It's almost here: Wolfpack football returns Pads crashing together. Cleats stampeding the turf. Pigskin finding its way into waiting hands. It was 5 p.m. on a hot and sunny Monday afternoon in late August as the Claremont High School varsity football team made the turf of CHS stadium its training grounds for the last week of preparation before school begins next Wednesday. “Everyone is really ready to play,” said Justin Hunter, CHS senior outside linebacker. “We’re working on our skills and have worked hard to prepare for this season.”
Team has a new look The two-hour plus practice included drills, mini-scrimmages, “gassers” and more as the coaches worked with the players according to their respective offensive, defensive or special teams position. With the graduation of last year’s standout seniors such as John Cornell (1624 rushing yards in 2006), Victor Ojukwu (8.4 tackles per game) and Howard Bowens (8.1 tackles per game), the Pack returns only a handful of starters from last season and welcome many new faces. As a result of the new-look team, Claremont will have a new-look offense this season with junior David Kessler switching from wide receiver to starting quarterback, senior Sean Carraway from receiver to tailback and senior Nathan Adongo being the lone returning senior on the offensive line. “We’re going to be entertaining,” said Terrance Lynch, Wolfpack offensive coordinator. “Our offense is going to be fast-paced. We want to utilize the kids that we’ve got and see what we can do.”
A new strategy Last year, Claremont found itself out-sized by Baseline League foes such as Los Osos, Etiwanda and Upland. Though the size advantage will likely still be in favor of the Wolfpack’s league opponents, Coach Lynch plans to take advantage of one aspect in which Claremont may be able to match their opponents. “We are blessed with a great group of skilled kids that have good speed,” he said. “In the past, we’ve played a smash-mouth style on offense but this year we thought it was a good time to change.” Changes will also be in how the players themselves will perform this season. According to CHS head coach Mike Collins, there will no longer be players that will play both sides of the ball on offense and defense. The move will allow players to focus more on their positions and seek to lower the amount of injuries from last season. “Last year we had a senior-layered team that was a good team but ran into injuries,” Coach Collins said. “We were an injury-plagued team last season. We had a lot of guys who played both ways last year, so this year we’ve decided to have our players play either offense or defense to cut down on the chances of injury.” (story continues below)
The coaching team Rounding out the 2007 coaching staff along with Coach Collins and Coach Lynch are Jack Harper (defensive coordinator), Brian Sosnovsky (offensive line), Evan Adams (defensive line), Tim Camarco (linebackers), Brian Rodriguez (receivers), Richard Moore (defensive backs) and Willie Kendrick (defensive line). The coaching team will look to guide the young team back to Baseline League contention, a spot that the Wolfpack have not been in since 2004 in a close league race with Upland.
The team’s hopes Though the summer training has been one of adjustments for the players with many new faces making the leap from junior varsity to the varsity level, the players strive to work together, creating an environment where the players can grow as a team. “The past few years, I’ve been the underclassman,” said Nathan Adongo. “Now I’m a senior and I know I have to step up into that role and be a leader.” Yet with the seniors and the younger players meshing well, senior cornerback Bijon Franklin hopes that he can not only significantly contribute to his team this year but also attain some of his own personal goals. “The team dynamic has been pretty good,” Bijon said. “Personally, I’m just looking forward to having a good season and hopefully getting a scholarship.” With a fresh season ready to begin just a little over a week away, Sean Carraway and his teammates have an optimistic outlook on 2007 and believe that they are capable of having a successful season this fall. “We have a lot of talent from the lower level this year,” Sean said. “Despite what we may lack in size and speed, if we are willing to work hard, we’ll do well.”
Opening season The Wolfpack open the 2007 season at Barstow High School on September 7. Claremont will play its first home game of the year on September 28 against Hart, a team that went all the way to the CIF Southern Section Northern Division semifinals last year. “We have an intense outlook on the season,” David Kessler said. “The new offense has been fun to learn and I think it will work for the tools that we have. I think we’ll surprise teams this year.”
—Landus Rigsby
Claremont Wolfpack Schedule
All home games in CAPS League games in bold |
 
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August 29, 2007
August 29, 2007