Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Oceanside looks to defend state crown

Coming off the best season in program history, expectations have not changed for the Oceanside Pirates.

“Our expectations are the same all the time. We want to be the best football team we can be,” said Oceanside head coach John Carroll. “We’ll take whatever our given circumstances are – skill level, depth, injuries – and we want to achieve the highest possible level that our ability will allow us to."

In 2007, the Pirates’ ability allowed them to win the Division II state championship, bringing the title to San Diego for the first time. Oceanside also won their fourth straight Division II section championship and finished with a 12-1 record.

Carroll said the key to Oceanside’s success begins with practice.

“We try to learn to practice everyday to be the best that we can be. It’s got to start on the practice fields; you can’t turn it on and off on Friday nights,” Carroll said. “We got to be efficient and have high energy levels in practice and let that carry over into Friday nights.”

One adjustment Oceanside will have to make from last year’s team is replacing running back Armani Taylor. In 2007, Taylor had 2,104 total yards and scored 31 touchdowns. One player who should help shoulder the load offensively is quarterback Jordan Wynn, who returns after putting up big numbers in the Pirates’ spread offense last season.

Defensively, Oceanside runs a multiple eight-man front. Carroll said two standouts on defense are both inside linebackers, senior Justin Vaeena and junior Jake Fely.

Carroll said that even as the team closes out its camp, they still have some learning to do.

“Guys are here, guys are battling – I like that,” Carroll said. “But when your legs get tired you still have to force yourself to go hard and that’s something that has to be learned; it doesn’t come easy. And that’s something we have to keep working on.”

After spending years in the Avocado League with Division I schools such as Carlsbad and Rancho Buena Vista, Oceanside returns to the Valley League, a less rigorous Division II slate. That doesn’t matter to Carroll.

“We have no control over it, so it’s wherever we are,” Carroll said. “We had success in the Avocado League too. So if we’re as good as we can be and we maximize our potential, then we have a chance to be good no matter where we’re at.”

The Pirates kick off the 2008 season with a pair of road contests, playing at Eastlake on Sept. 5 and taking on crosstown rival El Camino on Sept. 12.

For more San Diego high school football, visit the High School Red Zone at www.sdreader.com/football.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night
Next Article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief

Coming off the best season in program history, expectations have not changed for the Oceanside Pirates.

“Our expectations are the same all the time. We want to be the best football team we can be,” said Oceanside head coach John Carroll. “We’ll take whatever our given circumstances are – skill level, depth, injuries – and we want to achieve the highest possible level that our ability will allow us to."

In 2007, the Pirates’ ability allowed them to win the Division II state championship, bringing the title to San Diego for the first time. Oceanside also won their fourth straight Division II section championship and finished with a 12-1 record.

Carroll said the key to Oceanside’s success begins with practice.

“We try to learn to practice everyday to be the best that we can be. It’s got to start on the practice fields; you can’t turn it on and off on Friday nights,” Carroll said. “We got to be efficient and have high energy levels in practice and let that carry over into Friday nights.”

One adjustment Oceanside will have to make from last year’s team is replacing running back Armani Taylor. In 2007, Taylor had 2,104 total yards and scored 31 touchdowns. One player who should help shoulder the load offensively is quarterback Jordan Wynn, who returns after putting up big numbers in the Pirates’ spread offense last season.

Defensively, Oceanside runs a multiple eight-man front. Carroll said two standouts on defense are both inside linebackers, senior Justin Vaeena and junior Jake Fely.

Carroll said that even as the team closes out its camp, they still have some learning to do.

“Guys are here, guys are battling – I like that,” Carroll said. “But when your legs get tired you still have to force yourself to go hard and that’s something that has to be learned; it doesn’t come easy. And that’s something we have to keep working on.”

After spending years in the Avocado League with Division I schools such as Carlsbad and Rancho Buena Vista, Oceanside returns to the Valley League, a less rigorous Division II slate. That doesn’t matter to Carroll.

“We have no control over it, so it’s wherever we are,” Carroll said. “We had success in the Avocado League too. So if we’re as good as we can be and we maximize our potential, then we have a chance to be good no matter where we’re at.”

The Pirates kick off the 2008 season with a pair of road contests, playing at Eastlake on Sept. 5 and taking on crosstown rival El Camino on Sept. 12.

For more San Diego high school football, visit the High School Red Zone at www.sdreader.com/football.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Season Preview: No. 2 Oceanside Pirates

Next Article

Division II: Oceanside vs. Helix

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader