Moody: Filling in the blanks Despite losing a talented QB and three top receivers, the Trojans are looking for the same passing success
By Lee Goddard, Caller-Times
Paul Iverson/Caller-Times
Moody coach Steve Castillo and the Trojans are coming off a 4-6 record in 2001.
Just a quick glance at the lack of returning skill players makes
it seem like it's time for Moody to scrap its spread offense.
The quarterback who brilliantly ran the offense is gone. The trio
of receivers that hauled in pass after pass and gave opposing defenses fits are
all gone. The leading returning wide receiver - with six catches - is competing
for the quarterback job.
But when Moody coach Steve Castillo looks at the size of his line
and the depth of potential receivers he has on the team, he believes the spread
should be back at Moody for the foreseeable future.
A lack of size spread all throughout the team means the Trojans will
spread things out and try to run and throw by opponents again.
"We had success with it last year," Castillo said, "and when you
have success, you like to stick to it. It makes the game fun. But, at our school,
we don't have the quality of linemen to line up end to end and play smash football."
Even without Brandon Collier at quarterback, Moody can still sling
the ball. The biggest problem will be trying to figure out who will be making
the decisions.
Collier will be missed for his ability to act as a running threat
from the spread's shotgun. He was the area's Class 5A total yardage leader with
just under 220 yards per game. He rushed for over 60 yards per game, and accumulated
1,500 passing yards.
It's not just his athletic ability that needs to be replaced. The
offense requires the quarterback to read the defense properly and send the receivers
into their patterns accordingly.
The two players competing for Collier's old position are confident
in their ability to fill his shoes. On one side, there is stocky sophomore Luis
Flores, who played both linebacker and receiver for the Trojans last season and
had the aforementioned six receptions. He's competing against Nathaniel Dunn,
a lanky (6-4, 175) junior.
For both, practice hasn't been too hard so far.
"We just have to get with the receivers," Flores said. "We're still
running the same thing. Once they run the right patterns, you just hit 'em with
the football."
Dunn promises the duo may be able to air it out just as good, if
not better, than Collier.
"Brandon was good," Dunn said. "But me and Luis can really throw
the ball. We should be able to move the ball."
Offensive adjustments
They won't be running quite the same system as Collier. Castillo
promises to break his fledgling quarterbacks in slowly, and adjust the offense
as needed.
"We'll make it simple for them at the beginning and go from there,"
Castillo said. "We'll see how things progress and add on if need be."
If the quarterbacks hold up their end of the bargain, it will be
up to the receivers to just hold on to the ball. Moody lost a trio of talented
players in Bill Belyou, Leonard Harris and Gabriel Reyes. Harris and Reyes were
one-two in receptions for area 5A players, combining for 60 grabs.
Now Castillo is combing through a lot of potential wideouts, though
he does add that there are more receiver-types to select from as opposed to bulky
lineman types.
Castillo singled out many possibilities among the sophomore class,
including Marcus Castillo, who was savoring the chance to play in the spread while
he was on the freshman squad last year.
"It's real exciting for a receiver," Marcus Castillo said. "I was
looking forward to this last year. It's like a dream come true. This is the best
possible offense to play in if you're a receiver."
It's not a bad one if you're a running back, either. But Moody will
have an untested pair of players here, as well. Look for Armando Rodriguez and
Pete Soliz to get the majority of the carries.
But Castillo's big question is still the line. Undersized and, with
three linemen from last year moving to the defensive side, the line will also
be inexperienced with the exception of center Edward Gonzalez.
Defensive help
The team needs some help on the
defensive side, after being riddled last season. The Trojans gave
up more than 26 points and 377 yards per game. Ray Guzman, Roger Rodriguez and
Byron Warner will all try to help on the defensive side after being moved from
the offensive line.
There is help at linebacker as Ray Garcia is back after a strong
season. He's joined by Joey Elizondo to make linebacker the defensive position
of the least concern for Castillo.
The secondary also has a standout in Pablo Uballe, who picked off
nine passes last season as a free safety. Dunn could contribute in the deep defense
if needed, but there is more inexperience here.
Still, any success in Moody's season will be predicated on how well
the offense flows without players such as Collier, Belyou and Reyes in control.
With a lack of size, Castillo is just trying to move his players
into a position to win.
"You've got to do the best with what you have," he said.
