PAL Bay Division: Burlingame

2019 season opener: Live Oak-Morgan Hill at Burlingame, 7 p.m. Friday

Key returners: Leo Epstein (sr., ILB); Connor Kall (sr., OL/DL); Lucas Meredith (jr., RB/DE); Devon Malashus (sr., RB/DB); Jordan Malashus (sr., QB); Gino Lopiccolo (sr., RB/DB); Taylor Kaufman (jr., WR/DB).

Key newcomers: Will Uhrich (so., WR/DB); Joe Schenone (sr., TE/DE); Taylor Clark (sr., TE/ILB).

Outlook: The Panthers certainly picked the right year to move back into the Bay Division. With most of their skills positions players returning, as long as head coach John Philipopoulos can get his offensive line to gel, the Panthers should compete with the PAL’s heavyweights.

“I don’t know if we’re reloading, but I think we’re in a good position, athletically,” Philipopoulos said. “We feel good about our skill positions. Our offensive line is coming into form. That seems to be the question every year for Burlingame.”

If the O-line can come together, the Panthers have the players to make it look good. Jordan Malashus returns for his second season under center. He’ll have a beast of back to hand off to in Lucas Meredith and Philipopoulos is excited about the wide receiving tandem of junior Taylor Kaufman and sophomore Will Uhrich, who started for the Burlingame varsity basketball team as a freshman last season.

“[Malashus] has a cannon for an arm (and) he’s a run threat,” Philipopoulos said. “[Meredith] is probably one of the premiere running backs, not just in the league, but in the county. … The combo [of Kaufman and Uhrich] is going to be amazing.”

The Panthers should be equally dangerous defensively, especially the defensive backfield. The combination of Devon Malashus, Gino Lopiccolo and Kaufman combined for six interceptions last season. Add in the defensive prowess of linebacker co-captain Leo Epstein, along with Meredith and co-captain Connor Kall on the defensive line, Burlingame should be ready for the Bay Division’s high-powered offenses.

“We feel pretty good with where we are,” Philipopoulos said. “We feel like things are going relatively well, as a whole.”