How one element could change the culture of the Enochs football program
Enochs senior quarterback Ben Harless said the Eagles didn’t have trouble competing against their Central California Athletic League opponents in the first quarter in 2018.
But, due to what he described as lack of conditioning and laziness, the team would fall apart in the final three quarters.
Enochs, 2-8 and 0-5 in the CCAL, was outscored 148-33 in the final three quarters in league play.
Early on in the offseason, the players and coaches realized both of those things needed to change if they wanted success in the upcoming year.
“We are working on getting faster and stronger,” Harless said. “Last summer, nobody cared and we didn’t like it ... we want it now and it shows in practice.”
As he enters his 10th year as coach, James Stacy said one of the struggles he saw was his offensive and defensive line being one of the smallest in the league.
Two of those lineman, seniors Christopher Cervantes and Jordan Lew, both got stronger in the offseason, Stacy said. With the return of Christopher’s brother, senior fullback Christian, the Eagles’ offense should be bigger and stronger.
“We are working on getting quicker off the ball,” Stacy said. “We also were too predictable on both offense and defense last year.”
The back of the Eagles’ workout t-shirts echo what Stacy want his team to do. The words on the four different shirts are compete, toughness, team, and ownership.
“It’s our mantra and we started it two years ago,” Stacy said. “Don’t blame anyone else, we are together and we work together.”
Harless, a dual threat at 5 feet, 11 inches, said he wants to lead the team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
“We are going to change the culture of this program,” he said.
-----
School: Enochs
Record: 2-8, 0-5 in Central California Athletic League
Players to Watch: Enochs senior quarterback Ben Harless, Senior fullback/linebacker Christian Cervantes, senior offensive/ defensive tackle Christopher Cervantes
Biggest Game: Aug. 23 vs. Beyer
Something special about school: Band attends five games each year and sits in the crowd and creates fun atmosphere.
Playoff appearances last five years: None
Season Schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time |
| Aug. | ||
| 23 | Beyer | 7 p.m. |
| 30 | at West | 7 p.m. |
| Sept. | ||
| 6 | at McNair | 7 p.m. |
| 13 | Central Valley | 7 p.m. |
| 20 | Bye Week | |
| 27 | Edison | 7 p.m. |
| Oct. | ||
| 4 | at Pitman | 7 p.m. |
| 11 | Downey | 7 p.m. |
| 18 | Turlock | 7 p.m. |
| 25 | at Modesto | 7 p.m. |
| Nov. | ||
| 1 | at Gregori | 7 p.m. |
This story was originally published August 5, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
