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Sports

Position Battles the Storyline for Spartan Offense

As dead period looms, top running back and quarterback spots are still up for grabs.

The La Cañada Spartans have been in summer mode for the last six weeks preparing for another vigorous football season in the Rio Hondo League. With just a few more days before dead period begins, there still aren’t any solidified positions in their option-style offense.

While some coaches might worry about the uncertainty, head coach Dan Yoder couldn’t be enjoying his summer practices much more than now. 

“I feel like these boys have come a long way and starting to develop very nicely,” Yoder said. “These last few days have been a lot better than the previous weeks in terms of knowing where you are and why.  Things are shaping up very nicely.”

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Last year the Spartans relied on their running game, as most of their scoring came from then-senior quarterback Scott Gray. He displayed his senior leadership throwing and rushing for 19 of the team’s 30 total touchdowns. With that kind of power gone, many players are trying to pick up the slack during their passing scrimmages.

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Running back Kevin Stoner last season was second on the team’s tailbacks in total rushing yards and touchdowns behind finishing just under 400 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While he is projected to be the starter on the depth charts, there are still a number of players trying to vie for his role. 

“There is a lot of competition at his spot, and its not just Stoner trying to win it,” Yoder said. “There are at least four or five guys trying to win that role.  There has been a lot of heat in that position since the summer has begun. So it’s nice to see that an important position like that is still open.”

“Being a two sport athlete, I have really done a lot of conditioning to help improve my game,” Stoner said. “I ended leading the team in yards per carry, but I need to prove myself over the summer that I can do that again and help my team.”

The quarterback slot could be the healthiest of all the battles during the summer, where Matt Jones and Grant Owen have been duking it out since summer ball has begun.

Over the last week Owen had rejoined the team after taking some time off, giving Jones a chance to take the first reps with the first team offense. Though Owen has returned and has slowly picked up the scheme, Jones has already come in with some experience with the varsity squad from last year. 

“Grant was out of town last week, giving Jones a chance to work with our offense more,” Yoder said. “No matter the case, that spot still isn’t finalized, and that battle will continue on well into the dead period.”

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