2021 SBCC Football Season Preview: The Wait Is Over
At some point every year, there is one question every football fan must face head on. It usually starts in August, and tends to be followed by side effects including, but not limited to: increased heart rate, yelling at TV screens, and a significantly wider spectrum of emotional expression, ranging from tears of genuine heartbreak to tears of unadulterated joy.
Well, actually, for fans of SBCC football… make that almost every year.
Following a nearly 22-month hiatus since their last competitive game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the wait is over and the Vaqueros are officially back in action and playing on a brand new home field. So, it's that time again, and there may never, EVER be a sweeter moment to ask this than right now… Here we go.
Are. You. Ready. For. Some. Football!?
"It's been a long time," said head coach Craig Moropoulos. "Seems longer than two years. It's unprecedented for me, really. You coach 35 straight years, and then you have nothing, which is really kind of hard to get through. But you just do it. We were fortunate to have spring practice, which was really good. But the biggest thing is, we're happy to actually set up to play a game finally. The guys are excited and energized."
Now in his 15th year with the program, Moropoulos guides a 2021 SBCC football team that will feature fewer returners and more first-time collegiate competitors than any of his previous squads. Fortunately, one of those returners is dynamic wide receiver Cyrus Wallace, who was second on the team with 364 receiving yards on 32 catches (11.4 Y/R) in 2019 to go along with two touchdowns.
"Cyrus has been a very good mainstay of the offense, as far as where he plays and what he does," Moropoulos said. "We're a very young team, as can be expected when you miss a year, and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. You're going to make some young mistakes, but when you do, you learn from them, and that's what the whole key is at this level."
Also among the team's returners is defensive lineman Devan Tursini-White, who two years ago was one of SBCC's key contributors ranking second on the team in tackles for a loss (12.5) and third in sacks (2.5). Joining Tursini-White on the Vaquero defensive line are a pair of Bishop Diego High School graduates in two-time All-State honoree Jordan Tagaloa and Semisi Falemaka.
Playing mostly at guard during his senior season at Bishop, the multi-faceted Tagaloa was named All-State First Team in the Medium Schools Division after helping lead a rushing attack that averaged an impressive 211 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry. He contributed to the other side of the ball as well with 16 tackles and a sack in five outings.
The SBCC coaching staff will have plenty of options this season when it comes to its signal-callers, including former San Marcos High School standout Ben Partee. During a stellar senior campaign in 2019, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback set school records for single-season passing yards (2,210) and touchdowns (20).
Partee became the school's all-time leader for both categories in the process, finishing his high school career with 4,024 yards and 37 touchdowns in just 21 games. He is joined on the offense by wide receiver Joshua Brown, who was his favorite target at San Marcos before both athletes went on to attend Gannon University in 2020.
"The quarterback competition has been really good. We've got five guys that can play," Moropoulos said. "It's a highly competitive group which is what I wanted, so at any time, somebody might have to step up and do the job themselves."
Speaking of the Vaquero coaches, Moropoulos had nothing much to offer outside of the utmost praise.
"It's a great staff. Several of them have been with me for quite a bit. A couple of them played for me," he said. "We have some guys that have been around me for a long time that I'm so very fortunate to have coaching here."
Returning as SBCC's Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator is former NFL guard and Cabrillo High head coach Don Willis, who also serves as the Vaqueros' head track and field coach for both men and women. Rob Adan is in his seventh year as the team's Strength and Conditioning / Wide Receivers Coach and lead Recruiting Coordinator. Other returning assistant coaches include Ed Deras (QBs), James Poggione (D-Line), and JJ Willis (RBs).
New to the coaching staff are Jackson Weed (LBs/Special Teams) and Isaac McClain (O-Line/TEs) – both of whom played for Moropoulos in the past – and Defensive Backs Coach Zach Brooks.
"Isaac McClain was arguably the best offensive lineman that I've had while I've been here," Moropoulos said. "Our staff is filled with good guys who really like being here and that I like having here. When you have that, you give them responsibility because they earned it."
On the Vaqueros' schedule in 2021 will be 10 regular season games, half of which will be played against fellow American Pacific League opponents. Their bye is set for the week of Saturday, Oct. 9.
Fans will get to watch them break in the new field with home games on Sept. 11 vs. West LA at 1:00 p.m.; Sept. 18 vs. Orange Coast at 6:00 p.m.; Oct. 16 vs. LA Pierce at 1:00 p.m.; Oct. 30 vs. Antelope Valley at 6:00 p.m.; and Nov. 13 vs. Santa Monica at 1:00 p.m. in their regular season finale.
All home games will be live-streamed and broadcast on local radio (KZSB 1290 AM). Check the SBCC football schedule atwww.govaqs.com to follow the games live all year long!
Story written by Michael Jorgenson, SBCC Athletics Sports Information Specialist