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Sunny Hills Coach David Wilde talks to his players during a game last season. (Photo courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone).
Sunny Hills High School’s football team has had a busy summer in preparation for the season opener on Friday, Aug. 18 against Marina.
“I purposely scheduled as many passing league games and lineman competitions as possible this summer,” said second year head coach David Wilde. “We threw more this summer than at any time in recent memory. This allowed our skill guys to get lots of reps and compete. I was pleased with what we accomplished over the summer.
“Our expectations are always high. We expect to finish in the top half of our league. We know that there are no gimme games on our schedule and the Freeway League is always tough. I am excited about this group, but also excited because we have a lot of young guys to build with.”
Sunny Hills was 4-8 overall and 2-3 in the Freeway League last season. The Lancers won their CIF Division 10 playoff opener over LaSalle before losing to Salesian in the quarterfinals.
Wilde, a former Lancer assistant coach, has had a full year under his belt after getting the job in April 2022.
“Pete (former coach Karavedas) had created a great foundation and structure and we tried hard to stick to that,” Wilde said. “The season was a tough one. We played a very tough pre-season and struggled through it and had to deal with injuries. We ended up tied for third place and made the playoffs on a coin flip. It was great to win a playoff game after a tough season. We played longer than any other team in the league.”
Wilde said the Lancers “needed to reset our culture in the off season. We focused on resetting the culture in the weight room, classroom, and locker room. We also revamped our offense to better fit our personnel and looked to promote and hire on-campus coaches. I am very pleased with our new defensive coordinator Matt Acosta and excited about our new teacher and coach Chris Collodel.
“Chris comes to us from Servite and has a great coaching resume. He played offensive line at Servite where he won a CIF championship then went on to play at Chapman where he won a SCIAC championship. He’s had coaching stints at Chapman, Orange, El Modena, Santa Valley and most recently Servite.
“To hire someone with Trinity League playing and coaching experience as well as playing and coaching at the collegiate level is a big get for our program.”
There have also been changes in the offense.
“We’ve retooled out offense to better fit our personnel,” Wilde said. “We have the biggest O-line that we’ve had in recent memory. It will be anchored by returning all league tight end Connor Irons (6-6, 245, senior) and returning tackle Caleb Chikosi (6-2, 260, junior). Rounding out the rest of the O-line will be tight end William Brown, tackle Andrew Hodge, guard Mateo Munoz, center Fenix Kawin and guard Daniel Jimenez.
“Opening holes for our running backs will be senior fullback Kaito Inoue (6-0 245). Sophomore Madden Leaseau looked good in spring and summer and has the edge to start at quarterback. Sophomore Elias Vorathavorn has the edge to start at running back.”
On defense, William Brown and Connor Irons return at linebacker.
“Our secondary is young, but we were impressed with freshman Justin Covarubias,” Wilde said. “He is making a good case for himself to start somewhere in the secondary. He is a smart player with soft hands and a natural instinct for the ball.”
2023 SCHEDULE
Home games at Buena Park
Friday, Aug. 18, at Marina (Westminster)
Friday, Aug. 25, (H) vs. Katella
Thursday, Aug. 31, (H) vs. Woodbridge
Friday, Sept. 8, at Brea Olinda
Friday, Sept. 15, at San Dimas
Friday, Sept. 29, (H) vs. Sonora
Friday, Oct. 6, at Fullerton
Friday, Oct. 13, (H) vs. La Habra
Friday, Oct. 20 at Buena Park
Friday, Oct. 27 (H) vs. Troy
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
