Editor”s note: This is the second in a five-part series profiling Lake County”s varsity football teams.
UPPER LAKE — Finishing something they started last season is what the Upper Lake Cougars are all about in 2012.
“It”s unfinished business,” Upper Lake coach Alex Stabiner said. “Hopefully we can learn from the mistakes we made last year.”
Upper Lake ended a long string of football futility a year ago in Stabiner”s first season. Named head coach hours before the team”s first official practice, he quickly assembled a coaching staff that remains largely intact this season minus offensive coordinator Tom Cox. With a talented core of seniors and an influx of talented juniors in 2011, the Cougars finished second in the North Central League II standings behind Tomales and advanced to the North Coast Section Division V playoffs where they were upset 27-24 by California School of the Deaf in the opening round. They finished 7-3-1 overall.
And that”s where the unfinished business variable comes into the 2012 equation. The Cougars want that league title this season along with a deeper run into the postseason.
“We had some things go wrong there at the end that we don”t need to repeat this season,” Stabiner said of the benching of a half-dozen seniors during the team”s second league meeting last season with Tomales, a 24-20 setback that cost the team a shot at winning NCL II title. The players were being disciplined for breaking team rules.
“We need to make the right choices,” Stabiner said. “We need to get it done in the classroom, be of good character, take care of business at home and stay committed to the team.”
The margin by which the Cougars missed out on winning the NCL II title and advancing to the semifinal round of the playoffs last season was slight, according to Stabiner.
Upper Lake dropped a 26-22 non-league decision to Hoopa in week three of the 2011 season and that same Hoopa squad went on to win the section championship, beating Tomales 27-8 in the finals. The Cougars” two meetings with Tomales in league play resulted in an 8-8 tie (at Upper Lake) and a 24-20 loss (at Tomales).
“You look at the top teams in the section a year ago and we were all pretty close, there wasn”t much separating any of us,” Stabiner said.
That bodes well for the Cougars this season as they return nearly their entire offensive line, quarterback Travis Coleman, and two of the best running backs in the small school ranks, speedy halfback Ward Beecher and powerful fullback Joe Valdez (6-foot-1, 240 pounds).
Upper Lake did take its share of hits to graduation, including the loss of its entire linebacker corps — Bruce Tucker, Stoney Timmons, Robert Simondi and David Pyle (Tucker was a two-way All-League first-team player). Another big loss was running back Bradley Brackett, the league MVP on offense who led Lake County in rushing with 1,396 yards.
But considering what they have back and what they have coming up from the junior varsity ranks, the Cougars remain a formidable opponent, especially on the offensive side of the football.
“Coach Cox left and those are big shoes to fill,” said Stabiner, who is taking over the offensive coordinator position this season. “We”re still running the same scheme, but I think you”ll see the offense improve throughout the season. I felt we were limited at times last season although what we ran, we ran well. But defenses get better during the season and your offense has to evolve. We”ll be adding things as we go.”
Upper Lake”s running game piled up the yardage in 2011, led by Brackett, Beecher (1,073 yards, 17 TDs) and Valdez (746 yards, 11 TDs). The Cougars attempted only 31 passes all season.
“Our offense is designed to control the line of scrimmage, eat up clock and get the game into the fourth quarter,” Stabiner said.
Will the Cougars air if out a little more this year?
“When we do choose to pass the ball, it needs to be effective,” Stabiner said. “We”re not going to throw the ball just to throw the ball.”
Quarterback Coleman will help pick up some of the slack left by Brackett”s departure, according to Stabiner.
“We will ask more of Coleman (106 yards, 1 TD in 2011), he”s not just going to be a hand-it-off quarterback. He”ll carry the ball and be more active in the offense.”
Jeremy Martin, a senior running back and defensive back who hasn”t played a down of high school football, could be the wild card on this year”s team, according to Stabiner.
“He played for the (Northshore) Warriors (Pop Warner),” Stabiner said. “He”s shown a lot of promise and he”s very talented. I”m looking forward to seeing what he can bring the team. He”s a great addition.”
Veteran Javier Gonzalez, a senior, might also see time in the backfield as a blocking back.
The offensive backfield gets another boost from junior Nick Bills, the top running back on last year”s JV squad.
Upper Lake”s stable of running backs will be operating behind a line that includes returning starters Jon Karlsson (All-League first-team selection in 2011), Ian Seevers and Connor McVey, varsity veterans Bill Robinson and Alex Kranich, and a trio of linemen up from the JV ranks — Tim Duvall, Augie Duarte and Thomas Santana.
The team”s tight ends are veteran Luke Mai, who missed most of last season with an injury, Francisco Gallardo and Sang Park.
While the offense is pretty well set, the defense is where the Cougars have question marks, primarily at the vacated linebacker positions. Stepping into those spots are McVey, Mai, Beecher and Cory Musick, all seniors.
“Can they step in and do a good job? We”ve got to see if these juniors now becoming seniors can step up,” Stabiner said. “I think they can.”
The success of the Upper Lake defense this season will probably have a greater bearing on the team”s fortunes than the offense, according to Stabiner.
“Offense wins you games and defense wins you championships,” Stabiner said, citing an often-used football axiom.
The NCL II will not use a double-round-robin format this season because of the addition of Bay Football League teams Emery, California School of the Deaf, St. Elizabeth and Stellar Prep to the league. The Cougars will play one league game against each of seven league opponents, including NCL II holdovers Tomales, St. Vincent and Calistoga.
“I like it better,” Stabiner said of the new format. “The old format you played teams twice and maybe a third time if you met in the playoffs. It”s nice having different schools to play.”
Upper Lake”s preseason opens Aug. 31 at Kelseyville. The Cougars return home Sept. 7 to take on Middletown and hit the road again Sept. 14 to play Portola. Their NCL II opener is Sept. 21 at California School of the Deaf.
Stabiner expects the Cougars to be squarely in the league hunt.
“These guys are all about competition,” Stabiner said of his senior-driven squad. “They compete in football, wrestling, baseball … even who is going to be in front for the team picture. They”re easily motivated and they don”t like to lose. They”ve never lost much.”
