READY FOR FOOTBALL?
By John Gregory
Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) football practice is underway, with the first varsity game of the season scheduled for Aug. 23 at home against San Pasqual High School with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Falcons head coach Marlon Gardinera is looking forward to an exciting season.
One reason for his enthusiasm is a seasoned two-way starter and one of the team captains.
“The kid to watch is one of our running backs and one of our better linebackers: senior Ryan Stadtherr. He will be a two-way stud. He’s a four-year varsity starter,” Gardinera said. “Just an amazing athlete. (He’s) somebody you’re going to want to come out and watch. A 4.7 or 4.8 student. Just a phenomenal young man.”
The SRHS offense will also feature sophomore quarterback Parker Armstrong.
“Amazing young man, amazing leader. Incredible work ethic. Great student,” said Gardinera, describing his QB. “Everything you could hope for in a quarterback.”
One of Armstrong’s receiving targets will be Markell Martin, a two-way player who already has a scholarship offer from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
“He’s a starting wide receiver and one of the better cornerbacks we’ve had in the program in a long time. Another great kid,” Gardinera said.
One receiver who will be exciting to watch because of his size is Charlie Barajas.
“I think Charlie is 6’-6”. It’s really hard to defend Charlie. He will only be a junior,” Gardinera said.
The talented receivers might mean the Falcons will pass more than usual this season.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we lean a little bit more to passing, which makes it much more fun to watch,” Gardinera said.
“Our offense is very young, which means the future is going to be very bright,” he said. “I think we’re going to have three sophomores starting on the O-line and they’re already pretty good. So, really, the foundation for the future looks really, really good.”
One of the offensive linemen, Alex Obermiller, is a returning starter and also a team captain.
“He’s a three-year starter on the O-line. A leader and an anchor on our team,” Gardinera said.
“We’re typically undersized (on the line), but we make up for it with discipline, hard work, attention to detail and – quite frankly – the quality of our coaching staff,” Gardinera said. “We have smart kids, and they work hard, and they do what we ask. That combination often is more important.”
The Falcons will run a prostyle offense with one running back in the backfield, normally. Sometimes they will use double tight ends. They will occasionally use a tight end and a wing set.
“We always use tight ends. Scripps Ranch produces lots of big ol’ strong tight ends. Not big enough to be linemen, not fast enough to be wide receivers, but some pretty great tight ends,” Gardinera explained.
The Falcons defense will be anchored by its linebackers: Ryan Stadtherr, Rex Theilacker and Jackson Rochet.
“Our linebacking corps is pretty special. They’re fast, physical – they play fearless,” Gardinera said.
“We have a starting safety, Tristan Reyna. Experienced guy. Hard hitter. Goes after it,” he added. “So, defense will be fun to watch as well.”
SRHS has three-year player Tyler Meltzer on special teams who will handle kick-offs, punts, field goals and extra points.
“Our kicking should be strong. He’s (Meltzer) much stronger and has lots of experience,” Gardinera said.
The Falcons varsity team will compete in the Eastern League this season, with six home games. The 2024 season will include the normal rivalries such as La Jolla and Mira Mesa, but it will also include some teams that SRHS has not faced in a long time, if ever. These include La Jolla Country Day, El Capitan, Castle Park and a very good Mt Miguel team. League opponents are University City, Mission Bay, La Jolla and Mira Mesa.
This will be Gardinera’s eighth season as head coach at SRHS, and he said he plans to stay for three more seasons.
“We certainly want people to come out and catch a game. It’s probably the most affordable entertainment you could have on a Friday night,” he said.
