Stevenson football

Pacific Coast Athletic League
Santa Lucia Division
Stevenson (2-6, 1-5)
 No program will benefit more from the new division format than the Pirates, whose traditional late starting dates because of its border students puts them on their heels each fall.
 Blindsided last summer by the sudden resignation of its head coach left the team without a leader   three weeks before the start of practice.
 "It was tough," Stevenson coach Kyle Cassamas said. "With our systems being brand new, we asked a lot from these guys. We were learning as we went along."
 Humbled in its opener, Stevenson played just an eight-game schedule last year, producing just six points in the first quarter all year.
 There are no coaching issues this fall as Cassamas will not be trying to implement a new system a couple of weeks before the start of the season.
 "The biggest difference is being able to reflect on the season and my decisions," Cassamas said. "We started from the ground last fall. But we have a wide range of football IQ here."
 Cassamas, whose New England roots are evident in his accent, put together an off-season program and brought back spring ball for the program.
 "We're not focusing on installing a system this year," Cassamas said. "It's in. We're looking to build a family culture. There are no clicks on this team."
 Cassamas sent everyone home over the summer with a schedule. Based on the early season practices, it was followed as the Pirates are miles ahead of last year.
 "We have a lot of pieces that compliment each other and our system,'' senior receiver Ryan Douglas said. "The mindset is to win every game."
 The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Douglas will be one target for quarterback Dylan Santos to get the ball to, as will Guido Davi and Alex Murray, who started all eight games at quarterback last year.
 The decision to move Murray to the outside stems from Cassamas also wanting to use the senior as a defensive back this fall.
 "I'm thinking in the teams best interest," Cassamas said. "Both are outstanding quarterbacks. It was a tough decision. But Alex is going to make a big difference for us on defense as well."
 Murray, who threw for nearly 1,500 yards last year, welcomed the change. He runs precise routes, is difficult to bring down and has deceptive speed.
 "Alex was all for the move," Cassamas said. "He wants to win. This gives us a better chance at doing that. It's always been about team with him. This group has good chemistry."
 Santos will give the Pirates another option with his legs. Look for Cassamas to orchestrate a more balanced attack this year with tailback Honorebel Walker handling the workload in the backfield.
 "Our strength is our offense," Cassamas said. "They understand what I'm asking. The system isn't foreign to them this year. It's tough to learn something in two weeks."
 While depth will always be an issue at Stevenson, it does have some quality on defense with the return of defensive lineman Lucas Sansone, linebacker Connor Adams and Douglas.
 "Having a full year with coach Cass, I feel the team isn't divided this year," Douglas said. "We treat everyone as an equal, regardless of class. That wasn't the case when I was a freshman."
 The fact that nothing is brand new to those that have returned has sped things up in practice. There is confidence instead of hesitation in running plays or in calling defenses.
 And while the Pirates roster will likely be under 30 players, Cassamas will limit the amount of plays for players that go both ways.
 "We hope to not have a lot of guys starting on both sides of the ball," Cassamas said. "We're going to try and work everyone in and utilize our roster. Health is always an issue with a small roster."
 Just the fact that the Pirates know what direction they are headed in this season has turned hope into belief.
 Remember, this is a program just two years removed from reaching the playoffs for the first time in 16 years. There's a plan in place to point the Pirates back in that direction.