Trojans ready to make another deep playoff run

Oak Ridge lost their starting quarterback Joaquin Graves-Mercado and the best tight end in the Sac-Joaquin Section, Kaleb Edwards, last year to graduation, but for the most part everyone else returns on offense. That has head coach Casey Taylor and the team excited for the prospects for this season. The Trojans have done everything but win a Sierra Foothill League and Sac-Joaquin Section title the last three years, losing to Folsom six times; three times in the regular season and three times in the Division I section championship game. Only one game has been a one-possession game at the end and that was the title game in 2023. Last year the Trojans lost miserably to the Bulldogs. Is this the year they beat them? The Trojans had a battle for the starting quarterback position in practice leading up to their first game on Aug. 22. Nick Johnson, a junior transfer from Folsom, was competing against Luke Taber, a sophomore who was coming off an exceptional freshman season quarterbacking Oak Ridge's freshman team. Taber led the team to a 9-1 record while completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,717 yards and 20 touchdowns against only two interceptions. "The competition is going well and I'm excited about it," Taylor said. "Both have got big arms and are talented and are doing a good job. Nick is a tall guy, your prototypical 6-2 quarterback; while Luke played really well for us as a freshman. Luke's got a little moxie to him and we like that. He's a competitive guy. We like them both. When we see them in pads that will tell a lot. We've got some good skill guys around them and most of our offensive line is coming back, so we feel good about the offense." Those skill guys include senior running back Jasen Womack and junior wide receiver Isaac Pierce, who figure to be the team's leading rusher and receiver, respectively. Womack, as he's shown the last two seasons, is a weapon both in the running game as well as in the passing game. In his two years of varsity football, he's rushed for 1,215 yards and 20 touchdowns, while catching 66 passes for 654 yards and six touchdowns. A season ago, Pierce, with great speed, was the Trojans' deep threat, as he hauled in 32 passes for 709 yards and four scores. He averaged 22 yards per catch. Now the Trojans just need to add around those two players and they've like the group they've put together. Returning in the backfield are Austin Oliver and Tyler Andujar, who combined to rush for 475 yards on 117 carries last year. Taylor also liked the crop of fullbacks he's got this year, starting with Brayden Molloy. Among those expecting catch a lot of passes are Pierce, Womack, his brother Justen, Braxton Martinez, and Ben Rivas, a tight end. Up front on the line, the Trojans bring back four starters, which should make this a pretty strong unit. Back are Andrew Werly, Troy Fleming, Brody Cadden, Brett Roberts and Max Gredvig. "With several guys returning, I hope the strength of our team is up front," Taylor said. "With eight guys who played last year back, we feel good about our depth." Taylor feels comfortable with his offense this season. "Jasen is going to be a special player for us," Taylor said. "Isaac returns as our deep threat and we'll take shots with him deep, and we've got a really strong group of tight ends and fullbacks. We're going to be able to stretch the field and run some play action. I'm really excited." With nine of the top-14 tacklers returning to Oak Ridge's defense this season, the defense could very well be the strength of the team this year. The good news for the Trojans is that they've got good depth on the defensive line. While a few players might play offense, most are defensive-only players, which should be a benefit. "We really like how a lot of our defensive guys are pure defensive guys," Taylor said. "Up front on the defensive line, we've got Javon Joseph, Marston Anderson, Blake Meggers, Brett Roberts and Keith Erickson. Brett and Keith dabble a little bit on offense, but it's nice having a full set on both sides of the ball. We feel better with it, depth wise." Leading a strong group of linebackers are Asch Andrade, Troy Taber, Justen Womack, Ben Rivas, Jonah Cedeno and Roberts, who will also play on the line. Brayden Molloy is a newcomer to the defense who figures to make a big impact. "Molloy had a tremendous offseason," Taylor said. "He's our hardest worker. He shows up first in the weight room and he's a very smart player." In the secondary, Jasen Womack returns with Isaac Pierce, Evan Hensley, Adrian Gallwitz and Ethan Quan. "We look really good on defense," Jasen Womack said. "It's basically the same defense that we had last year; we only lost two guys. I think we'll have the best defense in the Sierra Foothill League." Joseph also likes the way the defense looks. "We're great on defense; we're stacked," Joseph said. "We didn't lose many players so we've got a solid defensive line; a solid secondary. We've got a lot of ballers on defense so I'm excited. Added Taylor, "We're always looking for some depth so some of our best guys don't have to go both ways, but I feel good with where we are at." The Trojans, of course, are looking to knock off the Bulldogs this year and win a section championship. "Our goal is to win sections," Pierce said. "We hope to go back for the fourth straight time and hopefully win it. We're going to have to go hard in practice every day and work hard." "It will take hard work, effort and just being a team and playing for each other," said Justen Womack.