Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a five-part series profiling Lake County’s high school varsity football teams as they prepare for the 2022 season.
LOWER LAKE — While all of Lake County’s high school football teams suffered through the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the 2020 season and greatly impacted the 2021 campaign, the Lower Lake Trojans were probably the hardest hit … and they are still a long way from a full recovery.
So says the one person who knows best, Lower Lake head coach Jay Jakubowski.
For a little refresher, the Trojans were loaded for bear in 2019 with junior quarterback Vann Wilkins and a talented receiving corps catapulting Lower Lake to a 5-2 league record and 7-4 overall mark, including an at-large berth in the North Coast Section playoffs. Wilkins passed for a Lake County single-season record of 2,807 yards and 36 touchdowns while spreading the wealth around to a talented group of receivers that included senior Semaj Clark (1,258 yards, 19 TDs) and sophomore Makhi Johnson (550 yards, 6 TDs).
The 2019 Trojans were an offensive juggernaut, scoring 436 points (39.6 points per game). With a solid group returning in 2020, led by Wilkins and Johnson, Lower Lake was poised for another big, big year.
And then COVID-19 struck in full force of March of that year. It ended up wiping out the 2020 season in the Coastal Mountain Conference, which includes all of Lake County’s teams. A handful of Trojans transferred to other schools in the Redwood Empire where football was taking place, albeit in the spring of 2021, such as Johnson, who went on to have a stellar career at Windsor High School.
Every bit of momentum gained by the 2019 team’s resurgence was gone … just like that.
“Our 2020 team would have been even better,” said Jakubowski, shaking his head, still pained by losing that team and season.
And then 2021 happened. The Trojans struggled from day one and never found their stride or anything close to it, going 0-7 after canceling three games because of COVID-19 restrictions and a constant lack of players. They scored only 24 points all season — 412 fewer than in 2019 — and 18 of those 24 came in a 19-18 league loss to Fort Bragg.
Just getting players to show up for practice became a chore unto itself, according to Jakubowski as disinterest reigned supreme. Injuries also took a heavy toll and the constant search to find enough healthy linemen forced Lower Lake’s coach to play inexperienced youngsters out of position, a recipe for disaster that delivered exactly that.
“For us, it’s not better right now,” Jakubowski said during the first week of practice and with the 2022 campaign rapidly approaching. “We only have 16 on the varsity that are eligible and we have only three (true) offensive linemen (as of the first week of practice).”
While things look considerably brighter for Lower Lake’s future with more than 30 players out for the junior varsity team and that number expected to grow before the Trojans’ first game Sept. 2 at Rio Vista, there is reason for cautious optimism. Still, that might not be enough to help the varsity this season, according to Jakubowski, who along with his coaching staff are doing everything possible to change “the culture” at Lower Lake as soon as possible.
“Our seniors are expecting it to be like last season,” Jakubowski said of part of the problem he is facing. “That has to change.”
The team’s younger players appear to be a bit more motivated and have a better disposition, which is exactly what’s needed, according to their coach.
“Overall this summer our numbers were terrible for the juniors and seniors,” he said. “Incoming freshman dominated during our practices. It was the toughest summer (offseason) I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Returning players
There’s not much returning from last year’s Lower Lake squad, which may be a good thing given how the Trojans fared.
Returning starters include senior wide receiver Micah Gurule, senior lineman Fernando Martinez, who missed last season after sustaining a broken hand in the Lake County Scrimmage, and senior lineman Zander Carver. Other veterans are safety/running Jordan O’Keefe, a senior, and senior wide receiver/defensive back Leslie Johnson, who didn’t play a lot last year but has improved during the offseason, according to Jakubowski.
“He’s worked hard over the summer,” Jakubowski said.
Another veteran is senior Adam Viramontes, a senior defensive lineman/linebacker and tight end who might shift to the offensive line depending on need, according to Jakubowski.
