THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — A defense, with depth and experience, is joined by a new-look offense as the Cal Lutheran football team is getting ready for its 2019 campaign which consists of five home and five away games.
The Kingsmen are bringing back the saying, "All In", as they prepare for the upcoming season. Head Coach Ben McEnroe started re-emphasizing this message so when the Kingsmen get into the building, they are dialed in and are ready to work hard.
"It has been a lot of fun getting to work with this group because we have a close-knit senior class and a dynamic group of newcomers," said McEnroe. "I am very proud of our senior leadership. I'll start with our defense, and they look solid as we have guys with accolades and others that are hungry."
The defense is anchored by All-American and three-time First Team All-SCIAC honoree, senior cornerback Obasi Dees. At linebacker, fellow classmate Ethan Pulley was All-SCIAC First Team last year and looks to be an even bigger playmaker in 2019. More key returners to the defense include Zion Brown, Caleb Casimere, Connor McDermott and Tecoy Porter.
"We are building around our returning core and are excited to see what these new guys can bring to the program," said McEnroe. "John Moore, a freshman corner, will be opposite Obasi. He's a special player, tall and athletic. Keshaun Charles and Jamon Ward transferred in and spent the whole offseason here. We have high expectations for Brandon Monroe and he can be the next great defensive back at CLU.
"Our linebacker core is led by Ethan, and he can be an all-region player if he has the same type of stats from a year ago. William Kelly is our emotional leader and we look for him to step in and make some plays. On the line, we have an interesting mix of returners and newcomers. New faces joining the program are Thomas Bambrick and Kerner Mark. Both guys are high-motor, high-energy, tough guys, and we have Josh Johnson coming off the end. I really like that group and are looking for some big things from the defense."
The Cal Lutheran offense, on the other hand, will have fresh faces everywhere. Almost all positions were graduated last year and the Kingsmen have a new cast ready to unveil their talents with the Violet and Gold.
The offense looks to have three new freshmen on the line, a new quarterback, new receivers and running backs.
"Offensively, we are young," said McEnroe. "Cesar De Leon will start at quarterback, he steadily ascended during training camp. We feel confident with him as our starter. Hector Gonzalez had a heck of a training camp, for a freshman, and far exceeded our expectation so both will see playing time.
"Jackson Taylor is going to start at tailback. Both him and Morris Jackson had great training camps. It is nice to have some depth at that position with Urael Blackshear in the mix too. Our receiving core is as talented as any group that we've had. We are looking for big things from Jajuan Thomas, James Holland, Marcellous Lewis and Cameron Jones.
"We've got length for our receivers too with Christian Sanchez, Brendan Hall, Emilio Guajardo and Josh Ketcher. We just need to get these guys on the field. Our offensive line will feature three freshmen as Chris Pruett, Ryan Kircher, and Jacob Cerda will all get the nod. Tavita Sagapolu had a great offseason and has taken control of the line, he's our leader up there."
This year's offense will look balanced as the coaching staff will explore options in the running and passing game. For special teams, Second Team All0SCIAC honoree Christian Antezana, who made a 50-plus yard field goal last year is back and the Kingsmen also added Tanner Carcamo at punter.
The captains, selected by their teammates, are Ketcher, Lewis and Stetson Stallworth on the offensive side with Dees, Kelly and Pulley for the defense
"If you combine those six guys, they have about 20 years of experience with Kingsmen football," said McEnroe. "I could not be happier with who our team chose."
This is the second straight year that CLU will play 10 games. The Kingsmen open the season this Saturday with Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma, Wash., at 1 p.m.
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
