Manteca football replenishes roster with ‘group of dudes’
By ROBERTO FACUNDO
The Tower
The Manteca High football team is set to lose a number of key players to graduation this spring, but there is a group of new faces and names ready to make their impact at the varsity level next fall.
Coach Mark Varnum believes there is a large group of soon-to-be sophomores and juniors who will fight for starting spots on the offensive, defensive and special team's units for the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions. One thing is for certain: This new group will face an immediate challenge.
The Buffaloes are moving up to the Division I rank for the postseason and will face tougher opponents, and their schedule reflects that. Manteca will face St. Mary’s, Granite Bay, Rocklin, Lodi and Vista del Lago before ever hitting Valley Oak League play.
“We got a good group of dudes who we called up for playoffs that got some good experience, and more importantly, we got a good look at them. There’s some good young talent coming for sure. ”
Varnum believes this new group, which includes Quinn Martinez, Jhadis Lucky, Maava Tialavea, Juju Moncada, Santana Stevenson and Preston Smith, can make an immediate impact as they elevate to the varsity level.
“They have to,” Varnum said sternly. “That's next man up. I mean, it’s their time now so you know that's been the focus the last month is learning how to work and train and prepare to be a varsity Manteca football player. It's not a question of ‘Will they?’ It's ‘They better,’ and that's what’s expected of them and it's up to them to make sure they live up to the expectations.”
Moncada had 60 carries for 596 yards, averaging 9 yards per carry with nine touchdowns. Moncada also reeled in 10 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown. Stevenson had 13 receptions for 315 yards, averaging 24 yards per reception with four touchdowns. Stevenson also had five carries for 71 yards.
Smith, a sophomore quarterback, completed 60 percent of his passes (52 of 87), averaging 16 yards per complete with nine touchdowns and only five interceptions. Martinez had 43 carries for 759 yards, and two receptions for 36 yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Manteca has a history of success rooted in its ability to remake its roster each fall. The Buffaloes are a nine-time Sac-Joaquin Section champion. In the fall, the Buffaloes went 11-2 and 4-1 in the Valley Oak League, trailing only private school power Central Catholic.
“We got a good group of dudes who we called up for playoffs that got some good experience,” Varnum said, “and more importantly, we got a good look at them. There's some good young talent coming for sure. You know a couple guys actually got some playing time a little bit.”
Varnum said the biggest adjustment for the new group will be the speed of the varsity game. To counter that, Varnum believes the weight room and offseason training program will be the great equalizers. He believes the sooner these players can get into the weight room, the better off they’ll be.
“Everybody knows its just the speed of the game and level of physicality,” he said. “From freshman to JV to varsity is a huge, huge jump, and that’s why we hit the weight room so hard. They got to be physically and mentally ready as well in order to be ready for varsity.”