Newcomers
Michael Russell, the starting quarterback for the JV team last season, moves up to the varsity this year.
“He’s a tough kid, super tough,” Jakubowski said. “He throws a really nice ball and is resilient. He’s worked hard over the summer and has been carrying the load. He did well in the Santa Rosa summer passing league.”
Also moving up from the JV squad are a handful of players Jakubowski has high hopes for in the upcoming season, including slot receiver/cornerback Buddy Felder, who sustained a broken arm in his first game last season and was lost for the year.
“He’s a super athletic kid,” Jakubowski said.
Casey McCloud, a junior running back/linebacker and sophomore lineman Ramsey Estrada are also expected to secure starting jobs this year.
“He runs the ball pretty well downhill,” Jakubowski said of McCloud.
Estrada, the projected starting center for the Trojans, won’t be available until later in the season. While recently attending a camping trip he sustained a broken leg.
Another sophomore up at the varsity is center/defensive lineman Jeff Barbosa.
A senior with limited experience, Kai-wena Geary, is slated to see action at running back but has agreed to play on the offensive line should it be necessary, according to Jakubowski.
Big loss
Jordan John, a junior, would have been a huge addition on Lower Lake’s offensive line but he tore his ACL during the 2022 baseball season, according to Jakubowski.
“He’s not going to be playing football for the rest of his career,” Jakubowski said.
“We’ve been hit by the injury bug, kids moving, kids that don’t have the grades,” Jakubowski said. “It’s frustrating.”
Possible help
Lower Lake opened the 2022-23 school year during its first week of practice and Jakubowski said there were a handful of students on campus who could help the Trojans this season, were interested in playing football but hadn’t committed to the team yet.
“One asked me if it was too late to come out for football and I told him no it wasn’t,” Jakubowski said. “We just need to get them signed up, get physicals and do all the paperwork.”
Added Jakubowski, “There are four potential kids who were on campus the first day of school would could help us.”
Preseason
Lower Lake’s three-game preseason schedule, which features new teams from 2021, features Rio Vista (Sept. 2), Berean Christian of Walnut Creek (Saturday, Sept,. 10) and Healdsburg (Sept. 16). All three games take place on the road before the Trojans finally return home Sept. 23 to play Middletown in the North Central League I opener for both schools.
“Rio Vista is down a little bit this year,” Jakubowski said of the Trojans’ season-opening opponent.
Rio Vista (3-6), Berean Christian (4-6) and Healdsburg (3-6) all posted losing records a year ago.
“Berean Christian is supposed to be a little bit better and Healdsburg has a new coach,” Jakubowski said.
“It will be a good test for us,” Jakubowski said of a preseason schedule that gives the Trojans an opportunity to compete, something that didn’t exist last year against the likes of Vacaville Christian (34-0 loss) and Miramonte (62-0 loss).
League
In the upcoming league race, Willits should be one of the teams to beat, according to Jakubowski, along with Clear Lake.
“Willits is one of the best and Clear Lake is a frontrunner,” he said. “And you never count out (coach) Bill Foltmer at Middletown.”
Goals
Jakubowski said he will consider it a successful season if the Trojans “can get the kids who need to be out there (on the football field) out there, and if I can get the culture of football at Lower Lake back on track.
“When I took over for Justin (former Lower Lake head coach Justin Gaddy), he had the program in a good place and we need to get back to that,” Jakubowski said. “We need guys showing up (to school and practice) every day, we need guys willing to put in the time and the work. If I can get every guy we start out the year with to the end of the season, I will consider it a successful season.”
Jakubowski said he’s “optimistic” Lower Lake isn’t going to lose all of its games this season.
“We’ve just got to get the line fixed and change that (losing) mentality,” Jakubowski said, a process that might already be under way thanks to a large and talented group of freshmen (more than 20).
“I’m hoping the JV number is at 45 by the end of the first week (of school),” Jakubowski said. “All those freshmen give us hope for the future.”
