Misery loves its company: Perennial playoff teams collide (sort of) at football camp

For years, the Mountain Misery football camp has given Calaveras High School coach Jason Weatherby a true assessment of his team going into fall practice.

Are the Redskins ready to compete against some of the best programs in the Sac-Joaquin Section? Because that’s who they will see at this sixth annual event, which begins Thursday.

Mountain Misery will feature four perennial playoff teams, including three that reached at least the second round of the playoffs last fall.

The headliner is also the host: Central Catholic, a three-time defending CIF state champion and a prohibitive favorite to win the always-thorny Valley Oak League. In fact, Mountain Misery could produce as many as four league champions this fall.

Ripon Christian has its sights set on returning to the top of the Southern League after finishing behind Le Grand and Mariposa, while Sonora and Calaveras have won the past two Mother Lode League titles.

Sonora, which hosted the event the first four years, is the defending champion. The Wildcats and Calaveras will meet Oct. 2 in what may amount to a separation game.

Calaveras made 17 consecutive playoff appearances – the second-longest streak in the section behind Grant (24) – before failing to advance last fall.

For the past five years, Mountain Misery has served as a litmus test for the Redskins. The sixth should be no different.

“Central is one of those traditional run-type teams and they’re always tough up front, so we’ll get a good gauge on what our line can do,” Weatherby said. “Ripon Christian shows us a little more of that ability to pass the ball, and Sonora runs the triple-option.”

What Calaveras and the others won’t get over the next three days is the full-contact experience. Mountain Misery features a heavy-hitting lineup without the heavy hitting.

State legislation prohibits high schools from participating in full-contact practices or camps during the summer and limits the amount of full-contact practices in season. The new law went into effect Jan. 1 and has altered the way some coaches look at their summer schedule.

“It keeps kids safe, and you know you’re not going into the season with any injuries. So in that sense, it’s good,” Weatherby said. “But it’s also hard to gauge the speed that you want to play at. We pride ourselves on our ability to hit and to tackle.”

Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa said camp will be run like a college practice – with a quick whistle in hopes of keeping kids out of harm’s way. He said a lack of contact will put an emphasis on execution and technique.

“We got all three levels there, so we want to get all our fundamentals in,” Canepa said. “We’re mainly trying to get some formations in. We don’t go there to see how tough we are. Our main things are pass protection, schemes and getting our drills in.”

Likewise, Weatherby should get a better understanding of his depth chart over the next three days.

“You’re hoping to see guys execute, and you want to put guys in the right spots on defense. Put them where they fit best,” he said. “For us, it sort of establishes a first team, instead of going into the season not knowing who will play where.”

Weatherby also noted the new provisions, which limit full-contact practices to two days a week during the season at no more than 90 minutes a session, won’t change his practice plan.

“Our practice schedule won’t change. The time it hurts the worst is right now,” he said. “It sets the bar for half-speed practices, which aren’t always good.”

Canepa doesn’t believe the absence of tackling will be an issue over the next three days. Not with the group.

Sonora, Calaveras and Central Catholic are original Misery members, and Ripon Christian has taken part the past four years, stepping into a void created by Buhach Colony.

There is a mutual respect that exists between the coaching staffs and programs.

“We’re all going to find out (how it’s going to go) because this is the first time we’ve had to do it, but we’re capable of making it work,” said Canepa, who will earn career victory No. 200 with his first win of the season. “This (reduced) contact thing, if you have schools that don’t like each other, you could have a major debacle.

“As long as we got good relationships, if there’s something we don’t think is right, we can just talk to each other instead of yelling across the field. That’s what I like about this camp.”

It’s hard to argue the results. Central Catholic and Sonora locked horns in the Division IV final with the Raiders eking out a 42-35 victory. Ripon Christian was knocked out in the semifinal round in D-VI.

“Three of the four teams were in the second round or better last year. I think this camp is a piece of that,” Ripon Christian coach Trey Ozenbaugh said. “It’s fun to get the kids out and compete early. We go to a lot of 7-on-7s, but this is a good group of coaches and quality programs, and we see the results throughout the season from our time at camp.”

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Misery loves its company: Perennial playoff teams collide (sort of) at football camp."