MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: Defense does it
It began with a meeting in April 2000, before the start of spring football, in a science classroom at Sutter High. The Huskies coaching staff gathered to discuss an idea, a plan of action unprecedented for this area. It was risky. Apprehension in the ranks was palpable. Yet the group agreed, there was no going back.
On that day, on an otherwise nondescript afternoon, the face of Sutter football changed forever. In a room reserved for periodic tables and textbooks, an edict that's defined the last 12 seasons was forged: No varsity player will play both ways.
It didn't matter if you were fast and had good hands — you either played wideout or defensive back. It didn't matter if you were big and bruising — you played O-Line or D-Line. You were either offense or defense, no exceptions. All this at a school with an enrollment measured in three digits. "Crazy," is what coaches from other programs said.
Then came the results. All the advantages the coaches talked about in that meeting started to manifest quickly. No longer were players bouncing back and forth, worrying about blocking and blitzing; running slant routes and executing in the secondary. Attention was no longer divided. Practices became more streamlined, college-like. Gametime fatigue diminished, as 11 fresh players took the field after a possession change.
Those "crazy" Huskies won the Butte View League title in 2000; won it eight times total in the decade. Four Northern Section championships were hoisted in that span. Coincidence? Hardly. And if you've seen the Huskies play defense this season, you'll know what's possible when a dedicated, eager-to-hit, defense-only unit can accomplish.
In four games, they've surrendered 28 points. They've got a pair of shutouts to their credit, too, like the one they put together on Friday against Marysville. No doubt the offense shined in the 38-0 victory, but the ferocity on defense, the complete denial of the Indians' offense, was a show to marvel.
A week after Indians standout running back Cole Hannum had 300-plus yards against Wheatland, he finished with 24 against the Huskies. At halftime, Marysville had zero yards from scrimmage. The Indians never reached the red zone.
Over in Husky-land, they call that a result of "Sutter swarm." And from coach Ryan Reynolds, who was in attendance during that program-changing meeting, to defensive coordinator Matt Schamanski, they're still crediting that edict.
It's been especially important for Schamanski this year. Eight juniors start for the Huskies on defense, and the learning curve is far less sharp when only having to play one side of the ball. The JV-to-varsity transition isn't as jarring.
"We knew they were going to be good," Schamanski said. "But we didn't know they were going to be this good through four games."
Still, there's more than a decade-old decision to explain the shutdown power of the Huskies. There's the extra efforts of the players themselves, too. Every day after practice, the defense sticks around to run extra calisthenics. Sprints. Bear Crawls. Speed ladders. There's the lunchtime film sessions twice a week, and additional lifting as well.
Or take this scene from last Tuesday night at Schamanski's house. Seven Sutter linebackers crowded the living room for dinner. Eating lasagna and bread, they fired up a projector and broke down game film to prepare for Marysville.
It's a weekly tradition to do this, just another facet that helps make "Sutter swarm."
WHAT WE LEARNED:
WEEK THREE
'Larced' and loaded
Once again, the Wheatland Pirates served up a big plate of crow for the A-D sports staff.
After four out of five staff members picked Lincoln to come away with the victory at John Sohrakoff Jr. Field on Friday, the Pirates held the Fighting Zebras scoreless in the second half and improved to 3-0 with a 31-18 win.
While the Pirates keep proving us wrong every week, senior Tyler Larcom is quickly showing he is a more than adequate replacement for Derick Seward at fullback.
Through three games last season, Seward had 424 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Larcom has 522 yards and four scores.
For the second straight week, Larcom turned in a 200-yard rushing performance. He picked up 240 yards on 23 carries coupled with two TDs. Defensively, Larcom had 20 tackles (12 solo) and made two pivotal sacks in the fourth quarter to thwart a Lincoln drive. Barely coming off the field doesn't faze Larcom.
"Towards the fourth quarter I get a little tired, but I just keep digging," Larcom said.
Larcom has plenty of support around him.
Junior quarterback Justin Bragg threw for 190 yards and two scores against the Zebras. Wideout Haydon Liessman hauled in one of those touchdown passes and totaled 109 yards receiving.
The laundry list of playmakers on offense is staggering for coach Javier Lopez: Larcom, Liessman, Bragg, Mark Campos, David Quezada, Garrett White, Michael Robinson, all of them can stretch the field.
Wheatland is 3-0 for the first time since 2008. So much for a "down year."
SVL showdown
The two victors of a couple of the Mid-Valley's best rivalry games are set for a showdown on Friday night in Arbuckle.
Pierce (3-0), fresh off its 40-6 rout over Williams in the Rice Bowl, will host Harvest Bowl champion Live Oak (3-0) this Friday at Gregg LeMaster Field in the Sacramento Valley League opener.
Senior running back Isaiah Garcia was solid again for the Bears, rushing for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Andy Corona is a nice complement to Garcia in the backfield and scored twice for Pierce against Williams. Live Oak has to find a way to stop both backs, especially since the Bears made their first completion of the season on Friday. Taking away Pierce's running game takes away its firepower on offense.
Live Oak showed off its balanced attack against Gridley in the Harvest Bowl. Junior quarterback Romario Acosta was strong for the second straight week, throwing for 178 yards and two touchdowns. His passing attack combined with a running game led by Justyn Harned and Luis Velasquez gives the Pierce defense a formidable task on Friday night.
Tough sledding ahead
Yes it's only week four, but Yuba City's playoff hopes have already taken a huge hit.
By losing to Bella Vista on Friday night, the Honkers are 1-3 this season. Y.C. has one final nonconference tune-up on Sept. 30 against Summerville before Tri-County Conference play. Best case scenario, the Honkers head into TCC play 2-3.
Finishing above .500 in league will be a huge accomplishment for Yuba City. Woodland, Pioneer and Inderkum look to be the TCC's top teams.
Woodland is 3-0 and has scored 46, 32 and 60 points in its first three games. Pioneer is 4-0 and has scored 208 points combined. Then there's the four-time defending league champion Inderkum Tigers (2-1), whose only loss is to Bay Area powerhouse Salesian.
QUICK HITS
• So much for off-the field distractions. East Nicolaus crushed Biggs 42-7 on Friday night to improved its record to 2-1. The Spartans open Mid-Valley League play this week at Colusa.
• Maxwell's 55-6 loss at Hoopa Valley was the program's worst loss in a decade. Friday's 49-point loss is followed closely by a 48-0 loss to Fall River in 2008.
• River Valley scrapped together an 18-6 victory in Sacramento over Capital Christian (372 student enrollment) on Friday. The score was tied 6-6 at halftime before R.V. scored 12 unanswered points in the second half.
The Falcons' reward? Facing 4-0 Bear River in Grass Valley this Friday. The Bruins just beat the Sac Bee's No. 15 team Woodcreek 24-10 this past Friday.
HELMET STICKERS
Offense: Wheatland's Tyler Larcom, senior, fullback — Larcom could easily be both our offensive and defensive player of the week.
Not only did he run for 200 yards for the second straight week, he shut down Lincoln's offense at linebacker without having Thomas Aiono by his side for a half.
Defense: Live Oak's Alex Martinez, senior, defensive end — The anchor of the Lions' defensive line, Martinez was instrumental in Friday's Harvest Bowl win. He had 10 solo tackles and two sacks for Live Oak.
Special Teams: Gridley's Kevin Mattos, senior, kick returner — Mattos returned a kick 95 yards to the end zone in the fourth quarter of Friday's Harvest Bowl.
