off the edge last season, and after a productive offseason in the weight room, the senior is ready for a larger role.

Westerberg wrapped up four sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and 27 tackles as a junior. Ortiz said Westerberg has the “heart of a lion.”

2019 TRITONS FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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Training Camp

TRITON TALK “I’m looking forward to each game, playing my hardest and leaving it all for my senior year.”

– Senior receiver and safety Preston Rex

“We’re defending league champs, so I think undefeated is the way to go.”

– Senior receiver Cian Smith

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play with the guys around us. Since we’ve been here for four years, this is our time to shine.”

– Senior quarterback Drayton Joseph

“There’s a lot expected of us.

The town . . . it’s almost like we saved the city from Mission (Viejo).”

– Senior linebacker Trenton Brail 2019 TRITONS FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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GAME PREVIEWS

ALL GAMES BEGIN AT 7 P.M.

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

GAME ONE // FRIDAY, AUG. 23

OCEANSIDE

GAME TWO // FRIDAY, AUG. 30

TORREY PINES

GAME THREE // FRIDAY, SEPT. 6 GAME FOUR // FRIDAY, SEPT. 13

LA COSTA CANYON

LINCOLN (SD)

GAME FIVE // FRIDAY, SEPT. 20

EDISON

Location: Oceanside HS Coach: David Rodriguez 2018 Record: 6-6 (2-4 Avocado League) 2018 vs. SC: SC win, 34-19

Location: San Clemente HS Coach: Ron Gladnick 2018 Record: 10-1 (5-0 Avocado League) 2018 vs. SC: TP win, 47-45

Location: La Costa Canyon HS Coach: Sean Sovacool 2018 Record: 6-4 (2-3 Avocado League) 2018 vs. SC: LCC win, 38-35

Location: San Clemente HS Coach: David Dunn 2018 Record: 11-5 (1-3 Western League) 2018 vs. SC: Did not play

Location: San Clemente HS Coach: Jeff Grady 2018 Record: 5-6 (3-2 Sunset League) 2018 vs. SC: SC win, 31-24

Season Outlook: San Clemente has taken two of the three Battle for the Base matchups as the annual game returns south of Camp Pendleton.

After another fight through the San Diego Section’s elite Avocado League, the Pirates advanced to the second round of the Division 1 playoffs.

Oceanside graduated its gamechanging quarterback from that team.

Junior running back Kavika Tua is the top returning offensive player. As a sophomore, Tua was the runaway team leader in TDs with 21 and allpurpose yards with 1,620. Senior defensive end Kiki Laie will pressure off the edge after a seven-sack season.

Season Outlook: Torrey Pines scored nine points in the final minute against San Clemente last season to pull out last season’s victory.

From there, the Falcons carved through their Avocado League schedule with a nearly 16-point average margin of victory before suffering their only loss in the San Diego Open Division title game.

Torrey Pines graduated numerous seniors, and a new quarterback, Brayden Fowler-Nicolisi, will man the Falcons’ Wing-T offense. Torrey Pines will field a strong defensive front led by junior linebacker Marco Notarainni and junior defensive end Dewey Egan, second and third on the team in tackles last season, respectively.

Season Outlook: San Clemente closes its opening run through the Avocado League against another team that edged out the Tritons in the final minutes last season.

La Costa Canyon was one of the San Diego Section’s toughest teams last season, but despite a No. 1 seed and first-round bye in Division 1, the Mavericks failed to win a playoff game. La Costa Canyon was shut out in its final two games.

Marshall Eucker remains at quarterback and will have top targets in wide receiver Trevor Gonzalez and running back Aiden Lippert. La Costa Canyon is also led by standout all-CIF linebacker Ozzie Nicholas.

Season Outlook: San Clemente continues against some of the best San Diego can offer by welcoming Lincoln, the county’s Division 2 champion and CIF Division 3AA SoCal Regional champion.

The Hornets won their four San Diego Division 2 playoff games by an average of 22 points and captured the SoCal Regional title over Culver City, 54-42. Lincoln moves up to Division 1 against its other Western League foes.

The Hornets can go multiple ways at quarterback, as senior Chris Davila and junior Raymond Spriggs each had a lot of reps and success last season.

Spriggs can also line up at wide receiver.

Season Outlook: San Clemente’s win over Edison last season sparked the turnaround for the Tritons, and this season, it marks the start of San Clemente’s Orange County schedule.

Edison is coming off a third-place league finish and a first-round playoff exit.

Junior Braeden Boyles returns at quarterback. Boyles’ tenure as starter began against San Clemente a year ago. Boyles threw for 1,050 yards and ran for 213 yards in nine games.

Top passing target Cole Koffler is back as a senior, and senior Mike Walters will be a versatile player at linebacker and running back. Bryce Gilbert will pressure at defensive end.

GAME EIGHT // FRIDAY, OCT. 11

GAME NINE // FRIDAY, OCT. 18

GAME TEN // FRIDAY, OCT. 25

GAME SIX // THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 GAME SEVEN // FRIDAY, OCT. 4

CORONA DEL MAR

TESORO

EL TORO

CAPISTRANO VALLEY

MISSION VIEJO

Location: Newport Harbor HS Coach: Dan O’Shea 2018 Record: 11-2-1 (4-0-1 Sunset League) 2018 vs. SC: CdM win, 21-20

Location: San Clemente HS Coach: Matt Poston 2018 Record: 6-5 (2-2 South Coast League) 2018 vs. SC: SC win, 24-14

Location: El Toro HS Coach: Andy Diaz 2018 Record: 4-6 (0-4 South Coast League) 2018 vs. SC: SC win, 63-13

Location: San Clemente HS Coach: Sean Curtis 2018 Record: 9-4 (1-3 South Coast League) 2018 vs. SC: SC win, 35-26

Location: Mission Viejo HS Coach: Chad Johnson 2018 Record: 6-6 (3-1 South Coast League) 2018 vs. SC: SC win, 21-20

Season Outlook: Of all of San Clemente’s narrow, last-minute losses last season, the Corona del Mar game is one the Tritons might want back more than the others. It’ll be a tough fight for revenge this season.

In their first season in the Sunset League, the Sea Kings tied for the league championship and advanced to the CIF-SS Division 4 title game.

This season, Corona del Mar returns all of its major offensive players, including one of the top—if not the best—quarterback-receiver connections in the county. Quarterback Ethan Garbers, a Washington commit, and receiver John Humphreys, a Stanford commit, both return for the Sea Kings.

Season Outlook: Last season was an up-and-down affair for Tesoro, which finished right in the middle of the South Coast League with wins over the bottom two, Capistrano Valley and El Toro, and losses to the top two, Mission Viejo and San Clemente.

The Titans lost in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs, and while CIF-SS’ new playoff format forced a drop to Division 3, Tesoro is poised to potentially throw a wrench into the league hierarchy.

Senior Sean Lindgren steps up at quarterback with a strong group of receivers at his disposal, led by returning top receiver senior Justin Schafer.

Season Outlook: El Toro encountered a rude welcome back to the South Coast League last season, and its 50-point loss to San Clemente, which got out of control early, wasn’t even the worst of it. The Chargers lost all four league games by a combined 231-25 score.

On San Clemente’s homecoming night, the Tritons led, 42-0, in the first quarter. El Toro was shut out by Mission Viejo, 70-0, and Tesoro, 37-0.

El Toro is lining up for another rough season, as the Chargers will field a young group after losing all three quarterbacks, their top rusher and top three receivers to graduation.

Season Outlook: Despite a fourthplace finish, Capistrano Valley was a pesky team in the South Coast League last season, with tight contests against the league’s top three. The Cougars and San Clemente kicked off in a lightning-delayed Saturday morning affair, where the Tritons clicked in late.

After a semifinal run in Division 4, Capo Valley is regrouping with new leadership. Sean Curtis takes over as the Cougars coach after a stint as JSerra’s freshman coach. Curtis is also the son of Capistrano Valley Christian coach Rick Curtis.

Top rushers Dylan Flynn and DeAndre Lenard, both seniors, are the top returners for the Cougars offense.

Season Outlook: Last season was a new experience for Mission Viejo in a few ways. It was the first season under coach Chad Johnson after a legendary run under Bob Johnson (no relation). San Clemente also handed the Diablos their first league loss since 2008. It was also the Tritons’ first win over Mission Viejo since 1999, Bob Johnson’s first with the Diablos.

Mission Viejo hopes the pattern of a first-year loss by a Johnson to San Clemente followed by tremendous success continues, and the Diablos are loaded with talent to take the first step.

Santa Margarita transfer quarterback Peter Costelli will lead the Mission Viejo offense.

2019 TRITONS FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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