Just like their professional counterparts in the NFL, the Valley Center varsity football team took advantage of the preseason with a scrimmage at Mira Mesa on Friday to get ready for the regular season opener this Friday night.
The Jaguars were the only team to score, and that coming late in the contest, when senior quarterback Beau Reilly found fellow senior wideout Taylor Oshinski on a deep pass that resulted in a touchdown.
For Oshinski, the big play felt more like redemption, after he missed all of last season with a broken right ankle, an injury suffered in last year’s preseason match-up against Mira Mesa in Valley Center.
“That was the same play I got hurt on last year, so it was cool to come out this year and score on it,” he said after the game. “It was just great to be back, I really missed being out here on the field. I was a little nervous before the game, because of what happened last year, but I really enjoyed it.”
The scrimmage started with some special teams work, as each squad worked out the field goal and punt teams for a few plays.
Then the Mira Mesa offense took the field, and the Jags showed quickly that their defense is ready to hit. The Marauders completed a few short passes early, but Valley Center’s defense swarmed to the ball, led by linebackers Shonta Chaloux and Martin Cunningham, along with defensive end Kenny Thomas, who stuffed the Mira Mesa ball-carrier for a loss on the third play of the series.
Chaloux got the Valley Center sideline buzzing with some big hits, including a pair of big stops on running plays early in the contest, and a near interception that would almost certainly been a touchdown return had he been able to hold onto the ball. The senior linebacker even briefly wrestled with a Mira Mesa player later in the game when the Jaguars were on offense, as he followed through on a block downfield on a running play.
“It just feels really good to be back out here after I was injured last year,” Chaloux said. “All this off-season, I just thought about how much it sucked to be hurt and to have to sit on the sidelines while my teammates were out there playing. That motivated me to hit the weights and focus on getting back out here this year.”
The Jaguars were stout against the pass as well, as Cunningham knocked down a throw over the middle, and the experienced defensive backfield for the Jags, including senior cornerback David Last, kept the Mira Mesa receivers from finding much open space. Last nearly picked off a long pass late in the first series for the Jaguar defense, just two plays before the Jaguars took their turn on offense.
Valley Center’s first offensive series got off to a shaky start, as a holding call on the offensive line set the Jags back ten yards. But Reilly connected with Oshinski on a post pattern for a gain of 11 yards later in the drive, then found him again later in the series on a ten-yard out pass.
New running back Travis Bernard, who takes over the ball-carrying duties in his senior season, struggled to find rhythm in the scrimmage behind a young offensive line. Bernard’s longest run of the series was for only five yards, and he was dropped for a loss or held to no gain on four of his seven carries before the defense took over.
“We need our offensive line to be strong for us to be successful,” Oshinski said. “They’re working hard because they know that if the line improves, we’re good enough to make a run at CIF. The more they improve, the better we can get in so many areas.”
Each team had one more series on offense, and when the Mira Mesa offense came back out, the Jaguar defense picked up right where it left off. Cunningham lowered the boom on the Mira Mesa runner, inspiring Valley Center defensive coordinator Randy Cowell to good-naturedly remark to the rest of the Jaguars on the sideline, “There’s a guy who lifts weights, for all you sissies who don’t want to get in the weight room.”
A newcomer to the Jaguars also made a big play, as junior defensive lineman Jean-Marc Brierre, a transfer from South Carolina, recovered a Mira Mesa fumble midway through the series. Chaloux and Last also came up with big tackles before turning the ball back over to the Valley Center offense.
The Jaguars picked up a quick first down after another completion to Oshinski, then had a dazzling, cutback, 38-yard touchdown run by Bernard called back on a holding penalty. Reilly took some hits in the series and was sacked three times in the game, but saved his best throw for last, as he let fly with a perfectly-placed spiral into the hands of Oshinski for a 38-yard score.
“We did some good things, and we did some bad things, but we didn’t back down,” head coach Rob Gilster said after the game. “They played a really physical game, they came out and hit us right in the mouth, and we responded. Our defense was active, and we got to the ball, but we’ve got to get better in our coverage and remembering our assignments.”
With the lessons from the scrimmage sinking in, the Jaguars get ready for the real deal, which comes in the form of the visiting San Pasqual Eagles.
“They’re always a big test,” Gilster said of the Jaguars’ next opponent. “We’ll see if we’re ready.”
The Jaguars host San Pasqual on Friday night at Valley Center High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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