With the opening game of the regular season fast approaching on Sept. 6 against St. Monica, time is of the essence this summer for the Malibu High football team. Team chemistry, football acumen, strength, quickness and agility will be at the forefront during July and early August.
Coming off a 7-4 campaign in 2012 that saw the team reach the CIF playoffs for the first time since 2007, the Sharks are utilizing the summer by playing in 7-on-7 passing tournaments while lifting daily in the weight room.
Malibu wasted no time once school finished on June 11. Ten days later, the Sharks competed in the prestigious two-day Conejo Classic Passing Tournament at Westlake High School. Malibu went winless on the first day against Westlake, Thousand Oaks and Nordhoff, but played more efficiently the following day in close defeats to Oak Park and Rio Mesa.
“It’s great playing against the better competition and getting accustomed to playing the best of the best,” said Malibu senior wide receiver Dylan Miller. “During the season we will play less competitive teams. Playing teams like Westlake helps us with the competition factor.”
The 7-on-7 passing tournament consisted of teams beginning with the ball on the opponents’ 40-yard line. Each team had three downs to reach the 20-yard line, and if successful, four downs to score from there.
While powerhouse programs, Westlake and Thousand Oaks, proved too quick and strong for the smaller Sharks, Malibu coach Ray Humphrey says the object of the tournament for his team isn’t entirely about the scoreline.
“I play these games so I can see where we are at. I don’t play them to win the games necessarily,” Humphrey said. “We want to win, don’t get me wrong. We want to win games in the fall when they count. But I play these games to challenge our guys.
“If they can compete against Westlake, then I know we can go and compete in our league. It’s a good measuring point for us of where we are at and where we need to go.”
As with any football team, the focal point begins at the quarterback position. There, Malibu is shifting the reigns from senior Chase Gardella, who transferred back to Oaks Christian during the spring after throwing for 2,394 yards and 22 touchdowns for the Sharks in 2012.
Humphrey has turned the offense over to junior Dylan Lubell, who started as quarterback on the Sharks’ JV team last fall. Lubell will look to his senior wide receiver Miller for experience and leadership. Miller, who played in seven games as quarterback alongside Gardella, said the summer tournaments would be crucial for developing chemistry in the fall.
“It’s all about rhythm and timing. It’s pretty much the whole point of 7-on-7,” Miller said. “Continuity too and coming together is important, because we play so many games.”
Offensive coordinator Dylen Smith will tutor Lubell and be responsible for his growth at quarterback. In addition to the teams competing at the Conejo Classic, Lubell has already faced teams such as city-power Dorsey, North Torrance, Panorama and Reseda in the Pierce College passing tourney, as well as Bishop Diego, Hueneme and Grace Brethren.
That learning curve must continue to accelerate for Lubell and other former JV players if the varsity aims to be successful in the fall, Smith said.
“We are trying to get our guys to understand what we are trying to do offensively. We have a lot of young guys so we have to get them up to speed on the varsity level,” said Smith, now in his fifth season as the team’s offensive coordinator. “It’s a different game than from the junior varsity level.”
Smith will count on Miller, senior wide receiver Nick Anthony and juniors Matt Vincent and Bronson Bard to smooth the transition for Lubell. Sophomore Billy Humphreys joins Stevenson to patrol the defense.
While 10 skill players participate weekly in passing tournaments, the Sharks’ offensive and defensive linemen are living in the weight room to build up muscle for the fall. Going both ways in a game for 10 weeks takes its toll on the men in the trenches.
“We need to get stronger in the weight room. Since summer is 7-on-7, we need to work on our pass coverage while also getting stronger,” sophomore linebacker Stevenson said. “It’s a great time to take advantage of that.”
With two months until opening kickoff, Coach Humphrey has a mental checklist he is ticking off one goal at a time.
“I want to accomplish getting the new guys ready. We have a lot of new kids who will have to step up and fill some spots for us this year,” Humphrey said. “The satisfactory is getting them to learn the system, buy into the system and be excited about it.”
