The UC High Football Team hopes to make a rebound from their previous season, despite the loss of many athletes, by continuing their offensive strength and progressing their defensive abilities. 

   The Centurions struggled last year on the defensive side of the ball, something they will look to address this season. UC High had only 28.1 tackles per game last year which was well below the national average, according to a high school sports website (maxpreps.com). 

   Captain Senior Ryan Than knows UC High needs to be better on both sides of the ball to reach their full potential this season. Than stated that working to tackle better on defense will be a focal point this  next season. “We will work on [tackling] technique a lot more,” Than said, “and we will have more drills to improve our tackling.” 

   Middle Linebacker Senior Eric Camuso spoke to the team’s improvement since the 2019 season. “During this offseason we’ve been training [individually] to become better overall athletes,” he said. “We are hungry and determined to do much better [this season].”

   Wide Receiver Junior Ikaika Bell is confident that the team environment will be different from previous years, and that it will be a key to turning the page this year. “The coaches plan to prepare the team to not only fill the positions [of graduated players] but to exceed them,” he said. He continued, “As a captain, there are expectations, but those expectations wouldn’t have been given to me if I couldn’t handle them.”

   The offense was an overall bright spot for the Centurions last year. However, with a new starting quarterback under center, the team will look to improve the running game to take some stress off Quarterback Junior Ethan Moore’s shoulders.

   Than said the changes on the offensive line might help the run game, and that protecting Moore is an important responsibility. “The quarterback is [the offense line’s] main priority,” he said. “The only way he can pass or extend plays is because of us [the offensive line].” Than also added that Moore would be a major part of the offense because of his versatility and his good play-making ability under pressure. 

  Moore stated that he thinks the offense will be improved because of the team member’s commitment to working out and improving in the offseason,  safely during the lockdown. “Coming into this year, our offense is looking very good, with talented players around the ball. I think we have a big offense this year. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

   Running Back Senior TJ Shaffer said that the running game needs both the offense line and the running backs to work together to be successful. “[The] offensive line needs to create space for the running backs, and the running backs need to read the blocks and get into open field,” he said. 

   Special Teams and Running Backs Coach David Brewer commented on his belief in “the line” on both sides of the ball. “We are very senior heavy on the line,” Brewer said. “We are going to look to bully teams in the trenches on both sides of the ball.”

    Brewer also added that he is excited for special teams this year. “We are looking to install a new punt system that no one has ever seen outside of college,” he said. He added that special teams are going to be a big factor for the team this year and to “look for some fun stuff” when it comes to special teams.