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Francis Parker's do-it-all senior Deon Randall scrambles for yardage in a 2008 game against Horizon
Randall leads defending Division V champs on both sides of the ball
Last season, Francis Parker convincingly won their second Division V section title in four years. For a team that will rely heavily on youth this season, it doesn’t appear that a post-title hangover will be a reality.
“It meant a lot to the seniors last year and it motivated a lot of the younger guys,” said Lancers senior Deon Randall. “Going into this season, we have a lot of big shoes to fill. I think a lot of the younger players are willing to step up this year and try to have a repeat season.”
After losing their season opener at Westview, Francis Parker closed out last season with 12 wins by an average of 42 points. Despite that dominance, the Lancers were not invited to the Small Schools Division state bowl game.
“There’s no disappointment in the sense that we’re sorry we didn’t go, said Francis Parker head coach John Morrison,
“because it wasn’t within our control to go. It would have been fun to go, but we were very pleased that we controlled everything that we could.”
If the Lancers are to repeat as section champs and get a shot at a state bowl game this season, they will have to do it with youth. Francis Parker will start only four seniors to begin the season.
“This team is hungry, but they are still trying to figure things out – schemes, how to play together, how to work with each other,” Morrison said. “My hope is if we stay healthy we’ll probably be a better team the second half of the season.”
The injury bug already hit Francis Parker in the offseason. Senior running back DeMaree Harris (623 yards, seven touchdowns in 2008) broke his ankle at a camp in New Mexico and will miss the first month of the season.
While Morrison said he expects a handful of young skill players that played sparingly in 2008 to burst onto the scene this season, he said the youth would show in the trenches.
“We need to get our line together – that’s where we’re missing a little bit of size,” Morrison said. “We’re going to start four new starters on the offensive line and that’s going to be a challenge for us. That’s where our focus has been during camp – trying to figure out how the pieces fit in there.”
Lucky for the Lancers, one of the returning starters is Randall, who can just about do it all on the football field. Randall threw for 1,617 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 1,531 yards and 32 scores last year in his second season calling the signals for Francis Parker’s high octane spread offense. Randall also recorded 67 tackles and 10 interceptions at defensive back and returned a punt for a touchdown.
“If there is anything he can’t do, we haven’t found it,” Morrison said. “We haven’t asked him to long snap but I’m sure he could do it; he has punted before. I suppose he could kick if we needed him to. He’s incredible.”
Randall's combination of pure talent and a strong work ethic to become one of the best all-around players in the section.
“When your best player is your hardest worker, it sets the tone for the team,” Morrison said. “And that’s what Deon is – he’s not only the most talented kid, but nobody outworks him.”
The Lancers three-way star has already received numerous scholarship offers, including looks from the Ivy League schools.
“As great a player as he is, he’s a better human being. He’s just a wonderful kid, a very good student, and he cares about his teammates. He’s just a wonderful young man and we all feel very blessed to be around him,” Morrison said.
Another standout is 6-feet-6-inch 285 lbs. lineman Wes Gavin. Gavin is moving from right tackle to left tackle in 2009.
“He should have an outstanding year,” Morrison said. “He has worked very hard.”
Francis Parker begins its section title defense by hosting Hoover on Sept. 4. The Lancers preseason schedule is loaded with larger local schools, including Mission Bay (Sept. 17), Imperial (Sept. 25) and San Diego (Nov. 6)
“It’s about playing the best teams around. At our level in Division V, the conference that we’re in is by far the best small school league in the state. At least four out of the five teams in our league last year were ranked in the state rankings,” Morrison said. “It is so hard week in and week out that if we don’t schedule a competitive non-conference season, we’re not ready to play league.”
Perhaps the biggest game of the Lancers’ season comes on Sept. 11. In week two of the season, Francis Parker travels to San Juan Capistrano to take on St. Margaret’s, the school that was invited to the state bowl game over them a year ago.
“I’m really excited to play St. Margaret’s,” Randall said. “I think a lot of people in San Diego feel like we got gypped last year so it’s going to be a big game. I feel like we have a strong team so it’s going to be a fun game.”
Whether Francis Parker wins their first back-to-back 11-man title in school history this season, Morrison said one thing is sure: opposing teams will have to put in work to beat the Lancers.
“That’s really what we pride ourselves on – no team will outwork us. We’re going to work as hard as anybody,” Morrison said. “If we’re not successful on a Friday night, we’re never going to look back and say, ‘If we only would have done that, if we only would have worked a little harder.’”
