Cloverdale visits Berean Christian Saturday in season opener
The varsity football Eagles will emerge from a rigorous off-season training program this Saturday, Aug. 27 when they travel to face Berean Christian in Walnut Creek in the much anticipated season opener. Varsity kickoff time is set for 1:30 p.m.
The Eagles will assume the role of road warriors to start the season, playing their first two games away before returning to the friendly confines for the home opener against St. Vincent on Friday, Sept. 9.
Cloverdale will have an entirely different look this season under first-year head coach Chad Talley, who takes the reigns from former coach Chad Prieskorn, who led the team to a 7-4 record in 2015.
Talley, a former prep (Cupertino) and collegiate star (Virginia), steps up to lead a relatively young but athletic squad, hopeful of a return to the North Coast Section playoffs.
“We don’t have a lot of seniors, and we’ve got a lot of juniors, sophomores and freshmen. “I think our biggest strengths are toughness and perseverance. We’re not the biggest or the fastest team but we’ve got some tough kids that are very resilient,” Talley said.
Despite graduating many of the top players in the Redwood Empire in June, the Eagles will benefit from increased numbers this season, with a roster hovering between 26-30 players (up from 19 last year).
Although some positions have yet to be determined, the offense will run by quarterbacks James Wirt and Eli Arreola. Running backs Mel Alonzo and Tristin Rege will get the bulk of the carries, while the receiving corps consists of Christian Chavez, DJ Grady and Ross Seales. Veteran center Pat Ojeda will anchor the offensive line, along with sophomore Drew Edens and Andre Gluch.
The defense should be solid, led by a linebackers Edens and Alonzo. The defensive backfield will be manned by Wirt, Arreola and Grady.
The Eagles participated in a scrimmage last week, squaring off against a couple of tough teams, including Fort Bragg. “Fort Bragg had some big kids but we held our own,” Talley said. “It was a long scrimmage but we stuck it out, moved the ball and did decently well on defense.”
