A new season brings renewed hope for Yellowjackets football. The players are geared up, psyched, and ready to hit the field and their opponents. Fans and boosters are already circling important games and setting their calendars for Thursday and Friday nights. 

And the Pepper Bough is set to cover every moment of what is shaping up to be a memorable 2022-23 campaign.

With the season primed to open up on Friday night with a non-league game at AB Miller High School, let’s talk about five things we have to look forward to this season.

Bigger, stronger, better conditioned players

The 2021-22 football season was a challenge for the Yellowjackets. Coming off of a year ruined by COVID quarantine, players turned out for the season excited to play, but not fully prepared for the rigors of a 12-week season. After an incredible 4-1 start in non-league play, the combination of injuries and a challenging league schedule led to a four-game skid to finish the year with a 4th place finish in the San Andreas League.

According to head coach Ray Rodriguez, this was because the players never got a full offseason. For Rodriguez, this season marks the first time since he was hired in 2019 that his team has had the benefits of a full offseason to prepare.

Rodriguez is naturally excited about this. “They’re physically more capable to do the things we are asking them to do,” he said. “This year the boys look bigger, they look like they have some muscle on their bones. I mean, we’re not gonna be the biggest team, but as long as we have the muscle on our bodies and are physically capable of doing the things I believe we can do, we’ll be able to out-grit some teams.”

Reloaded wide receiving core

Last year’s team, despite the record, had the high-flying trio of wide receivers Steven Medina, Bryce Martinez, and Xavier Sandoval. With Medina and Martinez graduated, Sandoval is now the prime target for quarterback Gabriel Aparicio.

However, this offseason, the team reloaded with help from a couple transfers and improved former underclassmen.

Joining Sandoval on the wing are transfers senior Max Millanez from Slover Mountain and junior Alex Juarez from Cajon High. Both have ties to Colton. Millanez returns from Slover after getting his academics back on track, and Juarez rejoins friends with whom he’s played for years in Colton youth football.

“I’m a very well-rounded player,” Juarez says. “I can play wherever the team needs me.” In addition to playing receiver, he’ll be back-up quarterback. Due to CIF transfer rules, Juarez will sit out the first four games of the season, but will be ready to play by Homecoming and the start of league play.

Junior James Gonzalez, who had a strong sophomore season, has made dramatic improvements and will be starting at receiver as well as taking some carries out of the backfield. “I think he is going to take a jump offensively,” said Rodriguez.

A versatile lineup

As Rodriguez has indicated, Colton does not feature the biggest players, but we do have a versatile crew. This year, several returning players have made big leaps and are ready to produce right away on both sides of the ball.

All of the coaches are high on Ashton Russell. “Had a great offseason,” Rodriguez said. “Spent a lot of time in the weight room and put in the time. I look forward to see how he does. With the weight room comes confidence.”

In the defensive backfield, safety Devean Tran, one of the team’s “silent leaders,” is shaping up to have an excellent season, as well. Along with Sandoval and Abel Sanchez at cornerback, the backfield will be fast and strong against a variety of attack schemes.

Defensive coordinator Myley Herrera sees this as a plus for his defense. “This year we’re gonna see spread teams, we’re gonna see double-wing, we’re gonna see power, we’re gonna see an option team, so every week is gonna be a different kind of offense we see. So our defense is going to have to be able to adjust all the time.”

Change in league

Last year, the Yellowjackets were assigned to the San Andreas league in the Arrowhead conference. The level of competition with the more experienced programs revealed several areas for growth in Colton’s re-emerging program. This year, the team has been slotted into the Skyline league, replacing Rim of the World, who move into San Andreas league play.

“I like it because it is better suited for us,” said Rodriguez. “The teams in this league are on par with where we are right now as a program. Unfortunately, as a program, we’re at that building stage. We’re not quite established yet. We need to continue to build. And everybody in this league is relatively close to us.”

Skyline is a six-team league. Colton will be up against crosstown rival Bloomington, and will face a number of Inland Empire teams: Rialto, Arroyo Valley, Fontana, and Notre Dame. 

Last year, Rialto placed second in the league (3-1, 8-7 overall), and went all the way to the CIF Southern Section Division 14 finals, where they lost to the Loera Saxons 14-12. They look to be a tough divisional opponent.

All the other teams have improved as well. Arroyo Valley, who Colton trounced 35-8, has a new coaching staff. Fontana, who the Yellowjackets crushed 35-6, has also gotten a full off-season and made improvements to their roster. And Bloomington, who were shut out 40-0, is looking a lot better, as well.

Look forward to a competitive season all-around.

Playoff Bound?

With all the improvements and positive vibes surrounding the program, it is no surprise that the team has its eyes and hearts set on winning the Skyline league and making noise in the playoffs.

Quarterback Gabriel Aparicio is determined to make it to the promised land. “The main goal is obviously going to playoffs,” he said. “Last season we came up short, but this year we’ve been grinding all summer, working hard, so this year we’re just looking to have a revenge season and come back stronger and better than ever.”

Offensive/defensive lineman Colton Suchil also has playoffs in mind, but he has another game circled on his calendar. “Playing GT, of course. We’re gonna ball out.”

Ask anyone else on the team, like co-captain Adam Torres, and you’ll hear the refrain of “playoffs.” This kind of focus is exactly what the coaches want to see.

Coach Rodriguez sums it all up: “I think they understand . . . this is the year for you guys to make that push. I’ve told them, ‘If you guys want a banner, if you guys want your year on that banner in the Hubbs Gym, if you guys want to be remembered, you guys gotta make that push. This is that year and there is no excuse as to why we can’t have that year.’ And I think they’ve understood and accepted the challenge.”