Francis Parker's do-it-all senior Deon Randall scrambles for yardage in a 2008 game against Horizon
Randall leads defending Division V champs on both sides of the ball
Last season, Francis Parker convincingly won their second Division V section title in four years. For a team that will rely heavily on youth this season, it doesn’t appear that a post-title hangover will be a reality.
“It meant a lot to the seniors last year and it motivated a lot of the younger guys,” said Lancers senior Deon Randall. “Going into this season, we have a lot of big shoes to fill. I think a lot of the younger players are willing to step up this year and try to have a repeat season.”
After losing their season opener at Westview, Francis Parker closed out last season with 12 wins by an average of 42 points. Despite that dominance, the Lancers were not invited to the Small Schools Division state bowl game.
“There’s no disappointment in the sense that we’re sorry we didn’t go, said Francis Parker head coach John Morrison,
“because it wasn’t within our control to go. It would have been fun to go, but we were very pleased that we controlled everything that we could.”
If the Lancers are to repeat as section champs and get a shot at a state bowl game this season, they will have to do it with youth. Francis Parker will start only four seniors to begin the season.
“This team is hungry, but they are still trying to figure things out – schemes, how to play together, how to work with each other,” Morrison said. “My hope is if we stay healthy we’ll probably be a better team the second half of the season.”
The injury bug already hit Francis Parker in the offseason. Senior running back DeMaree Harris (623 yards, seven touchdowns in 2008) broke his ankle at a camp in New Mexico and will miss the first month of the season.
While Morrison said he expects a handful of young skill players that played sparingly in 2008 to burst onto the scene this season, he said the youth would show in the trenches.
“We need to get our line together – that’s where we’re missing a little bit of size,” Morrison said. “We’re going to start four new starters on the offensive line and that’s going to be a challenge for us. That’s where our focus has been during camp – trying to figure out how the pieces fit in there.”
Lucky for the Lancers, one of the returning starters is Randall, who can just about do it all on the football field. Randall threw for 1,617 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 1,531 yards and 32 scores last year in his second season calling the signals for Francis Parker’s high octane spread offense. Randall also recorded 67 tackles and 10 interceptions at defensive back and returned a punt for a touchdown.
“If there is anything he can’t do, we haven’t found it,” Morrison said. “We haven’t asked him to long snap but I’m sure he could do it; he has punted before. I suppose he could kick if we needed him to. He’s incredible.”
Randall's combination of pure talent and a strong work ethic to become one of the best all-around players in the section.
“When your best player is your hardest worker, it sets the tone for the team,” Morrison said. “And that’s what Deon is – he’s not only the most talented kid, but nobody outworks him.”
The Lancers three-way star has already received numerous scholarship offers, including looks from the Ivy League schools.
“As great a player as he is, he’s a better human being. He’s just a wonderful kid, a very good student, and he cares about his teammates. He’s just a wonderful young man and we all feel very blessed to be around him,” Morrison said.
Another standout is 6-feet-6-inch 285 lbs. lineman Wes Gavin. Gavin is moving from right tackle to left tackle in 2009.
“He should have an outstanding year,” Morrison said. “He has worked very hard.”
Francis Parker begins its section title defense by hosting Hoover on Sept. 4. The Lancers preseason schedule is loaded with larger local schools, including Mission Bay (Sept. 17), Imperial (Sept. 25) and San Diego (Nov. 6)
“It’s about playing the best teams around. At our level in Division V, the conference that we’re in is by far the best small school league in the state. At least four out of the five teams in our league last year were ranked in the state rankings,” Morrison said. “It is so hard week in and week out that if we don’t schedule a competitive non-conference season, we’re not ready to play league.”
Perhaps the biggest game of the Lancers’ season comes on Sept. 11. In week two of the season, Francis Parker travels to San Juan Capistrano to take on St. Margaret’s, the school that was invited to the state bowl game over them a year ago.
“I’m really excited to play St. Margaret’s,” Randall said. “I think a lot of people in San Diego feel like we got gypped last year so it’s going to be a big game. I feel like we have a strong team so it’s going to be a fun game.”
Whether Francis Parker wins their first back-to-back 11-man title in school history this season, Morrison said one thing is sure: opposing teams will have to put in work to beat the Lancers.
“That’s really what we pride ourselves on – no team will outwork us. We’re going to work as hard as anybody,” Morrison said. “If we’re not successful on a Friday night, we’re never going to look back and say, ‘If we only would have done that, if we only would have worked a little harder.’”