Marina football

Marina Mariners (3-7, 1-6)
 There was the single-game school record 57-point outburst. The dramatic two-point road win over Gonzales.
 Yet, the Mariners also endured a gut wrenching three-point loss to Greenfield and a heartbreaking five-point defeat to St. Francis Catholic.
 Emotional highs and powerful lows dictated Marina’s season last fall, one filled with promise and unfulfilled expectations.
 With the program in its seventh season -- its fifth under head coach Vernon Calhoun -- it is still searching for its first winning season.
 "It's been a transition from a bunch of kids that didn't have a foundation,'' Calhoun said. "We are changing the culture here. We have a system in place. Things are getting better every day.''
 Sandwiched around four winless seasons are two years in which Marina has opened some eyes with its play, including last fall, where it was potentially two plays away from being 5-5.
 Marina certainly didn’t lower its expectations this year. It’s earned enough respect to warrant games with Seaside and Monterey -- two programs it hopes to build a rivalry with.
 The offense will start with quarterback Will Leander, who spent time last year as a sophomore as a running back. Protecting him and anchoring the offensive line is Israel Rangel.
 "Last year a player from another team told one of our guys, 'You're just a player from Marina,' '' said tailback Jose Yarzaba. "We were trailing at the time. It fueled us in the second half. It still serves as motivation.''
 It won’t hurt that Marina has one of the top returning defensive players in the Mission Trail Athletic League in the fold in all-league linebacker Angel Guevara, along with Ronnie Patterson.
 "What's different is our personality,'' Guevara said. "We have a different mindset. For us to take the next step, we have to finish and have a better inner drive.''
 Anchored by Guevara, who recorded a school record 152 tackles, defense kept Marina in a lot of games last season, as it held five teams to 22 points or less.
 While the Mariners have settled on an offense after four systems in four years, it is still a work in progress, having averaged just 13 points in the nine other games they didn’t produce 57.
 "The key for us is staying healthy,'' Calhoun said. "We cut practice short last week because we were dinged up We're not deep in numbers.''
 Calhoun has done a nice job in eliminating the distractions of its less than ideal practice facilities, building his program from the ground up.
 The talent level continues to improve. The next step is raising the confidence level, turning hope into belief.