THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Cal Lutheran football team just finished its first full week of training camp and a lot of different words like athleticism, compete, skills and repetition are being used.
The Kingsmen have enjoyed perfect weather as the offense and defense have went back and forth at each other, as they prepare for the 2018 campaign. We talked with Offensive Coordinator, Anthony Lugo, and Defensive Coordinator, Scott Beattie, to find out what they are seeing on the field.
"We love our student-athletes and their skills look special," said Lugo. "But I think the most explosive thing with this offense is the offensive line. The guys that are returning, and the few newcomers that came in, are going to be ready to go. They are getting after it right now and having a great camp."
The O-Line is a major part of the offense and the Kingsmen are building around the returning core.
"We want our athletes to be able to play fast and not think out there," said Lugo. "We like to say if you are thinking, then you are playing slow. We want everyone to play fast and react.
"Our receivers look great and we have nice additions. Our young bucks are really stepping up. At the tailback position, it is probably the deepest we have been in a while. We are running back by committee and all three guys, Kayden Clements, Chris Anderson and Jabar Byrd are pretty special."
The offense and defense have both had their moments during training camp, especially during the 7-on-7 drills. Every time one side has had a big moment, the other side has countered with some plays of their own.
As the defense learns their system, Coach Beattie just stressed repetition, and said it's the biggest thing at camp.
"As a defense, we are coming together," said Beattie. "There are just a lot of young guys, so we just need more reps. The safety spots and one corner spot are wide open. Obasi Dees is the man at one corner, so we are just searching for the other spots.
"We have a lot of good athletes out there, and they are new and trying to learn their stuff."
Effort is the biggest thing that the coaches are looking for. Just playing hard on every snap.
"We can be really good on defense," said Beattie. "We just need more reps and that will help with our consistency.
"Obasi's playing really well. Ethan Pulley at linebacker is doing the same. Our defensive line is going to be really strong and our front six is exceptionally good. Then we also have a lot of athletes on the back end."
As the Kingsmen continue to prepare for the season, check back for more updates from training camp.
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
