 Scrimmage
at Mira Mesa gets Jaguars prepped for season opener
Just like their professional counterparts in
the NFL, the Valley Center varsity football team took advantage
of the preseason with a scrimmage at Mira Mesa on Friday to get
ready for the regular season opener this Friday night.
The Jaguars were the only team to score, and
that coming late in the contest, when senior quarterback Beau
Reilly found fellow senior wideout Taylor Oshinski on a deep pass
that resulted in a touchdown.
For Oshinski, the big play felt more like redemption,
after he missed all of last season with a broken right ankle,
an injury suffered in last year’s preseason match-up against
Mira Mesa in Valley Center.
“That was the same play I got hurt on last
year, so it was cool to come out this year and score on it,”
he said after the game. “It was just great to be back, I
really missed being out here on the field. I was a little nervous
before the game, because of what happened last year, but I really
enjoyed it.”
The scrimmage started with some special teams
work, as each squad worked out the field goal and punt teams for
a few plays.
Then the Mira Mesa offense took the field, and
the Jags showed quickly that their defense is ready to hit. The
Marauders completed a few short passes early, but Valley Center’s
defense swarmed to the ball, led by linebackers Shonta Chaloux
and Martin Cunningham, along with defensive end Kenny Thomas,
who stuffed the Mira Mesa ball-carrier for a loss on the third
play of the series.
Chaloux got the Valley Center sideline buzzing
with some big hits, including a pair of big stops on running plays
early in the contest, and a near interception that would almost
certainly been a touchdown return had he been able to hold onto
the ball. The senior linebacker even briefly wrestled with a Mira
Mesa player later in the game when the Jaguars were on offense,
as he followed through on a block downfield on a running play.
“It just feels really good to be back out
here after I was injured last year,” Chaloux said. “All
this off-season, I just thought about how much it sucked to be
hurt and to have to sit on the sidelines while my teammates were
out there playing. That motivated me to hit the weights and focus
on getting back out here this year.”
The Jaguars were stout against the pass as well,
as Cunningham knocked down a throw over the middle, and the experienced
defensive backfield for the Jags, including senior cornerback
David Last, kept the Mira Mesa receivers from finding much open
space. Last nearly picked off a long pass late in the first series
for the Jaguar defense, just two plays before the Jaguars took
their turn on offense.
Valley Center’s first offensive series
got off to a shaky start, as a holding call on the offensive line
set the Jags back ten yards. But Reilly connected with Oshinski
on a post pattern for a gain of 11 yards later in the drive, then
found him again later in the series on a ten-yard out pass.
New running back Travis Bernard, who takes over
the ball-carrying duties in his senior season, struggled to find
rhythm in the scrimmage behind a young offensive line. Bernard’s
longest run of the series was for only five yards, and he was
dropped for a loss or held to no gain on four of his seven carries
before the defense took over.
“We need our offensive line to be strong
for us to be successful,” Oshinski said. “They’re
working hard because they know that if the line improves, we’re
good enough to make a run at CIF. The more they improve, the better
we can get in so many areas.”
Each team had one more series on offense, and
when the Mira Mesa offense came back out, the Jaguar defense picked
up right where it left off. Cunningham lowered the boom on the
Mira Mesa runner, inspiring Valley Center defensive coordinator
Randy Cowell to good-naturedly remark to the rest of the Jaguars
on the sideline, “There’s a guy who lifts weights,
for all you sissies who don’t want to get in the weight
room.”
A newcomer to the Jaguars also made a big play,
as junior defensive lineman Jean-Marc Brierre, a transfer from
South Carolina, recovered a Mira Mesa fumble midway through the
series. Chaloux and Last also came up with big tackles before
turning the ball back over to the Valley Center offense.
The Jaguars picked up a quick first down after
another completion to Oshinski, then had a dazzling, cutback,
38-yard touchdown run by Bernard called back on a holding penalty.
Reilly took some hits in the series and was sacked three times
in the game, but saved his best throw for last, as he let fly
with a perfectly-placed spiral into the hands of Oshinski for
a 38-yard score.
“We did some good things, and we did some
bad things, but we didn’t back down,” head coach Rob
Gilster said after the game. “They played a really physical
game, they came out and hit us right in the mouth, and we responded.
Our defense was active, and we got to the ball, but we’ve
got to get better in our coverage and remembering our assignments.”
With the lessons from the scrimmage sinking in,
the Jaguars get ready for the real deal, which comes in the form
of the visiting San Pasqual Eagles.
“They’re always a big test,”
Gilster said of the Jaguars’ next opponent. “We’ll
see if we’re ready.”
The Jaguars host San Pasqual on Friday night
at Valley Center High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
|
