Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Tigers look to return to playoffs

Depth will be a question mark, according to coach

John Gale News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jgale@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas Under the direction of second-year head coach Denvis Manns, the Los Lunas High School football team will be looking for its first winning season in four years and a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

"Everything's looking good," Manns said. "Everyone's coming together as a team. Our defense is clicking. Our offense is getting there, so hopefully, we'll have a good season this year."

Manns did say that a potential problem for the team could be its relative lack of depth, but he remains optimistic.

"Depth will be a question mark, especially if we have a couple guys go down, especially on the offensive line," Manns said. "But if everybody keeps hitting the weights and is staying healthy, we'll be OK."

Manns led the team to a 4-6 record in his first season at the helm, which was a one-game improvement over 2006. The Tigers went 1-3 in District 5-5A.

The Tigers played a tough schedule in 2007 and were on the wrong end of lopsided decisions against Eldorado, Monzano, La Cueva and Las Cruces--all teams that made the playoffs.

Those four losses largely explain why Los Lunas was outscored by an average of nearly 10 points a game, averaging 18.4 and giving up 28.1.

However, the Tigers did beat rival Belen 32-20 to notch their 10th straight victory in the rivalry between the two county schools. Los Lunas has completed a decade of dominance over the Eagles, winning eight of those games by at least 15 points.

Manns took over the job on an interim basis two weeks before the start of the 2007 season after the departure of former head coach Bobby Campos, who decided to take a job in Las Cruces.

After a fresh round of interviews following the season, Manns was eventually offered the job with the interim tag removed. He said it was nice to have an entire offseason to prepare this time.

"I think it will make a difference because we have more time to prepare and get them in the weight room and work them hard," Manns said. "Get them to build the team atmosphere and work together."

The Tigers will be looking to replace five all-district first- and second-team performers that graduated, including wide receiver Marc Rodriguez, who was Los Lunas' only member of the first team. LLHS lost about 29 seniors to graduation.

Matt Ipock, who made the 5-5A second team, will be returning as a defensive back and a wide receiver. Ian Kern was the third straight LLHS punter to make all-district when he received the honor in 2007, his junior season.

Also returning is senior quarterback Ray Contreras, a lefthanded speedster who split time last season with Clayton Roggy, who has since graduated.

Contreras completed 43.8 percent of his passes, going 46-105 for 726 yards last year. He also averaged 7.45 yards per carry, amassing 298 rushing yards on 40 attempts.

The Tigers open the season Friday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m., when they host Valencia High School in the Jaguars' inaugural varsity football game. Los Lunas has six home games this season.

Manns said that while no tape of the VHS varsity squad exists, he thinks he knows what to expect, based on what Valencia's junior varsity team did last season.

"They're probably running a Wing-T like they did last year," Manns said. "It should be pretty interesting."

The Tigers will host Valley High School on Sept. 5 before traveling to Belen on Sept. 12.

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