Head coach Anthony Lugo and his staff greeted 145 players as fall training camp for the 2024 season opened in mid-August.
As the Kingsmen seek to rebound from back-to-back subpar seasons, Lugo was encouraged by the fact that 65 of that group spent the off-season in Thousand Oaks working to get bigger, stronger and faster.
The 2024 edition should be more experienced as well, as the roster features seven starters on offense and eight on defense, plus all the key players on special teams.
The returnees include seven of the eight Kingsmen named to the all-Southern California Intercollegiate Conference second team in 2023.
The offensive line is led by junior center Gavin Quiroz, an All-SCIAC selection, plus guards Jamil Charles, a senior, and Caleb Alalem, a junior; junior tackle Gabriel Anguiano, who missed all of the 2023 season, and a “two-headed monster” at tight end….. senior Anthony Valencia and sophomore Davian Gonzalez.
One key to offensive effectiveness will be replacing all-SCIAC quarterback JP Andrade, who led the conference’s second-best offense. Leading the way into fall camp is junior Jaden Casey, a star at Calabasas High School who is transferring in from 1AA Portland State, plus several freshmen.
Whoever the signal caller is, he’ll have some talent to throw to, led by senior Cade Cadam, who led the conference in yardage (712 yards) and was second in catches (58) with 5 touchdowns en route to all-conference honors. He’ll be joined by graduate student Desmond Thompson, all-conference as a kick returner. Thompson led the conference in punt return yardage (14.7 yards per return) and was among the top kickoff returns at 21.9 yards per.
Handling the majority of the rushing attempts is junior Dylan Turner, who earned all-SCIAC honors after amassing 257 yards and 3 TDs on 69 carries, a 3.7 per carry average.
Shoring up what Lugo believes will be a much-improved defense will be end Jackson White, a fifth-year starter and team captain who racked up 40 tackles, 23 of them solo, with 11 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. He’ll be teamed up front with junior Devon Goosby, who totaled 49 tackles, 23 solo, with 6 sacks among his 8 tackles for loss. They will be joined by junior Hunter Hall (3 sacks) and sophomore Max Juarez (2 sacks and 6 tackles for loss).
Anchoring the linebacker corps will be all-conference star Arthur Orta, a junior who led the team with 58 tackles. He’ll be paired with sophomore Jake Frey, and several newcomers; key among those battling for a starter’s role will be freshman linebacker Blake Hurley, an all-state honorable mention pick at Sunset High in Portland.
The secondary is headed up by senior John Moore, another all-SCIAC pick who led the defensive backs with 2 interceptions and a pair of pass breakups. Joining him is senior safety Diego Serrano, who contributed an interception and 2 breakups.
The kicking game is solid with the return of senior placekicker Daniel Burgos, the team’s leading scorer, and junior punter Kyle Howie. Burgos totaled 64 points on a conference-leading 11 field goals in 14 tries and 31 PATs in 32 attempts. For his career, he has been successful on 67 of 70 PATs and has 18 field goals in 26 tries.
Howie was among the conference leaders with a 35.6 yard average on 33 punts.
The kicking game is only as effective as its long snapper, and for the Kingsmen that job once again falls into the capable hands of Jackson White.
Reported by Gerry Price
Board Member and Sports Editor |
