If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That’s a fitting motto for Allan Hancock College coach Kris Dutra, now heading into his 10th year at the helm of the Bulldog football program.
“We have definitely evolved over the years on both sides of the ball on how we do things, but our base is always the same,” Dutra said. “Most people, when they talk about Hancock, they talk about being physical, running the ball, and playing hard-nosed defense. We’re not going to get away from that.”
No one can blame Dutra for not wanting to rock the boat. His team is coming off one of its best seasons in school history, posting a 9-2 record in 2009 and reaching the state playoffs for the second year in a row.
“We’ve had a better off-season than just about any other year that I can remember here,” he said. “It’s been a real collective effort with the coaching staff keeping the kids involved.”
The Bulldogs will have to work a bit harder to return to the upper tier of the standings this year. In February, a Southern California Football Association committee decided to reshuffle the league into three divisions for 2010. Employing a combination of power rankings and geography, the committee placed the top 12 teams from the old National Division in the same division, with a Northern and Southern conference. Hancock will remain in the Northern Conference, facing traditional foes such as Canyons and Bakersfield College, but welcoming in El Camino and Cerritos as conference rivals.
The Bulldogs’ out-of-conference schedule will include a game against Fullerton College, ranked No. 2 in the state in preseason polls.
“We’re probably playing in one of the tougher conferences in the country,” Dutra said. “That’s a heck of a reward, I guess. You play well, and all of a sudden you’ve got to play these teams that are a lot better. At times it’s a stretch for us. We’re a lot smaller than some of the schools we play against, but I think we proved last year we can handle it.”
Dutra ran his team through its first official practice on Aug. 12. Some of the shoulder pads may have been too tight, some helmets too loose, but once on the field, it was down to the business of getting to know each other.
“There’s so many new faces. It takes a long time to just figure out who’s who,” Dutra said, surveying the field. “Once they put helmets on, you start to even lose track of the guys you knew before. It’s just like starting a new business. You’ve got to figure out what pieces you’re working with.”
One of the offensive pieces Dutra will have at his disposal will be wide receiver Scott Cathcart, who caught 30 passes for 544 yards last season as a freshman.
“It takes a while for the offense to get into the plays and know everything, but I honestly think we’re going to come together well,” Cathcart said.
Cathcart and other returners are looking forward to avenging November’s 24-21 playoff loss to Bakersfield, which came down to a last-second field goal. Bakersfield also handed the Bulldogs their only regular season loss on Oct. 10. In that game, Hancock marched down to the two-yard line in the closing seconds, throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down for what could have been a game-tying touchdown.
“I think we can only get better than last year,” Cathcart said. “We lost to one team twice, so we’re looking to come back and put something a little special in for Bakersfield. I can’t really tell any secrets, but we’re going to make plays happen, that’s all I can say.”
Hancock led the state in rushing yards last season, and a key focus again will be on running back Ryan Anglin, who rushed for 879 yards and scored six touchdowns on the ground.
“We do have a tougher schedule, but my goals basically are to just not get hurt, have a better year than last year, and just see what happens,” Anglin said. “If everything goes perfect, we could definitely have an undefeated season. We have enough talent to do that. It’s going to be harder than last year for sure, but we’re looking good so far.”
Sophomore backup tailbacks Matt Macanas and Jovan Davis are also likely to factor heavily on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Hancock is slightly more experienced, led by lineman Elijah Talbert and linebacker Anthony Johnson, who had 42 tackles and three fumble recoveries in 2009.
“Last year was a lot faster; I was kind of lost,” Johnson said. “Now everything’s a lot slower, and I know it a lot more. I’m ready.”
Looking ahead, Johnson said his focus isn’t on any particular game, but on making the most of his ability.
“Every game’s circled on our calendar,” he said. “Every game, I want to go out there and be the best.”
Sophomore safety Larry Greene and cornerback C.J. Simmons, a freshman who redshirted last season, will anchor the Bulldog’s secondary.
“Our expectations are really high,” Simmons said. “We know the conference is going to be really tough. We know that weeks one through 10 are going to be hard. There are definitely teams we want to get back at—Bakersfield especially.”
Though the season has yet to begin, Simmons said the newcomers are quickly catching on.
“We’re a young squad, but we’ve been working hard at it,” he said. “Everybody knows it’s going to take each individual to conquer what we want to conquer. I think the freshmen will step up.”
They’ll have to step up if the Bulldogs are going to replace last season’s starting quarterback, Gunnar Jespersen, who left Hancock with a scholarship to Central Connecticut State University. Four freshmen are competing for the job, including former Righetti High quarterback T.J. Jordan, whom Dutra said has looked “promising.”
Hancock will also have its hands full replacing last year’s stellar offensive line, where three standouts moved on to four-year colleges: tackle Riley Gauld, lineman Tyler Vogt, and James George.
Looking to fill the gap left by their departures will be freshman offensive tackle Shaun Brown from Arroyo Grande High and center Jose Lopez from Paso Robles.
Other newcomers who could make an impact in 2010, according to Dutra, are redshirt freshman Jesse Aragon, a linebacker from Righetti; and freshman running back Dan Ando from Pioneer Valley. Dutra is also high on tight end Stephen Buhring, a 6-foot-3, 270-pounder from St. Joseph. While the freshmen crop is loaded with potential, Dutra said, it remains to be seen how soon they’ll be ready to contribute.
“There’s a big jump between high school and this level,” Dutra said. “We are a very young team; I think that’s what has to be looked at pretty close. That’s what all of us have to understand on the staff. It’s going to be a little bit of a process, but I really like this group.”
As in any previous year, Dutra said, the biggest challenge facing his team is not having enough players to compete with larger schools when injuries occur.
“Our Achilles heel has always been depth in this program,” Dutra said. “That’s the battle we fight every year, and we’re used to it. We don’t make any excuses. The kids are good about it. They understand we just need to suck it up and keep competing.”
Hancock will open its 2010 season on Sept. 4 on the road against Santa Barbara City College. They’ll host their home opener on Sept. 11 against Pasadena, resuming their chase after the elusive league title.
“We haven’t won of those for a long time,” Dutra said. “It’s frustrating, especially when you’ve had some of the years that we’ve had. You drop a game here and there. We’ve got a long way togo.
“It’s very simple this year,” he added. “It’s one game at a time.”
Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas takes his section one story at a time. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 19-26, 2010.