Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Eagles won't have much experience, but will be quick

Lerma takes his new team to face Deming on Aug. 29

Jason W. Brooks News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jbrooks@news-bulletin.com

Belen Artificial turf, a new coach and proposed higher ticket prices are just a few of the changes the Belen High School football program has undergone in the past year.

The 2008-09 Eagles figure to be contenders, but they'll have to contend using a lot of young players. While there will be experience at several key positions, there will also be a fair amount of first-year varsity players on the field as well.

John Lerma, a veteran coach from south Texas, was hired in March to head an Eagle team that has reached the postseason in four of the past six seasons. Former coach Kevin Benavidez resigned in January after eight seasons, and the next group of Eagles to take the field will have speed — but won't have experience at many spots.

The Eagles open the season at Deming on Friday, Aug. 29.

"Overall, we'll have a lot of quickness," said Lerma, who has several new assistant coaches as well. "That's definitely one of our assets, and we'll have speed as well."

The Eagles, who went 5-6 overall in 2007-08 and 2-2 in District 5-4A, will need to have both downfield speed and first-step quickness for their tough opponents.

They'll have at least a handful of veterans on hand. One is senior Clovis Rivera, who served as a blocking fullback and was impressive when he touched the ball last season in what was the Eagles' tailback-oriented attack.

"We need to get him the ball," said Lerma regarding Rivera. "He's got quite a bit of ability, and our offense will be geared toward him."

Lerma said he's run option offenses "all his life," and 2008 should be no different. He said Eagle fans will see more passing than they have in the past, though he knows most offenses have to establish the run first.

"We'll have some drop-back passing, but we'll have some sprint-outs as well," he said.

Lerma said a number of players could end up at the Eagles' quarterback spot this season, and much will depend on each candidate's ability to run the option. Dylan Barba is one possibility; the speedy sophomore is the younger brother of Justin Barba, who played tailback and a wingback spot and accounted for more than 2,000 yards of offense in his senior season of 2007-08.

Orlando Castillo, a junior and a three-sport athlete, played wide receiver exclusively on offense as a sophomore, when the Eagles made the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. He might line up at times at QB this season as well.

Another candidate for signal caller is senior Lawrence Armijo, who might have been thought of as an unlikely choice for that spot a short time ago. Armijo, a talented basketball player, didn't even play football in 2007.

The Eagles graduated their top running back, their quarterback and a wide receiver, and things aren't much different on defense. Defensive linemen Jacob Jaramillo and Trevon Williams are gone, and so is some leadership from the secondary.

Plus, the Eagles are learning new systems. In addition to Lerma's option scheme on offense, the defense is now under the guidance of defensive coordinator Jeremy Newton, who held the same title at Capital High School the past few seasons.

Fortunately, the Eagles have some talent returning on that side of the ball. Tyler East, a 6-foot, 5-inch, state champion wrestler, made all-district at defensive end in limited action in 2007-08.

"We'll put him where he can make the most impact," said Lerma regarding East. "He'll help us in the kicking game, too."

Matt Torres, described by Lerma as a vocal leader, returns at linebacker, as does Sean Willis.

The coach said Orlando Garcia is among the fast defensive backs that will need to grow up in a hurry, as that part of the defense will be green.

Up front, there will definitely be some new faces, but senior Diego McCloud is among the returning linemen.

The Eagles are now part of new District 6-4A, taking St. Pius and Grants with them from 5-4A. Volcano Vista, an Albuquerque high school in only its second year of existence, will field a varsity for 6-4A as well.

Lerma and Newton were finalists for the top BHS job.

Lerma was an assistant coach at Rio Rancho in 2007, and he brought over Barry McKinnon, a veteran coach and retired teacher, to be the Eagles' offensive coordinator. Linemen coach Brian McCartney resigned to take a coaching position at Mayfield High School.

Many familiar names remain on the BHS staff, however. Kevin Peña coaches the offensive backs, Steve Contreras the wide receivers, Jim Edwards the tight ends, Michael Baca the secondary and Lawrence Sanchez the linemen.

The freshman team is coached by Chris Peralta, Mark Peralta and Tony Aragon.

The Eagles' home opener will be Sept. 5 against Aztec. This will be the first full season Belen has played on its synthetic turf, installed last fall.

The Valencia Bowl, against Los Lunas, is set for Sept. 12. Belen travels to Valencia High for the first time ever on Oct. 3.

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