Los Banos goes from hunters to hunted

Adam Herrera knows firsthand how quickly things can change.

A year ago, the Los Banos High School senior had never taken a meaningful snap under center. He led a young but talented Tigers squad that quietly entered the season under the radar.

What happened next was the stuff of Hollywood. Herrera proved a natural at quarterback, earning the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year honor. He led the Tigers to an undefeated WAC season and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals.

With 25 returnees, 14 of whom were starters, and a full year of experience under Herrera’s belt, the expectations are for an even better 2015.

“We worked our butts off to do what we did last season, and guys gotta know that we’re going to have to work even harder this season,” Herrera said. “We’re not sneaking up on anyone this season. We’re the team to beat. The target is on our backs, and every team we play is going to give us their best shot.”

The Tigers’ offense, which averaged just under 30 points per game last season, should be even more dynamic.

Herrera, who often beat defenses with sheer athleticism, should be a much more polished dual-threat quarterback. He spent his offseason at several camps and did individual workouts to improve his footwork and ability to read defenses.

He’ll have plenty of familiar pieces around him with four of Los Banos’ five starting offensive linemen returning. Led by Jacob Geist (6-foot-1, 234 pounds) and Evan Duran (6 feet, 250), the imposing unit averages 6 feet and 230 pounds. The Tigers also return top running back Daniel Fernandez and leading receiver David Walker.

“We definitely feel good about our offense,” coach Dustin Caropreso said. “We have eight guys back on that side of the ball, which is always invaluable experience.

“Adam has come so far in the last year, it really gives us some versatility in what we can do. We’re still going to be a team that wants to run the ball and win the physical battles, but he’s going to hurt some teams with the pass if they try to cheat.”

The defense is less proven but will have an excellent linebacker corps in Fernandez, Walker, Anthony Machado and Mason Leao. Geist and newcomer Scott Christ will provide size and athleticism on the defensive line, while Herrera will try his hand at safety in a young secondary.

“We like what we have, but there’s definitely a few more question marks on the defensive side of the ball because we haven’t seen some of those guys in game situations before,” Caropreso said. “For the most part, we try to keep our two lines separate, but with the guys we have, I could see some of our offensive linemen getting eight or nine defensive snaps this year.

“It’s a pretty unproven secondary, but we think we’ve got the guys back there. We’ll find out fast. We open with a good Madera team, and then we’ll have a better idea of where we’re at.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Los Banos goes from hunters to hunted."