Young Thunder players ready for big stage

When putting together his roster, Buhach Colony football coach Kevin Navarra had one driving force. Navarra wanted to put the best players on the varsity team regardless of class.

As a result, seven sophomores will suit up for the Thunder when it opens the season Saturday against Manteca at Dave Honey Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“I feel having these guys up will challenge the juniors and seniors,” Navarra said. “We knew this current sophomore class had success winning the league title as freshmen. As long as they are hovering around three or four in their position, that will guarantee playing time with the way we rotate players.”

Asking sophomores to play varsity can be a tricky situation. Some teams shy away from it because a lot of sophomores aren’t ready mentally or physically.

“If you look at our history, we usually pull up one or two players per year,” Navarra said. “Our last two were Hunter and Justin Stefani and that worked out well for both of them. What I look for is a commitment to the varsity level, which starts in January. The second thing is can they physically compete at the varsity level. The third thing is can they mentally handle the speed of the game and grasp what we’re doing.

“We also copied other programs. Turlock hasn’t been afraid to call up guys. Oakdale and Merced do it. Golden Valley has some three-year varsity guys this year.”

Merced has three sophomores on its roster this year that should play a prominent role in defensive back/receiver Dhameer Warren, receiver/defensive back Xavier Stewart and offensive lineman Clifford Johnson.

Golden Valley has two three-year starters in quarterback Armando Muzquiz and running back/defensive back Isaiah Montanez, who bring experience to a team that hopes to end a long playoff drought this season.

Three of Buhach Colony’s sophomores, Kyle Beaudry (linebacker/running back), Johnny Lunsford (center) and Noah Perez (offensive lineman) may be in the starting lineup.

Jon Buttrey (running back/linebacker), Mason Reel (tight end), Brandon Ralls (defensive back) and Artavian Robinson (offensive line and defensive line) could all see playing time.

“We’re playing against older guys with more experience than us, but our coaches have done a good job getting us ready and making the transition easy,” Beaudry said. “The older guys on our team have really accepted us with open arms. We did some team bonding and we got along well. Our mindset is to compete and help this team win.”

Navarra has adopted the same strategy as former Thunder coach Kevin Swartwood, who liked to keep the freshman class together for one year.

“For us, Swarty’s plan was to keep them all together as freshmen and let them be successful in high school,” Navarra said. “I’ve pretty much kept that plan. Beaudry and Lunsford moved up to JV last year because, in my mind, I knew they were going to play varsity this season. The other guys caught my eye during the season.”

Navarra and the coaching staff feel they have a special player in Beaudry, who missed the final three games last year with a broken foot that required surgery while coming down with an interception against Merced.

At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Beaudry doesn’t look like your typical sophomore. He’s fast and physical and will make an impact at linebacker right away.

“The first thing I noticed about Kyle was his voice,” Navarra said. “He’s not afraid to talk and he has the ability to lead. The second thing is he physically looks like an older player.”

At 6-3 and 285 pounds, Lunsford has drawn comparisons to former Buhach Colony star Matt Cochran, who went on to play at Cal. The Thunder coaching staff is using the same blueprint with Lunsford that it used in bringing Cochran along.

The comparison is flattering to Lunsford.

“Matt Cochran is part of our alumni, he’s part of our family,” Lunsford said. “He’s come out and talked to us and supported us. It means a lot to be compared to him. That pushes me to achieve my goals.”

Beaudry and Lunsford feel it’s easier to make the transition to varsity with seven of them doing it at the same time.

“It’s not just us seven though,” Lunsford said. “The whole team is close. We do everything together.”

The sophomores and the rest of the Thunder players will get tested right away Saturday against Manteca. The Buffaloes are coming off a 9-3 season in which one of the victories was a 34-6 win over Buhach Colony.

“When I was looking for a game, Manteca may not be my first choice,” Navarra said. “Long ago we were a member of the (Valley Oak League) and I remember playing Manteca. They were a physical defense, power-run team and I still see similarities to those days. It’s going to be a test but I think it’s a good matchup for us.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Young Thunder players ready for big stage."