Football preview: Calrmont Scots

Key returners: Julian Morin (Sr., RB/DB); Daniel Taumalolo (Sr., LT/DT); Jonaven Kuhn (Jr., RB/DB); Miles Taye (Sr., RB/OLB); Jake Parker (Sr., TE/LB); Brett O’Connor (Sr., DL); Darian Dennler (Sr., ILB/OL); Jayden Kuhn (Sr., RB/ILB)

Key newcomers: Siupeli Netane (So., QB); Wes Brown (Jr., WR); Gilberto Brambila-Perez (Jr., LG/DT); Sam Vaea (Sr., DT/OT); Si’i Tengei (So., FB/OLB)

2018 opener: Friday vs. Sacred Heart Prep, 7:30 p.m.

Outlook: 2017 was a season of what-ifs for the Scots.

After winning seven straight games to start the season, Carlmont’s fate was sealed with consecutive losses — first to eventual PAL Lake Division champion Jefferson, and then to non-league rival Sequoia — when winning either, or both, would have surely clinched the program’s first Central Coast Section playoff berth since 1991.

It certainly seemed like the Scots’ best chance in recent years. The team had a vaunted rushing attack fueled by now-graduated Offensive Player of the Year Demarrii Blanks. Carlmont does return Blanks’ backfield complement in senior running back Julian Morin, but the aces up the team’s proverbial sleeve will be up front with the return of four starting offensive linemen — senior right tackle Eric Steinzeig, senior right guard James Ferrario, junior center Ola Fifita and third-year starting senior at left tackle Daniel Taumalolo.

“[Our strength] probably continues to be at the running back position,” Carlmont head coach Jake Messina said, “but we will branch out and throw the ball more than we did last year.”

Sophomore quarterback Siupelo Netane will begin his first full varsity season at the helm of the wing-T offense. The 6-2, 215-pound specimen got a varsity taste at year’s end as a freshman due to Carlmont losing both its senior quarterbacks to injury.

“Physical, powerful arm, really good decision making,” Messina said of Netane’s skillset.

The other Netane in the Carlmont mix is third-year defensive coordinator Tim Netane, whose 3-4 scheme will look to free up senior inside linebackers Darian Dennler and Jayden Kuhn to fly around.

“The entire defense is essentially designed to let those guys run clean and get sideline to sideline,” Messina said. “And they did an excellent job of it last year.”

With last year’s PAL Lake Division champion Jefferson expected to throw the ball with abandon, Carlmont’s bid to end a 26-year playoff drought could be riding on the secondary, anchored by Jayden Kuhn’s younger brother, junior Jonaven Kuhn, and senior Ralphie Holmes, a second-year varsity transfer who played his two underclassman seasons at Serra.

Carlmont begins the year with 31 players on the varsity roster. The thing about Messina, though, is he has long been a big weight room advocate. And in talking about most any individual Scots player, he raves about the work each put in when hitting the weights.

“It’s a deceiving 31,” Messina said.

Conditioning can only lend to helping the Scots’ finishing power, something that cost them last year in the head-to-head showdown with Jefferson to decide the Lake Division title last season. Carlmont got off to a fast start and held a 28-19 lead at halftime. But an abysmal third quarter saw Jefferson take the lead — and keep it through the fourth while shutting out the Scots in the second half.

“It was a really sad deal,” Messina said. “We destroyed ourselves in that game. So we’re looking forward to that rematch this year.”

— Terry Bernal