KELSEYVILLE >> Nothing hurts a football program more than turnover at the top and the Kelseyville Knights are about to break in their third head coach in four seasons.
Now for the good news.
Erick Larsen, a mathematics, AP calculus, physics and chemistry teacher at Kelseyville High School since 1997, figures to be around for a while. A youth football coach with the Kelseyville Knights last season and a former assistant at the high school level under former coach Stan Weiper (1997-2001), Larsen isn’t exactly wet behind the proverbial Kelseyville football coaching ears.
“I’m in it for the long run,” Larsen said when asked about his long-term coaching plans at Kelseyville.
Busily preparing his team’s season opener Friday night at home against De Anza of El Sobrante, Larsen said he has spent the first few weeks in practice this season simply getting to know his players while also trying to earn their trust.
In fact, that’s his No. 1 priority as he enters his first season with the Knights.
“I want to build trust,” Larsen said. “I feel like we’re working in the right direction. Coaching gives me a chance to relate to them (players) somewhere outside the classroom, which is nice.”
Larsen is also no micro-manager when it comes to divvying up responsibility among his assistant coaches.
“I want them to coach,” Larsen said. “I trust them.”
While the Knights graduated the bulk of their starting linemen last season and have only one All-Leaguer, senior Noah Lyndall (linebacker) returning to the squad this season, Larsen believes the hand he’s been dealt as a first-year coach isn’t a bad one.
“I have a lot of juniors (on the roster) and some seniors who didn’t play last year,” Larsen said. “It’s a very green squad, but I also have a lot of talent. I’m very enthusiastic. We have good numbers (25 varsity players, 25 JVs) and I had a good number of players working in the weight room this summer.”
Making the transition from youth football to head of the high school program has been on his mind for some time, but when the opportunity arose after Mike McGuire (2013-14) stepped down after two seasons, Larsen jumped at the chance. He just didn’t count on all the other things that go along with being a head coach that have nothing to do with drawing up the the Xs and Os of football.
“Paperwork, all kinds of paperwork,” Larsen said. “Paperwork with coaches, with players. Fundraising, which never stops. And little things like making sure the scoreboard gets fixed. I’ll have a better handle on it next year.”
The Knights return a solid nucleus led by Lyndall at quarterback/linebacker, senior Manny Sanchez at running back/linebacker, junior Tyler Riewerts at tight end/defenisve end/tackle, senior Asa Peters at running back/cornerback, and senior running back/cornerback Devin Dugger.
Some of the more impressive news kids on the block are junior Logan Barrick, a quarterback/linebacker; junior wide receiver Gideon Turner; and the squad’s lone sophomore, linebacker Kyle Moore.
Kelseyville will run the Wing-T on offense and operate out of a base 4-4 formation on defense, according to Larsen, who doubles at the team’s defensive coordinator. Adam Garcia, a former Lower Lake High School standout who played for a big Wing-T proponent in longtime coach Gordon Sadler, will run the Knights’ offense.
“We’ve put a lot of time into installing the offense,” Larsen said.
While there is plenty to like about veteran quarterback Lyndall and his backfield of running backs Sanchez, Dugger and Peters along with returning tight end Riewerts, the big question for Larsen and his coaching staff is how well the line will perform with just two players returning from last season’s 5-6 team, seniors Steve Williams and Zack Villalobos.
“He’s the anchor at center,” Larsen said of Williams. “We’re also looking for big things from Zack.”
Other line candidates are senior Jovani Carrillo, junior Daryl Mondfrans, senior Adrian Thomas, and junior Aaron Teal.
“We’re looking for quick, athletic guards,” Larsen said.
“They (offensive linemen) have to play well, play together,” Larsen said. “And they’ve got to communicate.”
Just as on offense, the line is the biggest question mark on a Kelseyville defense that is otherwise set with Lyndall, Teal, Barrick and Moore at linebacker, Riewerts at end, and Peters and Dugger in the secondary.
“That’s where it’s going to get interesting,” Larsen said of finding the proper players to insert up front. “We need aggressive and disciplined players.”
On where his defense stood through the opening weeks of practice, Larsen said, “I like it.”
While Larsen’s first choice isn’t to have the same 11 starters on offense also start on defense, he said the Knights’ ability to develop depth will determine whether he can afford to let certain players go only one way.
“You like to keep people fresh if you can,” Larsen said. “But we need our best 11 players on the field all the time.”
Fixing a defense that was shredded in North Central League I play a year ago — allowing 49 points to Lower Lake, 48 to Middletown, 44 to St. Helena and 33 to Fort Bragg — is a must for the Knights if they want to make any noise during the 2015 race. While Kelseyville rolled out a 3-0 preseason last season, it came at the expense of a couple of bad teams — De Anza (3-7) and Upper Lake (0-10) and one OK team in South Fork (5-6). Once in league play the Knights won only twice, though one of those victories was a solid 21-14 win at Cloverdale. The other was an 11-8 victory over archrival Clear Lake.
This year’s preseason is a bit tougher with Healdsburg out of the Sonoma County League replacing Upper Lake on the schedule. Because they open against De Anza on what is known around the North Coast Section as zero week (Friday and Saturday), which is the earliest a team can play its first game (most teams open the weekend of Sept. 4-5), the Knights will have a bye on their schedule (Sept. 11). They play at Healdsburg on Sept. 4 and finish their preseason with a Sept. 18 game against South Fork at Miranda. The Knights’ league opener is Sept. 25 against Willits, which is also homecoming.
Larsen isn’t ready to make a league prediction for his Knights, not just yet.
“I’ve been told Fort Bragg is pretty good,” he said.
