Yosemite High football season kicks off Friday

Brian Wilkinson

(Updated: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 12:00 AM)

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With plans to unveil a strong running game behind 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior Cody Essary and last year's second team all-league runner, and 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior Trevor McConnell, Yosemite High's Aaron Eames begins his 15th season as the Badger's head varsity football coach.

The Badgers open their 34th season under the big lights Friday, hosting the Stallions of Madera South High School.

The team plays at home six out of its first seven games of the season.

Eames, who got his 100th win as varsity coach last season on Oct. 23 with a 30-13 victory over Kerman, says this season's offense is going back to a strong running attack, a successful approach in 2002 when the team won the Division III Valley title. The offense will utilize two or three tight ends on most plays.

The team is looking to improve on last year's 3-7 record, the first losing season since 1997. This year's team will benefit from 25 players from last year's JV team that went undefeated in league and had an overall 7-3 record.

This year's Badgers are returning six starters from last years offense and seven starters from defense.

In addition to the hard running Essary, quarterback Brad Rolff, 5-foot-10and 170 pounds, returns to lead the team along with four offensive lineman: twin brothers Kyle and Kevin Kenyon, both 6-foot-2 and 215-pounds; Kyle Lincoln, 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds; and Grant Hendrickson, 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds.

The other returning starter is 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver Theos Nicolulis.

Rotating with Essary and McConnell in the backfield will be juniors Bobbie Woolsey, 5-foot-6, 165 pounds and Harley Glines, 5-foot-10, 180 pounds.

On defense, the seven returning starters are defense lineman Kyle Kenyon, defensive end Trevor McConnell, 5-foot-11, 176-pounds, linebacker Johnn Jones, 6-foot, 180 pounds, safety Essary, linebacker Glines and lineman Lincoln.

Eames says he's optimistic about this year's team for two main reasons -- the maturity level of the players is at a high level and the entire team has bought in to what the coaches expect of them.

"This year's team is more about 'we' than 'I,'" Eames said. "We'll score points this year. The outcome of games this year will be decided by defense and special teams."

Quarterback Rolff, who threw for more than 1,300 yards last year, says the Badgers will compete with every team in the league this season. "We'll have a good season if everyone, including me, plays hard and does their job."

Essary also expects great things from the team this year.

"No one is messing around this year. We have a lot of talent and players that want to succeed."

Assistant varsity coaches this season are Dick Joseph, Phil Branstetter, Kent Lincoln and Eric Peterson.

The varsity and JV team traveled to Golden West High in Merced last Friday for a three team scrimmage with Golden Valley and Bullard.

Madera South Stallions

The Stallions were 2-8 last year under third year head coach Scott Donegan, who is optimistic about this season even though he has just 10 seniors on his team.

"We expect to be the North Yosemite League champions this year and get a home playoff game," Donegan said.

Two juniors, Jason Ibrahim and Omar Perez, have been battling for the starting quarterback position. Last season Ibrahim was the JV starting quarterback and Perez was moved up to varsity from the JV team mid-way through the season and started a couple games.

"Both are good student athletes and have the respect of the team," Donegan said.

The Stallions operate out of a double wing and are expected to throw the ball only eight to 12 times a game.

"We plan to score," said Donegan. "If we can do it passing, we will. If not, we'll do it running the ball."

Stallion running backs include168-pound Marcus McCoy, who started last year as a sophomore, along with two other juniors, 5-foot-5, 160-pound, Donald Cabarello and 5-foot-8, 164-pound, Ran Feri. The lone senior back is 5-foot-10, 180-pound, Manolo Pineda-Ibarra.

"Pineda-Ibarra has not played football since his freshman year, but he is relentless and tough," Donegan said.

The team's number one receiver is 6-foot-4, 195-pound Travis Middleton.

The offensive line is made up of all juniors that are "smart and quick," according to Donegan.

Three of the lineman -- Aaron Van Horn 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds; Angel Conchas, 6-foot and 278 pounds and Daniel Diaz, 5-foot-10 and 212 pounds -- saw plenty of action last season as sophomores.

Donegan is familiar with Badger football having been the head coach at Chowchilla for five years before moving to Madera South. "I'm used to Yosemite being a good football team. They always have big players that move really well."

In addition to Yosemite, the Division III North Sequoia League is made up of Kerman, Sierra, Chowchilla, Washing Union and Liberty. Chowchilla, No. 18 in the Valley in the Fresno Bee's preseason rankings, is favored to win the NSL championship.

The Junior Varsity game starts at 5 p.m. and the varsity kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

DiTomaso eyeing record book

Place kicker John DiTomaso is looking for a spot in the Badger record book this year. Kicking for the varsity since he was a sophomore, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior has some impressive stats.

In his first two years on the varsity, DiTomaso connected on 77 out of 83 point after touchdown attempts for a 93% accuracy percentage and has made 12 of 16 field goal attempts for a total of 113 points.

He tied Casey Lucas (2002-2004) and Kyle Porter (2005-2006) last year for field goals made in a season with seven. DiTomaso needs five more this year to break Lucas's record of 16 field goals in a career.

Lucas, who owns The Cool Bean Cafe, holds four additional records including including season PATs (57, 2004); career PATs (154); season points (78, 2004); and career points (202).

DiTomaso's longest field goal to date is 38 yards. The school record is 45 by Sean Jamison in 1997.

JV Team

The incoming freshman class at Yosemite High School is helping head JV football coach Pat Lynch put together the puzzle for a strong team this year.

The team has won the North Sequoia League JV championship the past two seasons and are looking to three-peat this year. The Badgers record for the past two season is 17-3.

"We can't be any more excited about our freshman class and the work they have put in play a strong role for this team," Lynch said. "Maturity and discipline are two ingredients that they are learning to help compete on Friday nights under the lights. The freshman class will make a big impact on the field."

"The game is usually decided in the trenches with the offensive and defensive line," Lynch said, " and we have some freshman lineman poised to make an impact including Bobby Magee, Vincent Garcia, Stuart Mallery, Caleb Luther, Anthony Shimmer and Eric Gregorie.

Lynch says that incoming running backs who will help carry the load are Cody Elam and Cameron Monahan. Both players will also see considerable time on defense at the linebacker position.