It’s back to basic for youthful Trojans
Darrin Dillow knows he has a lot of work to do during his first year as head coach at California High School.
Dillow is taking over a Trojans team that won just one game last season and laying the proper groundwork could go a long way in them being competitive in the future.
First, Dillow is getting back to the basics.
“We have to teach the fundamentals,” said Dillow. “We are young and the biggest concern is teaching the fundamentals of football: the tackling, securing the football, taking the right steps, not jumping offsides. We are pretty far behind right now, but our top priority is teaching the proper fundamentals.”
The Trojans only lost five seniors from last year’s team, but they still lack significant experience.
Dillow, who spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at California, knows the first step is finding leaders among his players.
“That’s the thing,” said Dillow. “I have been here for a while and there haven’t been many true leaders. It’s tough for a young kid too step up and deliver. Leadership has been lacking in the past and we are looking to develop a couple. We are starting to see glimpses of that with a few guys.”
One player Dillow will be leaning on for leadership is senior KC Zajicek, who will take on a number of roles, from taking snaps at quarterback to taking the handoff in the backfield or lining up at wide receiver.
Ideally, Dillow would like to have a powerfull running game, but without the right personnel the Trojans might have to mix things up on offense in order to get their playmakers, such as Zajicek, the football as often as possible and in multiple positions.
“I would love to line up with a true fullback in the backfield and be able to run the football a lot,” added Dillow. “But we really don’t have that fullback on the roster, so we will have to run multiple formations and might be more balanced in terms of throwing the football. We want to get our athletes the ball, so we will run different packages with K.C. and other guys to get them the ball as much as possible.”
Quarterback Tyler Troutman is another player Dillow will depend on to move the offense. The Trojans are very thin in terms of running backs so expect the ball to be in Troutman’s hands more often.
“Tyler is starting to step up in a leadership role,” said Dillow. “He’s going to be able to do some positive things throwing the football. We are thin at running back and pretty solid at receiver. We are going to have to adjust to what we have.”
The strength on offense should be the offensive line, which will be anchored by senior Mason Grillo and junior Nick Barron.
“We have five guys up front who dedicated themselves in the weight room,” said Dillow. “Mason has really stepped up. He’s going to be a guard for us. Nick is a strong kid who can play everywhere on the offensive line. We are looking at both of them in a leadership role. While we are young, I expect us to be sound as an offense.”
On defense, the Trojans are going to utilize multiple fronts and adjust to its personnel.
“We are going to have to do some different things as a defense,” Dillow said. “We have three or four big guys up front, but they are going to have to play both ways. When they get tired, then we are going to have to mix things up. Our linebackers are very fast, but also not very big.”
The secondary is the strength of the defense with Zajicek at safety and Tyler Rothfuis as one of the cornerbacks. They have the speed and the skills to create turnovers.
To improve upon last season, the Trojans must stay healthy. As with any Class A team, a couple of injuries could be devastating.
“When you have low numbers, then you have to keep everyone healthy,” Dillow said.
While a return to the Class A playoffs from the Tri-County South Conference might a bit much to ask of the young Trojans, the most important thing Dillow wants to see growth in the program.
“Everything is measured in wins and losses,” he said. “While we do want to go out there and win every game, the most important thing is to start to grow as a football team. We want to take these young kids and help make them young men. We are really young and we just want to see some growth. If we focus on the fundamentals of the game, I think we will start to see some positive results.”