Spring Insider: Q&A with Coach Mike Jacot

Going one-on-one with Coach Mike Jacot;

Question: Tell us about your team.
Mike Jacot: We’re going to be young. Probably the most experience we’re going to have, in terms of playing time, will be on the offensive line. That group has the most playing experience. We’ll have a good mix of seniors, juniors, sophomores playing for us. Defensively, we’re going to be very inexperienced, but very athletic. We return A.J. Cruz, who we feel is going to be a very special player, and then our secondary and linebacking core is relatively new and our front four is relatively new. So, we’re very inexperienced, but we think we’re going to be very active and productive defensively.

Question: Will this inexperience be too much to overcome in the Trinity League?
MJ: It (Trinity League) is tough. If this was a year where Mater Dei was going to be their typical pound-it, grind-it-out-type team or Servite was going to be like that, but it seems like the trend now is (moving toward the) spread offense and throw the ball around, which for us is a good thing defensively because we feel like we’re going to be very athletic.

Question: Which position on the field will be under the most pressure to perform?
MJ: Because of what we’re going to be doing offensively ... I think we’re going to be strong in the receiving core, but that group is really going to have to produce for us. That’s an area where we’re going to focus on. If those guys aren’t getting it done for us, we might struggle offensively. A lot of pressure will be on our receiving core. We think it is a good group, but they’re going to have a lot of pressure on them.

Question: What about on defense?
MJ: Our front four. I don’t know if we have one guy on the front four that has really any varsity experience. It is a young group and they’re going to have a lot of pressure on them as well. Our front four has always been fairly productive.
 
Question: What are your thoughts on quarterback Ryan World?
MJ: He took over in the Mater Dei game (last year) and from then on out got the bulk of the reps. He’s really come a long way. He had a great offseason, worked real hard and really dedicated himself. He knows going into his senior season he wants to produce. We’re really excited about him.

Question: How do you compensate for the loss of valuable seniors, like Carlo Audagnotti, Logan Harrell and others?
MJ: We had a very competitive, young group last year. One of the things we preach around here is competition. This is the first year that I’ve been here that the young guys feel like ‘we’ve got a chance to play and produce’ and that’s creating that competition out on the field. That’s forcing our older guys to step up and creating a nice environment (in the spring.) It is a natural process that’s happening, we have the seniors stepping up and the younger guys are respecting that.

Question: What do expect from A.J. Cruz?
MJ: He’s really going to be the cornerstone of our defense. A lot of things that we’re going to do defensively, especially in coverage, hinges around him. We’re going to be able to do some things in the secondary, probably take some chances on some blitzes because of his ability.

Question: He’s looking to get more touches on offense, is that possible next season?
MJ: He’s definitely going to play some offense. He’s a big-play guy. When he’s in there, we expect him to touch the ball.

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com