“My brother Steve is one of the smartest people you could ever meet and he told me right after that he thought we got a good draw,” Singiser said. “I started looking at them (Verbum Dei) on paper and agreed with him. Then, I saw them on video and wanted to smash my laptop over his (Steve’s) head.”
By Aram Tolegian
The excitement over being a No. 1 seed quickly turned to concern for Arroyo High School football coach Jim Singiser once he saw who his team drew in the first round.
Verbum Dei, a speedy team with a 5-5 record, isn’t exactly an easy proposition for the Knights when the Division 12 playoffs begin on Friday night.
“My brother Steve is one of the smartest people you could ever meet and he told me right after that he thought we got a good draw,” Singiser said. “I started looking at them (Verbum Dei) on paper and agreed with him. Then, I saw them on video and wanted to smash my laptop over his (Steve’s) head.”
Arroyo enters the postseason at 9-1. The Knights’ only loss was a road game against upper-division Hart. And still, Singiser believes that Verbum Dei will be the fastest team his players have seen this season.
Like many coaching staffs this week, Singiser and his crew of assistants are getting familiar on the fly with an opponent they knew nothing about until getting the assignment from CIF. That’s one of the consequences of the new playoff grouping format, which places teams in divisions based on competitive and not league placement.
“We didn’t know we would be the No. 1 seed and yeah, we got Verbum Dei,” Singiser said. “We didn’t know anything about Verbum Dei until we got back and started watching some film. I don’t thinl we’re the No. 1 team in the division. I think they went right off the coaches’ poll.
“You look at Verbum Dei, they’re not a bad football team. They will have more team speed than we have seen all year at every skill position. We better get some speed training this week. We will not be able to make one-on-one tackles, but that’s nothing new. Our league isn’t built that way.”
Despite Verbum Dei making Singiser uncomfortable, the Knights are still big favorites to advance to the second round. Arroyo figures to do plenty of damage against the Verbum Dei with sophomore quarterback Ernesto Camacho one of the hottest passers around.
Camacho has thrown for 1,627 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games. He also has 206 yards rushing and four scores on the ground.
Arroyo was one of three Mission Valley League teams to reach the postseason. Second-place South El Monte, which went 9-1 with the only loss to Arroyo, has a big chance in Division 13 where the Eagles will host feisty Rio Hondo Prep on Friday.
El Monte (6-4) underwent a coaching change last offseason, but the Lions are right back in the big dance under new head man Eric MacIntyre. El Monte will be on the road against Boron in a game that looks like a toss up on paper.
