Prep Football Preview: Broncos enter season as one of county’s best for a change

The back-to-back one-win seasons by the Rancho Bernardo High football team in 2013 and 2014 became a distant memory after the Broncos shocked everyone by reaching the San Diego Section Division II championship game last year.

Rancho Bernardo ultimately fell short of the title — El Capitan defeated the Broncos 14-7 for the crown — but it certainly grabbed the attention of the county and has brought a new energy to the start of this season.

“It is different,” fifth-year coach Tristan McCoy said. “The last two years it was about convincing the kids they can do it, building their confidence. It is a different strategy this year, almost the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s about breaking them down, keeping them humble and modest. Reminding them they have to earn it.”

The Broncos’ season last year and their roster full of weapons here in 2015 has earned them the No. 2 ranking in Division II by MaxPreps (Christian is No. 1). It’s a vast difference from where Rancho Bernardo has been ranked to start previous seasons, but McCoy doesn’t put any emphasis on it.

“I figure it is a waste of time to talk about predictions,” he said. “One thing we do talk about is that nobody gives a darn what you did last year and that it is all about earning it.”

The Broncos rode an explosive running game and stingy defense into the championship game last season. They have the athletes on both sides of the ball to succeed with a similar formula this year.

Returning to the backfield are senior Anthony Barnum and junior Milan Grice. The two combined for 950 yards and nine touchdowns on 145 carries last season. They should do even more damage this year, considering neither one started last year as the feature back.

Barnum didn’t have a game where he had more than 10 touches until November and Grice wasn’t even on the varsity roster until being called up from junior varsity at the end of October.

Junior quarterback Mark Salazar will take over for the graduated Tucker Reed. Salazar went 10-0 as the starting signal caller for the junior varsity team last year. McCoy is looking for the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Salazar to manage games similar to the way Reed did.

“We are certainly not going to put everything on his shoulders,” McCoy said. “We feel like we have enough weapons so all he has to do is get the ball there.”

Salazar’s top target will likely be Devaughn Vele. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound speedster is a deep threat and will likely force defenses to put an extra defender on him. That should help open things up for tight end Matt Nelson, receiver Leo Wagner and the running game.

“I am a defensive coordinator and I would not want to defend us,” McCoy said. “As a defense you try to take away a team’s strength. Some teams will say we are going to stop the run. Others the pass. I honestly don’t know how a team will come up with a strategy for us.”

One question mark for the Broncos is the offensive line. They return just one starter from last season (Devin LeCakes-Jones).

“That is probably our No. 1 concern,” McCoy said. “It’s the most important position on the field. It’s tough to figure out when you don’t get to play football during camp. Everybody looks good against air or a bag.”

Linebacker Ray Velasquez will anchor the defense for the defending Palomar League champions. Rancho Bernardo should be strong up front and at linebacker, but it is replacing three safeties.

“We are about as solid as you can be on the front and at linebacker,” McCoy said. “Safety is probably our biggest question mark.”

Rancho Bernardo’s schedule is tougher than in years past. In Weeks 3-5, the Broncos travel to Vista, host La Costa Canyon and then go to Carlsbad. That will be a telling three weeks for the program.

“We are going to see what these guys are all about in those three weeks,” McCoy said. “We think it is a great opportunity and a great test to see where we stand.”

And the ultimate goal, of course, is to be standing as Division II champions at the end of the season. But McCoy isn’t thinking that far ahead just yet.

“If you start thinking about championships now, you are setting yourself up for disappointment,” he said. “We are going to take it one practice and one game at a time.”