Junior wide receiver Tyee Stokman executes a drill during practice.
The varsity football team started their 2013 campaign on the right foot with a 50–0 victory over the Jefferson High School Indians on Friday, Sept. 6, marking Head Coach Steve Sell’s 100th victory coaching the Dons. This marks the third consecutive season that the Dons have won their first game, following up on last year’s 40–21 victory over San Mateo.
Despite finishing the 2012 season with an 8–4 record, the Dons will accompany Burlingame and Half Moon Bay back down to the Ocean Division for the 2013 season. In the eight- team Bay Division, the Dons tied for seventh after going 2–3. The goal for this season is to win the Ocean Division, which means that next year’s team will compete in the Bay Division.
Last year, the Dons were barely able to dip their feet in the Bay; this marks their second trip down to the Ocean Division in three years. Despite the division change, the team does not anticipate adopting a significantly different strategy. Sell says, “We have a core belief in what we do, but that always gets tweaked depending on what type of kids we have.”
Although the team said goodbye to some of last year’s stars, like wide receiver Aldo Severson and defensive lineman David Manoa, Sell feels confident about the team’s talent. He says, “We have a lot of wide receiver types. We don’t have the super-fast halfbacks like we did last year, when we had Marcel Jackson and J.D. [Elzie]. We’re thinking Kono [Filimoehala-Egan] is going to be everything Aldo was last year.”
Junior safety Billy Mason thinks Manoa’s departure might hurt the most. He says, “David Manoa was a great leader last year, and we don’t have someone like that yet. That person has to go 100 percent on every play, and he has to tell others what to do. Hopefully by the first game, someone will step up.”
Senior and center Tyler Neeley says, “We need to find leadership in the team, and find strengths in ourselves to get back to the Bay Division.”
One strength of the Dons this upcoming season will be their passing attack. Senior quarterback Nat Blood put together one of the best seasons by an Aragon quarterback in recent seasons, and when paired with this year’s speedy wide receiver oriented group, could pose a dangerous threat.
Moving to the Ocean Division means the Dons will share a division with San Mateo High School for the first time since 2006, when they both played in the Bay Division. Sell says, “Our games have been competitive in the last couple years. What’s unique is we’re used to having that game week one, since 2007. Now that’s going to be week six or seven. Once we’re playing, the rivalry will take over. I’m hoping when we play them it’s for more than just pride.”
The Dons will play their home opener on Friday, Sept. 13 against the El Camino Colts in the third annual Academic Bowl.
