Success won’t take a rest for the Fresno City College football team, which is pursuing a third straight conference championship this season.
With the talent that the Rams have returning this season, many would say that anything short of winning a third conference championship would be underachieving for this group of athletes.
Sophomore Quarterback Lance Orender (Buchanan) said that the goal for this season is, State Championship. “We expect big things from ourselves and we know that we can bring the Junior College State championship back to Fresno,” he said.
On offense the Rams bring back the top yardage and scoring leader, Orender. Last season, Orender passed for 2365 yards and 23 TD’s.
Head Coach Anthony Caviglia described his offense as “A very fast and deep running back group that can certainly run.”
Now that playmakers like A.J Castillo (Kingsburg), and Leroy Travis are no longer in the picture, the Rams will be leaning on the experience of sophomore, Trent Hicks, who was one of the leaders of the receiving core last season.
The offensive line, said Caviglia, is physical but lacks depth. But overall he is hopeful. “We expect to be a good offensive team,” he said.
Defensively, the Rams look forward to bringing back many of the same players that made an impact last season. Some of the players that the Rams will be counting on to make the difference include defensive backs Fred Gaines (Chowchilla) and Dasheon Frierson (Edison). Last season Gaines and Frierson counted for six of the team’s total interceptions. Caviglia said the two DB’s are two of the best in the area and the state.
Also, on the defensive line are 10 players who are vying for play time. This year’s defensive line is smaller than last year’s. At the linebacker position the coaching staff describes the depth as strong.
On special teams, the Rams welcome back all three of the yardage leaders from last season. Larry Overstreet, 356 yds; Joe Ellis, 162 yds, and, Leighton Settle, 148 yds.
The Rams season kicks off on Sept. 10 against San Mateo College at Ratcliffe Stadium.
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