Vista offense will be solid once again

Vista del Lago has gained the reputation of having a strong offense year-after-year. Going back 10 seasons, the team has had several players who have put up impressive statistics, including quarterbacks Matt Jimison, Brent Schaeffer, Grant Patterson, Nik Goodwin, Aydan Edwards, Jakob Hollingshaus, running backs, Josh Pfeffer, Colby Carrera, Dominick Norris, Ethan Menezes and Tyler Petersen and receivers Brad Rittenhouse, Tyler Kaim, Blake Martin, Brenden Hall, and Matt Long, among others. A year ago, the Eagles scored 466 points for an average of 38 points per game. Hollingshaus threw for 2,689 yards and 31 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Petersen rushed for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Long caught 74 passes for 947 yards and 12 scores. Offensive production, statistics, touchdowns and points scored haven't been issues. Last year, the team combined to throw 14 interceptions and lost nine fumbles, so 23 turnovers in 12 games could be improved upon. Junior Johnny Koett takes over at quarterback this season. After watching Hollingshaus a season ago, Koett takes the reins for what he hopes is quite a show. Hollingshaus' main weapon was Long, who returns for his junior season and should improve upon his numbers. "I feel last year was a great developmental year for Johnny," Vista del Lago coach Kyle Landes said. "He had a great attitude about it and brought a lot of maturity. He sees the field well; he understands the speed of the game, and does a good job managing it all. Johnny makes good decisions and though he is a threat to run, he keeps his eyes down the field and that will keep him in the pocket." Koett, no doubt, is ready to go. "I'm very confident about this season," Koett said. "Last year was a good learning moment for me behind Jakob. He taught me to read defenses. He helped me with everything, watching film. He was a good example to me. "Since the spring our offense has looked good, and I'm very excited about the season. I think our offense will be killer. We should be able to go at least as far as last year if not further. It's all about effort and competition. We need to compete." Senior Crew Santero is the team's second-leading returning receiver, as he caught 16 passes for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. He figures to be the team's No. 2 receiver behind Long, who's coming off an outstanding sophomore year. "I look for Matt to improve now that he's a junior," Landes said. "Technically, he's a lot better than he was last year. His route running has improved immensely." Both Long and Santero have speed to burn. Other receivers expected to see the ball are seniors Dominick Pallari and Wes Bonar and junior Dominic Rostami. There will be a difference in Vista's running game this season. Tyler Petersen has graduated and before him Ethan Menezes was the workhorse back, and rarely were their carries for anyone else. This season, Landes said senior Thomas Keegan and junior Xavier Bryan will share the workload. A season ago, Keegan scored a touchdown every seven times he touched the ball. He rushed 45 times for 239 yards and six scores and caught four passes for 37 yards and one touchdown. "Thomas is shifty and deceptively fast, sees it well and has a great burst," Landes said. "Xavier is a physical, downhill runner with great speed, and he's tough to tackle." Now for the guys up front. If there's one thing Landes is interested in seeing is watching hulking juniors Brandon Nazworth and Andrew Powers play next to each other. Nazworth, or just Naz, is listed at 6-5, 255 and Powers is 6-2, 240, and will be lined up at center and guard, respectively. For years, the Eagles have gained thousands of yards running between the tackles and don't expect that to change this year with those two in the middle of the line. "Brandon is one of the most talented linemen I've ever coached," Landes said. "He's got great size and length; his physical and he's strong and he understands the game. He's been powerlifting all offseason. He could play anywhere on the line but we have him at center. He will play Division I football somewhere. "Andrew is every bit as good as Naz. He came up last year against Sac High and was phenomenal. He's smart, intuitive and he gets it." At one tackle spot will be senior Jakob Southerland (6-1, 200). The other two positions were unclear two weeks before the season started. The other tackle position was a battle between junior Jesse Bryant (6-5, 295) and senior Sam Hutchinson (6-0, 185), while junior Anthony Gogliano (5-7, 253) and senior Marco Romero (5-11, 180) were fighting for the other starting guard spot. Senior Elijah Acosta (6-1, 215), a starter a year ago, is injured and won't return before mid-September. "I think our line will be quicker this season and because of that I think our run game has come along faster at this point," Landes said. "We've had more time to settle in and things have just clicked faster. That's good because I felt in our first two games last year we were sluggish on offense." &emsp;&emsp;