Pivotal point for JSerra program
A season removed from a laundry list of firsts, JSerra (San Juan Capristrano, CA) coach Jim Hartigan is preparing for another new experience with his program.
Playing with external expectations for success.
The Lions defeated Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA), made an appearance in the Pac5 playoffs — winning a game, and ended the year nationally ranked at No. 30 in the HSFB100.
“The challenge is repeating that,” Hartigan said. “We had an undefeated freshman team, our JV was 7-3, and we probably have more talent in our system than ever before.
“We lost some key starters but top-to-bottom I think we are better off. It is a critical year for us though and I think everyone understands that. If we want to win seven or more games every year then we have to follow up on what we did in 2014.”
At 10-2 it was a high-water mark for victories this past season but will be without three-year, starting quarterback Nick Robinson — who signed with Georgia.
Battling for the job is his younger brother, Matt, as well as Riley O’Brien — who started at cornerback for the team last year.
“Figuring out that position is our first challenge,” Hartigan said. “There isn’t much experience on our roster and those two kids will have to compete.”
Robinson is a rising sophomore while O’Brien is a junior-to-be.
The two have split time in the summer passing circuit with both playing well at recent passing camps. In the Air Strike 7-on-7 the team downed Serra (Gardena, CA) to advance to the semifinals where it fell to eventual champion, Mater Dei.
The team will be also be replacing All-Trinity League receiver Isaiah Diego-Williams — who transferred to Serra (Gardena, CA) — as well as All-Orange County runningback Edward Vander who chose to re-enroll at his original high school, Paramount (CA).
Diego-Williams was the third-leading pass catcher for the Lions last year with 22 catches for 406 yards and five scores. He also played defensive back and had an interception in the win over Mater Dei. Vander totaled 1,565 yards on the ground.
The two will have spots plugged by two players transferring into JSerra.
San Clemente (CA) junior receiver Charlie Mestaz will take over the role as Diego-Williams. Mestaz is listed at a 5-foot-9, 170 and has a similar skillset to Diego-Williams.
The running back spot will be plugged with Avery Williams.
Williams will come to JSerra from St. Francis (La Canada, CA). Williams scored 15 touchdowns as a junior and was one of the better defensive players in the Angelus League with three interceptions and four sacks from his safety position.
“Williams is going to help us with spirit and leadership,” Hartigan said. “He is athletic and competitive.”
The strength of the unit will be on the offensive line.
It will be bookended by Washington-commit Luke Wattenberg at left tackle and rising sophomore Jake Parks at right tackle.
Wattenburg is 6-foot-5, 260-pounds while Parks measures in at 6-foot-2, 295-pounds.
The emergence of Parks also allows Nick Harris to move from right tackle to center. Harris is 6-foot-3, 280-pounds and recently added an offer to New Hampshire with his position change.
Hartigan thinks that the receiver position will find its balance with the players in the system and the new talent arriving. The group of players returning combined to catch just 28 of the 142 completed passes last season with soon-to-be-senior Conor O’Brien hauling in 15 of those 28.
Defensively the secondary should be improved as will the linebacking group.
The trenches may be cause for concern.
JSerra is going to be replacing almost the entire unit and in a physical League like the Trinity it will be a point of emphasis in the summer drills to address the position.
“Right now it is probably my second biggest concern next to quarterback,” Hartigan said. “We are probably only so-so right now and that has to improve, obviously.
“I think we are stronger on offense than we are on defense right now. We will have to find a way to make it work.”
There figures to be time to figure out the rotation as the early slate of games doesn’t feature a marquis match-up.
The team opens with Cabrillo (Long Beach, CA); Chino Hills (CA); Huntington Beach (CA), and Sst. Paul (Santa Fe Springs, CA) — four opponents that it downed last year by a combined score of 200-38 — and replaced St. Bonaventure (Ventura, CA) with a Hamilton (Los Angeles, CA) team that was 12-4 last year and won the LA City Section Division II bracket after four of the last five seasons resulted in only winning three games.
Starting in October is where the real read on JSerra will be had.
It opens League play with Servite (Anaheim, CA) and moves on to Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) and closes with Orange Lutheran (CA).
Winning just two games in that group could leave the team on the outside of the playoffs, mirroring the situation in 2013 when the school got to seven wins for the first time in its history.
“Our mindset is that we have to get to eight wins,” Hartigan said. “We got left out of the dance two years ago after finally getting to seven and so we figure we have to win three games.
“Where you get those three wins in this league is another story. Each week is Michigan versus Ohio State. Each week you have to take inventory of healthy bodies on Saturday mornings. It is exciting but sometimes you have to take a journeyman approach and get in and out of each week with only that week as your focus.”
With a resume of success that includes building the Santa Margarita program and pushing Clovis West to a higher level during his tenure the veteran coach now look for staying power at what may prove to be his last job.
With a stated goal of a championship at a school long considered an also-ran in the ultra competitive league, Hartigan knows this season could be make or break.
“A lot of kids gambled on us early on and we rode them to becoming a serious program,” he said. “We are going in the right direction now and are an attractive option for good players. The freshman class shows what could be coming up and we are excited for it.
“There are only a few things left for us to do here and they are all realistic and they are all on our radar.”
