New look for OHS football Warriors

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Orestimba’s high-octane offense of a year ago, which carried the Warriors to the playoffs for the first time in two decades, was built on team speed and big plays.

This season, the Warriors will feature a more methodical approach as they field a team built around size and depth, second-year head coach Aaron Souza said recently.

“We don’t have a lot of flashy athletes like we did last year, but we have a lot of good, smart football players who have worked hard through the off-season,” Souza commented. “Last year we had a lot of talent at the skill positions but the line was a little small. This year we have size on the line, but less experience in the skill positions.”

Senior Dillon Martins will quarterback the Orestimba offense. Martins is relatively unproven at the varsity level after getting few snaps in a backup role last season, Souza said, but has stepped into the position and flourished.

“He has taken charge in that role since the beginning of the summer. His arm strength and accuracy have improved, and he has taken control of this offense,” Souza told Mattos Newspapers. “We are going to ask a lot of Dillon at quarterback.”

Martins will have the luxury of working behind one of Orestimba’s largest lines in recent memory, averaging about 225 pounds.

Souza said seniors Caleb Wilkinson and Chris Bennett will anchor the line. They will be joined in the trenches by juniors Bradley Panelli, Kevin Tucker, Ivan Luna and Mark Bryant.

“This program has always had an issue with line size, but we have some big players this year. This is the TVL, and we need those big guys. We believe this offensive line can control games.”

Sophomore Steven Machado and senior Kahua Moore are expected to lead the ground game. When Martins goes to the air, his targets will include returning seniors Chase Richey and Travis Mart and junior Ernie Esquivez.

Orestimba will try to control the ball and the clock with an offense built on the run and intermediate passing game. “We don’t have the big play guys, so we are adjusting our offense to our personnel,” Souza reiterated.

Defensively, he is looking for big improvement from a unit that was susceptible to giving up big plays last year.

Wilkinson – one of only two players who Souza projects will start both ways – is expected to anchor the line. A linebacker group of seniors Brandon Perez and Joey Navarro and junior Nate Martin is expected to be a defensive strong point.

Team speed is a concern, Souza acknowledged.

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“We have to make sure that our players are in the right positions. We have to play to our size, not to our speed,” he stressed.

Defending state champion Escalon and traditional power Hilmar are the top two teams in this year’s TVL, Souza said, but “after that I think it is all wide open.”

Orestimba will field an unproven team which relies heavily on juniors to step up to the challenge.

The development of the underclassmen is one of Orestimba’s keys to success this season, Souza stated,  -as well as the performance of the offensive line and Martins’ effectiveness at quarterback.

“We need our juniors to play like seniors,” he commented. “We need to come together, and grow up fast as a team.”

He expects to field a varsity roster numbering in the high 30s or low 40s this season. About 50 players are on the field at the frosh-soph level. Pat Leach is the new junior varisty head coach, and Jerry Valenzuela will coach the OHS frosh team.

Orestimba will get its first taste of game action Saturday when the Warriors host a five-team scrimmage. The frosh-soph scrimmage starts at 4, with the varsity to follow at 6. Participating schools include Orestimba, Delhi, Turlock Christian, Ripon Christian and Pacheco.

The Warriors open the season next Friday, when Livingston visits the West Side.