Sports
HS Football: Chaparral Prepares To Cure Last Year's Disappointing Ending
The Chaparral High School Pumas introduce a new co-head coach program for the 2013 football season to guide a young but driven team.
Chaparral High School has two head football coaches this year, a young team and a goal to win the Southwestern League Championship.
“We are not happy about how our team performed at the end of the season last year and we feel we are emphasizing areas of necessary improvement in our scheme and practice schedule,” said co-Head Coach Ryan Tukua. “Spring, summer, and fall camps are extremely important for our team to understand the effort and intensity needed to compete at the varsity level.”
Tukua will handle the administrative duties of the coaching position. He is responsible for game scheduling, logistics, grades, and communicating with administrators and parents.
Coach Stan Hunt will be responsible for directing practices, coordinating the game plans, and assume more control over the football side of coaching. Hunt has been a respected defensive coordinator over the past two decades at Murrieta Valley and Corona Centennial. He has been at Chaparral since 2011.
The Pumas started the 2012 season 7-1 and were rated 15th in the state after week eight.
"We lost our last two games of the regular and our first round playoff game, which was a bitter ending,” Tukua said.
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The Pumas lost 37 seniors and a bulk of their starters to graduation last year.
“We will have the youngest team we have ever had at Chaparral, but we are very excited about who we have,” said Tukua. “Our JV team was 10-0 last year and they know they have a lot to prove.”
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Key to the Pumas' success this year will be senior linemen Dalton Knight and junior Kyle Hoppe who play on sides of the ball. Junior Darrien Molton returns as a defensive back and wide receiver.
Junior running back Davion Taylor was the Pumas' primary kick-off return specialist last season and will be one of the main backs for Chaparral. He is also a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Defensively, the Pumas are anchored by outside linebacker Zach Hunter and defensive back Franklin Shearer. Both are seniors and are expected to fill important roles this season.
All-Southwestern League senior kick-off specialist John Baron returns. Fellow senior Weston Salerno will share the field goal and PAT duties.
Tukua said this year’s goals are cut and dry.
“We want to give maximum effort in the weight room and practice field everyday. Be competitors in everything you do. Win the League Championship. Play in December.”
These are goals that everyone in the Southwestern League knows the Pumas can achieve.
Chaparral’s first game this season will be away against the Valley View Eagles in Moreno Valley.
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