Justin Posthuma leads PCC’s new area cast into battle

PASADENA — Justin Posthuma might have been the most disgruntled person ever to ride a scooter.

For six months, the Pasadena City College quarterback relied heavily on it to transport himself around campus. And whenever someone spotted him, Posthuma usually heard some version of the same question.

“They would ask me, ‘How fun is that thing?’ And I said, ‘I’d much rather be walking,’“ he recalled. “I wasn’t a big fan of people asking me about the scooter. I was kind of irritated by it.”

After a record-setting performance in his Lancer debut, Posthuma suffered a season-ending injury in the following game. He underwent Lisfranc surgery in September to repair a sprain on his right foot and spent the ensuing months rehabilitating. During that time, he heard from naysayers — some who said he’d never play again. Posthuma simply shrugged it off.

Now, after having fully recovered, Posthuma, an All-CIF standout at St. Francis High, looks to guide the Lancers into the upcoming season, starting with the Sept. 1 opener at Citrus.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that [the injury] made me want to work harder, but it made me feel like I had to get back and prove everybody wrong,” he said. “People said I’d never come back from the injury, but I never believed it.”

By all accounts, Posthuma worked feverishly during the rehabilitation process to get a better grasp of the playbook under second-year coach Fred Fimbres, while also improving his upper-body strength. He returns this season, however, with a large cast of newcomers.

Fimbres estimates the Lancers have 120 players in practice. While he understands he can’t suit up the entire fleet, he said he’d try to field a sizable chunk — a problem he didn’t have last year with a considerably smaller roster. This season, he’ll carry less than 20 returners.

PCC has four or five freshmen vying to be Posthuma’s primary receivers, including Riian Simpson (an All-Area first-team selection from Pasadena High), Chetachi Jackson (All-City Section pick from West Adams Prep), Jeremiah Andrade and Kelson Laboy. There’s also freshman Micah Shirley, a 2010 All-CIF Northeast selection from Bellarmine-Jefferson.

Unlike past years, the Lancers have a stable of promising running backs, featuring freshmen Zander Anding (an All-CIF Southeast Division selection from Burroughs High), Marciss Grigsby and Cameron Washington.

“We’re really excited with these three individuals because of what they each bring to the table,” offensive coordinator Shandon Silva said. “All three of them are really hard to bring down. All three of them are physical runners. All three of them have great vision. And all three of them have great power.

“So what we’re looking to do with this group is to go ahead and excel more at the run game than we’ve done in the past.”

Having depth at that position provides Fimbres with plenty of options and flexibility.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a three-headed monster at that position,” he said. “What’s exciting is that we have tailbacks that we busted our butts to recruit, and we were lucky enough to get all three of them.”

At linebacker, the Lancers return all-conference second-teamer Mike Sepulveda, who had 57 tackles, and Bryan Luna (Crescenta Valley), who notched 51. They also welcome in freshman Javon McElroy-Bradford, an All-Marine League first-team choice.

Dean Bisterfeldt, a returning starter who tallied 24 tackles and two sacks, and freshmen Gary London and Dalyou Pierson will anchor the defensive line. Gus Ferrat, a former All-CIF Southeast selection from Burroughs, provides depth at the position. And Jase To’omalatai (a 2010 returner), along with a freshman duo from Burroughs in Raul Martinez-Mier and Lester Quintana, will key the offensive line.

“We’re going to be young, but I think we’re talented and we’re working hard,” Fimbres said. “It’s hard to come out here Saturday, in the middle of the day, and line up in the heat and be excited about it.

“But they seem to be having fun. And we have enough of them to be rotating in fresh legs, so we’re excited about our depth.”

With a large number of incoming players, Fimbres realizes they’ll have to be “a little more simple” in certain areas heading into the season, but he’s OK with it.

“If we could do things well, it doesn’t matter how much we’re doing — but that the things we’re doing, we do well,” he said.

At the very least, the Lancers will have familiar faces at the quarterback spot. Posthuma, who redshirted his freshman season at UCLA, will retain freshman status after a medical redshirt last year.

And his backup, sophomore Zeke Julien, returns after getting quality reps as a third-stringer amid injuries.

Julien’s biggest contribution last year came when he rallied the Lancers to a stunning come-from-behind victory over Fullerton College, then ranked No. 14 team in the nation and third in state, after backup Cesar Hernandez came down with a knee injury.

In his debut, Posthuma connected on 18 of 22 passes for 323 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Glendale. He also broke a 55-year-old school record for the longest pass completion, a 96-yard TD strike.

But even though he couldn’t fully walk after surgery until March, Posthuma remained a constant presence in the training facility, lifting weights and improving his arm strength.

“I don’t know how, but I stayed surprisingly upbeat,” he said. “I think it helped me to get another year to learn the system better, try to make it a positive and stay optimistic.”

The Lancers finished with a 3-7 record, including 1-4 in the National Southern Conference, but Posthuma has his sights set on a better outcome this season.

“I’m telling people, any time I’m on the field, I like our chances,” he said. “We got a solid core, a lot of running backs, depth — I’m confident. We have a new scheme, which makes me a little bit more confident because it allows us to control the clock and control the game a little more, which is what I love to do.

“We got a lot of young receivers that have a lot of potential. And as soon as they clear the learning stage, they’re going to be flying around and making plays. So I’m just ready to go. Ready to tell the crowd to get their popcorn ready — it’s going to be fun.”