After three straight years with 10 or more wins, the Breakers slipped to 5-5 last fall and missed the playoffs for the first time in four years.
More than 80 percent of last season's offense has graduated, leaving Pacific Grove in a potential re-building mood this fall.
"We have been in this position before,'' Pacific Grove coach Chris Morgan said. "We have some big shoes to fill on offense. We need all 11 players to pull together.''
When you are accustomed to success on the field, rebuilding is not an option. Yet, as Morgan begins his ninth season, his roster may be his smallest since his first season.
The Breakers will have between 25 and 27 players, and that includes seven sophomores up on the varsity.
"We knew this was coming a couple of years ago,'' Morgan said. "This senior class has never had a big turnout. You're scanning the halls for bodies. We're young and inexperienced.''
While Morgan restocks his program, some of his players only have two years of experience playing football. Instead of growing into the program, it will be on-the-job training.
"A lot of these kids are still learning the game,'' Morgan said. "But we didn't bring these kids up to sit. We have a few guys we feel can do some good things for us.''
That starts with quarterback Hunter Hanes, who started one game behind center last season as a sophomore.
An all-league baseball player, the left-handed Hanes is athletic, with the ability to also run with the football, a key ingredient in Pacific Grove's attack.
"You have to adjust to the talent you have,'' Morgan said. "We've had to simplify the game plan and terminology to get everyone up to speed.''
With all of last year's receivers that caught passes having departed, Hanes is developing chemistry with a core of new faces, including Nate Lominario, who Morgan calls an athlete.
Last fall Lominario transferred from Seaside, starting at safety. He'll likely go both ways for a team starving for experience.
"Our attitude is play-by-play,'' Lominario said. "Defensively we'll be sound. Offensively we could go through some growing pains. But we'll catch up.''
Until the Breakers find that cohesiveness on offense, the defense may have to shoulder the load with the return of linebacker Josh Fuller and defensive lineman Josh Vernon and John Kerick.
At times defense was the Breakers Achilles heel last season as they gave up 35 or more points six times. Two of those games were wins.
Part of that could be attributed to fatigue with several players going both ways, as the defensive unit gave up 180 points in the second half.
With the urging of Lominario, the Breakers implemented an off-season weight program, one that he believes has strengthen the team.
"I can see the difference with a lot of our players,'' Lominario said. "We'll be stronger than last year. We won't be outworked.''
A quick start out the gates could build confidence in a youthful group. Two of its four preseason opponents are teams Pacific Grove defeated last year.
The Mission Trail Athletic League, though, has a different look with two divisions this year. Four of the six teams on the Breakers league schedule went to the postseason last year.
"Being a small school and trying to reload can be a challenge,'' Morgan said. "It's kind of a cycle. But we have guys that we have faith in. Hard work pays off in the end.''
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