El Capitan seeks to take next step in second season

From his very first days on campus, Mike Machado told his kids they were playing a 20-game opening season.

The El Capitan High School football coach, who helped the Mission Oak program grow out of infancy before his move to Merced last year, said the focus was always on the Gauchos’ second season.

“The first season reinforced the idea with the kids that you have to win football games in the weight room,” Machado said. “We weren’t physically ready to compete at the varsity level. And it’s hard to make plays when you’re losing the physical battles.

“We’ve had 15 months in the weight room now since I’ve been here, and you can see the difference. An 0-10 season can provide a lot of motivation. The kids didn’t really understand what I meant when I said we were playing a 20-game schedule, but anything we did last season was a bonus. We were always playing for this first season with seniors.”

On paper, the Gauchos certainly seem to have the pieces for a quick turnaround.

Machado and company broke camp with 44 players, over half of whom saw regular action last season. The team has added a talented junior class that’s going to compose most of a revamped defense.

“I was surprised by how tough last season was,” senior running back and defensive lineman Joshua Stewart said. “But we learned we have to be a complete team. We have to go out and work every day.

“I felt like we got better as it went on. We started holding teams longer. We even scored first a few times. Now we’re stronger and faster and have to build on that.”

Stewart will be one of the few holdovers on the defense, which will start as many as seven juniors. Part of Machado’s excitement is the addition of three 220-plus pound defensive linemen: Ethan Torres (5-foot-10, 220 pounds), Terris Evans (5-9, 250) and David Stewart (6-2, 230). Another new face expected to leave his mark on the secondary is Merced senior transfer Da’Vonya Shepherd.

“We’ve added some special talents back there,” Machado said. “I like the depth our junior class provides us. We should only have about three guys going both ways and really be able to keep our offensive line rested.”

That offensive line is experienced and good-sized, anchored by senior guard Reno Bandoni (6-3, 274) and senior center Art Prieto (5-10, 240). They’ll protect a more polished Chase Whitaker, who passed for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore. With playmakers Joshua Stewart (1,070 rushing yards, six touchdowns), Elijah Reid (38 receptions, 507 yards, four touchdowns) and Isaiah Knott (633 all-purpose yards, six touchdowns) returning, the offense should be much more explosive in Year Two.

“Everything feels different this season. We have a lot more intensity and enthusiasm at practice, and a lot more players,” Joshua Stewart said. “We have a better idea of what we need to do to win games, but we have to put it in action.

“Nobody expects an 0-10 team to be a threat. Nobody is expecting us to excel and do what we can. Our first step is to go out and win a game. After that, we’ll see what happens.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 10:56 PM with the headline "El Capitan seeks to take next step in second season."