Can you feel the electricity in the air? The sound of pads cracking in the distance? Then it must be the start of the high school football season. Friday night lights return to Malibu High when the Sharks take on St. Monica on September 6 at 6:30 p.m. to kick off the regular season.
The youthful Sharks will seek to build on strong 2012, in which they went 7-4 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and only the fourth time in school history.
“It’s always exciting to get the new season going,” said Ray Humphrey, who begins his ninth season as Malibu’s head coach. “I don’t like to ever say that we are rebuilding. We are a young team experience wise who has some young kids…Once we step on the field we will find out who we are.”
Establishing an identity will be an early season focus for Humphrey and his staff. Gone from last season is the explosive one-two punch of wide receiver Brennan Cassone and quarterback Chase Gardella. Cassone, the Frontier League MVP, made his way into the MHS record books with 100 catches for 1,707 yards and 16 touchdowns. Cassone is now a walk-on at the University of Southern California.
Gardella transferred back to Oaks Christian after throwing for 2,394 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2012.
This season, Humphrey will look to senior wide receiver Dylan Miller to be the primary playmaker for the Sharks along with junior running back Matt Vincent and senior wideout Nick Anthony. Junior signal-caller Dylan LuBell inherits the keys to the offense after quarterbacking the junior varsity last season.
Miller has experience in the playmaking role from his first two varsity seasons. The senior standout started at quarterback his sophomore year and moved to wide receiver as a junior before tearing the ACL in his left knee late in the season. Miller will also start at free safety on defense.
“He’s had a really good off-season rehabbing the knee and getting stronger,” Humphrey said. “He has really good hands and runs excellent routes. Not the fastest guy but knows how to get open and he has those sticky hands.”
Miller caught 15 passes for 175 yards and four touchdowns, missing four games due to the knee injury. He is back at full-strength and ready to take on a new role while pursuing the school’s first-ever Frontier League title, after coming in second last season.
“I have to be a better leader this year. Every senior has to be a leader on this team,” Miller said. “Winning league is always our goal. Our school has never done that so it would be awesome to be the first. We definitely have a shot.”
Vincent returns after leading the Sharks with 460 yards rushing on the ground. The powerful 5-foot-10, 205- pound running back has a knack for grinding out tough yards while dragging multiple tacklers along with him.
“Hold on to that ball, get every yard you can get and score touchdowns,” Vincent said of his personal goals.
Anthony netted 85 yards on eight catches and will play a significant role in the offensive game plan as well.
Junior Bronson Bard and 6-foot-3 sophomore Billy Humphreys will supplement the experienced wide receiver corps at tight end to add to the passing game.
On the offensive line, look out for senior right guard Cooper Barton and freshman Logan Moore at right tackle.
Girls’ soccer standout senior Jane Sidley will take over as the team’s kicker for extra points and field goals.
On the defensive side of the ball, Malibu will rely on the strength of its defensive line and linebackers. Vincent and Barton will anchor down the trenches at the line of scrimmage. Humphreys, Bard and sophomore Alec Stevenson form a talented trio of young linebackers who were promoted from JV to varsity midway through the 2012 season.
“Our interior line and linebackers are good and will clog stuff up in the middle,” Humphrey said. “Even though we have some young guys playing, we have some experience from last year. They understand the speed of the game.”
All five of the Sharks’ home games this year will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday nights, resulting in Saturday afternoon home games being removed from the schedule. Malibu will play Santa Clara, Fillmore and Grace Brethren twice each in an NFL-type division format during Frontier League action.