Weekly Football Previews: Flintridge Prep, La Cañada ready to go
A return to the realm of eight-man football for this first time this century proved to be the right call and then some for the fortunes of Flintridge Prep football, which opens its season at 7 p.m. Friday at home against visiting Fulton Prep.
With first-year coach Russell White at the helm, the Rebels went 7-4 for their first winning season since 2012, earned their first playoff win since that same year and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Eight-Man Division I semifinals, the program’s furthest ascent since a 2002 CIF championship.
But the Rebels graduated four of five All-CIF and All-Area selections, with quarterback John Lytle as the lone returner.
Unlike most eight-man teams, the Rebels employ a pass-heavy offense as Lytle threw for more than 2,000 yards and 42 touchdowns in 11 games last season.
Another way in which Prep is different from most eight-man squads is its schedule.
While eight-man football often finds teams playing on Saturday afternoons, the Rebels will host the first of five home games, all of them on Friday nights at 7 p.m. So, if they’re as high-scoring as last season when they averaged 53 points per game, there will be some late nights under the portable lights at Flintridge Prep.
Returning receivers Nick Davis and Ramzi Beshir and offensive lineman Jonathan Au, all seniors, should also be key contributors.
Fulton Prep is coming off a 0-10 season that began with a 57-6 defeat against Flintridge Prep.
La Cañada at Hawthorne, 7 p.m. Friday: It’s another season and another coaching debut as Jason Sarceda takes over the reins of the Spartans, becoming the fifth coach this decade for the program and the fourth in five seasons.
Sarceda is the fifth head coach since Rich Wheeler left the program after the 2008 season with no coach having led the team for more than three seasons.
The Spartans have also undergone major personnel turnover for a 2016 squad that posted a 6-4 season that began with a 35-21 win over Hawthorne, which struggled to a 3-7 record last year.
Defensive backs Tobias and John Humphrey and Nick Cozzie should be key contributors to a team likely to be defensive-minded as it looks to develop and determine a starting quarterback and a go-to running back on offense.
The Spartans have won five consecutive season openers.
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
