Coming off of a 7-3 inaugural season, second-year head coach Bubba Mariani is excited about the progression of his program.
“Last year was really fun,” Mariani said. “We scored a lot of points, even won a playoff game, but we want more than that. This year is about being more well-rounded, doing the little things to make us a more complete team.”
Laying a foundation for success, the Eagles bring back a key building block in senior quarterback Gage Hopkinson, who was one of only eight 3A players selected to the 113-player All-Southern Nevada team last season.
“We’re super excited to have Gage back,” Mariani said. “He retained all the information from last season and has been such a help out on the field. This year he’ll be working with a new receiving core, so we’re trying to work out the kinks there, but every day you just see it getting better. We’re excited for this season.”
A true dual-threat quarterback, Hopkinson completed 168 of 286 passing (58.7%) for 2,356 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions.
On the ground, Hopkinson rushed e27 yards and seven touchdowns on 96 attempts.
Back to form a dynamic one-two punch, senior Easton Welbourne returns after a strong junior campaign in which he caught 57 passes for 751 yards and five touchdowns.
He’ll be joined by seniors Aiden Cherney and Justin Hobbs in the receiving core, along with converted tight end and running back Sam Bonar. who won offensive lineman on the year for the 3A classification as a junior last season.
The offensive line will be anchored by seniors Devin Barrow, Dylan Ruschak and Hank Stark.
“It’s a very simple do your job, line up and play defense,” Mariani said. “We’re going to play to our strengths and try to stop the run more this year.”
On defense, seniors Cooley Campbell (25 tackles) and Landon Goodhue will star on the defensive line, while juniors Caleb Porter (11 tackles) and Cam Matthews are expected to make key contributions at linebacker.
In the secondary, Welbourne (25 tackles, three interceptions) will be expected to anchor at corner, along with Cherney and Hobbs.
Looking to start the season off with a victory, the Eagles will travel to Valley on Friday.
Contact Robert Vendettoli at robvendettoli@yahoo.com.