As tough as things were for Ontario during a one-win season last year, they just got tougher. Before the season has even begun, seven seniors who “didn’t want to get along and didn’t want to do what we wanted them to,” according to head coach Steve Randall, are no longer members of the team.
“I know everything’s optimistic this time of year but I’ll be honest, those guys would have made us a lot better this year,” Randall said. “We won’t be as bad as we were last year but our league is also tougher.”
A year after finishing second in the Mt. Baldy League, Ontario’s one win last season came Week 1 against a La Verne Lutheran team that had just made the jump from 8-man football and folded before the season ended. The good news for Ontario is that eight starters return on offense, including Hector Ochoa, who was supposed to be the starting quarterback last season before knee surgery prior to the season.
Cristian Salcedo, who filled in at QB last year, now provides the Jaguars a threat at receiver and Joseph Davis is a returning starter at running back. The strength of the offense is, well, strength. Ontario’s offensive front will likely be its most reliable unit, an important one in the Jaguars’ option offense.
“We have guys that were with us last year so the overall experience is there and we’re not going to have to reinvent the wheel on offense,” Randall said. “I’m most concerned about a lack of speed defensively because we have some teams in our league who can get out and run.”
Ontario’s linebacking corps was decimated by the departure of the seven seniors, only enhancing the concerns about team speed. In identifying the Jaguars’ weakness last year, look no further than the 42.3 points they allowed per game. A switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 may be in the works in hopes of shoring up the defense.
