Berkeley High Football Prepares for a Successful Season
The Berkeley High School Yellowjacket football team is looking to improve on their impressive 9-1 regular season record in 2008. However, even with that impressive regular season record, the team was bounced from the playoffs in the first round by Deer Valley High School.
It will be hard to beat their 9-1 record, but the team has confidence that they can do better in the playoffs this season.
In order to make it to the playoffs, however, the Yellowjackets will need to have a strong regular season. Ponderosa High School is the Yellow Jackets’ first opponent. The two teams faced off on Friday, September 5th at Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs, California. PHS won the highly competitive Sierra Valley League last year, finishing with a 5-1-league record. Their senior running back Lyndell Scarr, who rushed over 1,800 yards and had 20 touchdowns last season, is Ponderosa’s workhorse and is expected to anchor the Bruins’ offense this season. Despite Scarr’s skills, the Jackets won 26–7. Like PHS, the Yellowjackets’ offense is centered around the senior running back Ricky Galvin. The small but powerful player led the team in carries and yards last season as a junior, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Galvin’s phenomenal talent has made him someone to look out for in the 2009 season, not just for fans but also for college scouts. Although a lot is riding on Galvin’s shoulders, he shows no sign of the pressure he’s under in practice and is poised for another breakout season.
While a potent running attack seems to be in place for the Jackets, there are still quite a few question marks on the offensive side going into the 2009 season. The team lost a variety of talented offensive players from last season. Logan Murdock will be the starting quarterback this season as last year’s starter, Ian Anderson, heads off to college.
Murdock is not inexperienced, having started a few games last season and will be looking to complement the running game with a strong passing attack. His task won’t be easy though, seeing as the Yellow Jackets lost their top two receivers from last season, Myron Mooring and Morris Norrise. Norrise led the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns last season, while Mooring led the team in average yards per reception and yards after catch. Mooring was also an electrifying return man on special teams. Players expected to fill the receiver post will be seniors Ashton Collins, Matthew “Sleepy” McGill and junior Jamil Whetstone.
The Yellowjacket defense has also lost quite a few quality starters. Linebacker Lucas King, defensive linemen Owen Krebs and Rashod Berkeley, as well as defensive backs Cameron Fuller and Ronald Floyd have all graduated. Despite these major losses, the defense has looked exceptional in practice. Players such as junior linebacker Jacai Deneveu and senior defensive lineman Aaron Norton-Buford have turned it up a notch in practice and are hungry for tackles. One of the returning leaders of the defense last year is linebacker Keenan Coogler, whose hard-nose mentality gave the Yellowjackets an edge over their competition. Overall, the defense does not have as much experience as it would like, but is filled with talent and looks ready to shut down opposing offenses.
The BHS football season should be an exciting one with matchups against tough non-league opponents such as Ponderosa, Freedom High School, and Pittsburg High School, Pittsburg being Berkeley’s only regular season loss last year. This year, BHS will get a chance at revenge as they host the Pittsburg Pirates in their home opener on September 25. The team is looking for a twelfth man factor this year, so come out and support your Berkeley High Yellowjackets.
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