CHULA VISTA – As earthmovers have been shaping the ground for the installation of artificial turf at the Eastlake High football stadium, Owen Breeden and company have been plowing forward like bulldozers on an adjacent practice field.
They form the Titans' offensive line. With a new quarterback and three new running backs in the wing-T attack, four returning behemoths up front comprise a large part of the team's foundation after helping Eastlake reach the Division I playoffs a year ago.
“With all of us together, we should have some great leadership,” said Breeden, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound senior center. “We should do really good this season.”
The Titans, whose school has a year-round class schedule, opened practice Wednesday as one of the first San Diego Section teams to get under way this season.
On the Eastlake schedule today is the team's only set of two-a-day drills this summer, unless coach John McFadden decides another double dose is warranted next Saturday.
Expectations are high for the Titans despite losing 24 seniors from last season's squad that was eliminated in the semifinals by Rancho Buena Vista. Competing in Division II this year, they retain the target of advancing to the finals for the first time in school history.
Eastlake will be tested immediately, hosting defending Division II state bowl champion Oceanside in the season opener at Southwestern College. The Titans' new field is scheduled for completion by their second home game in late September.
In advance of the first drills, McFadden noted that he had no grand speech planned but expected to make frequent use of one refrain.
“I'm always saying, 'Execute, execute,' ” McFadden said. “Basically, I tell them, 'If you don't know what we're doing, we're not going to win.' ”
Eastlake (8-3, 4-0) won its second straight Mesa League crown last season, outscoring opponents by an average of 17 points per game in 2007.
Derek Witte graduated after three years as the starting quarterback. In his place is junior DeAngelo Barksdale, who had the same job on the JV last season.
Set to spearhead the new core of starting running backs is junior fullback Tony Jefferson, who is becoming a two-way starter this season. On defense, Jefferson is moving to strong safety from outside linebacker after leading the team with an average of 12 tackles per game a year ago.
Junior Robert Graves has switched from offensive tackle to tight end. He figures to be in the limelight more as a receiver, yet Graves retains kinship with his adjacent peers who usually labor in anonymity.
“I've been there, so I know how it feels,” said Graves, a 6-foot-3, 260-pounder who also plays basketball. “Our offensive line was one of our strongest points last year, so that carries over a lot. Also, we have a lot of heart out there.”
Senior tackle Ruben Cardenas and junior guard Matt Cellery also bring starting experience to the line. Varsity newcomer Shawn Brown offers much promise at tackle after missing last season with a broken femur sustained during the previous wrestling season.
“We all know each other because of our teamwork,” the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Cardenas said. “I've been looking forward to this year a lot.”
In the off-season, the linemen joined together in the weight room and compared who could lift the most.
“There's a good, healthy competition between all of us,” Breeden said. “We're all friends.”
Now they're set to bulldoze the way for the Titans.
