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Following last season, Valley Center now knows how to win a championship. Jaguars head coach Rob Gilster hopes his team has a short memory.
“The biggest thing is that they were champions last year and they want to be champions again. Now just because you were last year doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen this next year,” Gilster said. “There’s got to be a mesh and a camaraderie and a togetherness to win a championship and that’s the thing that we’re working on now.”
Senior lineman Joshua Bergman said Valley Center’s goals are to win their second straight Division IV section championship and hopefully go to state. Gilster confirmed those goals and took it one step further.
“We want to do everything right in the process. We want to be good guys in the classroom, our kids want to get good grades, we want to be good citizens and just good people on the way to pursuing those championships,” Gilster said.
The road to back-to-back section championships has already been rough. In camp, the Jaguars sustained injuries to multiple offensive linemen.
“We had a lot of injuries on the offensive line. So what we thought was going to be our offensive line and what is our offensive line are two different things,” Gilster said. “I’m pretty happy with the way other guys have stepped in and it’s been good for us a little bit.”
Other than the early injuries, Valley Center’s camp has run smoothly.
“It’s been great,” Bergman said. “We’re working hard. It gets you in shape.“
Senior quarterback Tyler Bernard and senior tight end Jeremy Dozier will put up big numbers in the Jaguars’ high octane singleback offense that averaged 31 points per game last season. Defensively, senior defensive back James Johnson and senior defensive lineman Rasheed Deeb will lead Valley Center’s Tampa defense.
The Jaguars’ league gets a little bit tougher this year, as Division II state champion Oceanside rejoins the Valley League. Gilster said he is excited about the challenge the Pirates bring.
“Having them in your league adds instant credibility to it. We’re excited to play them and we’re excited to have them in our league,” Gilster said. “We’re excited to play the best.”
Don’t expect Valley Center to turn any heads in the first couple weeks of the season. Gilster said the Jaguars play their best football when it counts: in December.
“What we’ve always done at Valley Center High School is we play our best football in December. We don’t play it in October; we don’t play our best football in September,” Gilster said. “That’s kind of been our deal for the last four or five years.”
The Jaguars kick off their title defense at home against San Pasqual Friday at 7:30 p.m.
For more San Diego high school football, visit the High School Red Zone at www.sdreader.com/football.
Following last season, Valley Center now knows how to win a championship. Jaguars head coach Rob Gilster hopes his team has a short memory.
“The biggest thing is that they were champions last year and they want to be champions again. Now just because you were last year doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen this next year,” Gilster said. “There’s got to be a mesh and a camaraderie and a togetherness to win a championship and that’s the thing that we’re working on now.”
Senior lineman Joshua Bergman said Valley Center’s goals are to win their second straight Division IV section championship and hopefully go to state. Gilster confirmed those goals and took it one step further.
“We want to do everything right in the process. We want to be good guys in the classroom, our kids want to get good grades, we want to be good citizens and just good people on the way to pursuing those championships,” Gilster said.
The road to back-to-back section championships has already been rough. In camp, the Jaguars sustained injuries to multiple offensive linemen.
“We had a lot of injuries on the offensive line. So what we thought was going to be our offensive line and what is our offensive line are two different things,” Gilster said. “I’m pretty happy with the way other guys have stepped in and it’s been good for us a little bit.”
Other than the early injuries, Valley Center’s camp has run smoothly.
“It’s been great,” Bergman said. “We’re working hard. It gets you in shape.“
Senior quarterback Tyler Bernard and senior tight end Jeremy Dozier will put up big numbers in the Jaguars’ high octane singleback offense that averaged 31 points per game last season. Defensively, senior defensive back James Johnson and senior defensive lineman Rasheed Deeb will lead Valley Center’s Tampa defense.
The Jaguars’ league gets a little bit tougher this year, as Division II state champion Oceanside rejoins the Valley League. Gilster said he is excited about the challenge the Pirates bring.
“Having them in your league adds instant credibility to it. We’re excited to play them and we’re excited to have them in our league,” Gilster said. “We’re excited to play the best.”
Don’t expect Valley Center to turn any heads in the first couple weeks of the season. Gilster said the Jaguars play their best football when it counts: in December.
“What we’ve always done at Valley Center High School is we play our best football in December. We don’t play it in October; we don’t play our best football in September,” Gilster said. “That’s kind of been our deal for the last four or five years.”
The Jaguars kick off their title defense at home against San Pasqual Friday at 7:30 p.m.
For more San Diego high school football, visit the High School Red Zone at www.sdreader.com/football.