OCVarsity’s season preview for 2016:
FOOTHILL KNIGHTS
Coach: Doug Case
Last season: 6-4 overall, 1-2 league
Scouting report: It’s not often Foothill is on the outside looking in come postseason play, but that was the case a year ago. “These guys definitely want to get back in the show,” Knights coach Doug Case said. “Missing out on that (the playoffs), that left a bad taste in our mouths.” Foothill boasts the athleticism to get back into the playoff picture, and it starts with quarterback Bobby Garcia. The dual-threat senior played his way onto the field late last fall and will be heavily featured alongside speedy running back Dante Swayne and promising receiver Devon Anderson, who lost six games to injury in 2015. Defensive backs Jonathan Mejia, Richard Barajas and Eddie Garcia are all back in the fold, forming a ballhawking trio of playmakers in the secondary. Line play is the great unknown. Foothill’s offensive and defensive fronts have gone through a massive overhaul this summer, with only two starting lineman returning from a season ago. If the big guys up front can develop and play well, the Knights will be back in the thick of the Crestview League race.
Bottom line: It comes down to the play in the trenches. Case is excited about the potential Garcia, Swayne and Anderson have on offense, and he’s got plenty of confidence in his secondary. It’s the line play that will dictate if Foothill finishes in the top half of the league standings or not.
Players to watch: Devon Anderson, WR, Sr.; Bobby Garcia, QB, Sr.; Jayden Haecker, OL/LB, Sr.; Cooper Hingst, OT, Sr.; Dante Swayne, RB, Sr.
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Contact the writer: kconnolly@scng.com
