Tritons hope to grow into champions

They will grow up.

It's a natural course of a 10-game season.

To navigate it properly is to err now and not later. A young team won't get away with the mistakes tolerated during a friendly early schedule as the competition picks up later in the season.

The San Clemente High School football team, loaded with a starting lineup consisting mainly of juniors, is 2-0 after nonleague victories against Villa Park and Hawaii's Baldwin. But the team knows the schedule will get tougher. It's one of the talking points of the Tritons' season.

The lineup's marquee game is at home against Mater Dei on Sept. 24. The Tritons face Newport Harbor a week later, followed by the usual league games against Dana Hills and Mission Viejo.

Junior quarterback Travis Wilson is among the players San Clemente is counting on to carry the load.

He won't be doing it just with his arm. Wilson has proved adept running the ball as well.

"He takes off running and you realize he's not slow-footed," San Clemente coach Eric Patton said. "He's an athlete. That's a weapon I'm real happy to have."

Wilson and several teammates, including Jake Graff, Nick Pasquale and Chad Foster, have been playing together since Pop Warner. They won the Orange Bowl in eighth grade and have been looking forward to playing for the Tritons since.

"I was always thinking about playing high school football and playing for San Clemente," Wilson said. "It's been my dream. Now that I'm the starting quarterback, I want to do everything I can to win games."

The other side of the ball is built on speed.

The Tritons' defense isn't big but can move around the field and gang tackle. The team's strength is at linebacker with the trio of Foster, Herbert Gamboa and Noah Maningo.

"One thing I will say is we have good team speed," defensive coordinator Jaime Ortiz said. "We have a lot of tenacity getting to the ball."

The players have been together for years. And most will be back next season.

With the chemistry strong and a drive to be on top once more, the team has a "great bond," Wilson said. "I think this season is the beginning. We are going to build off of it, and the younger players will have more experience next year."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Offense

• Travis Wilson (quarterback, 6-7, 215, junior): Wilson takes the helm of the Tritons' offense, and in similar fashion to recent quarterbacks, is a dual threat.

• Kyle Murphy (offensive lineman, 6-7, 268, junior): Following in the footsteps of his older brother Kevin, Kyle gives the Tritons' offensive line a presence and a big body to run behind.

• Terrell Johnson (wide receiver, 5-9, 170, senior): Johnson's speed makes him both exciting and dangerous when the Tritons get him the ball, which they plan to do often.

Defense

• Chad Foster (inside linebacker, 5-11, 210, junior): Foster was listed among the top 10 linebackers to watch in OCVarsity.com's preseason rankings.

• Herbert Gamboa (outside linebacker, 6-0, 200, junior): Gamboa provides the Tritons' defense with speed on the edge, which they rely on to get to the quarterback.

• Thomas Olds (defensive lineman, 6-4, 275, senior): Olds is the team's key player on the defensive line. He's a guy teams are not likely to run at.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• Mater Dei at San Clemente, Sept. 24: The Monarchs' visit is the Tritons' marquee game of the season. Every team wants to beat Mater Dei.

• San Clemente at Newport Harbor, Oct. 1: A week after hosting Mater Dei, San Clemente travels to face the Sunset League's Newport Harbor in a showdown of two teams ranked in the preseason Top 10.

• San Clemente at Dana Hills, Oct. 22: The Dolphins ended their losing streak to San Clemente last season. Not only will this game be about payback for San Clemente, it will have huge implications in the league race.

• Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Oct. 29: The Diablos again are the league favorites and carry a large target on their backs.