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Behind talented juniors, Atascadero football has high hopes for 2012
Posted: Aug 16, 2012 6:18 PM by Bill Halter
Updated: Aug 16, 2012 8:45 PM
27 seniors graduated from the Atascadero football team last year that went 6-4. Despite returning only three starters on both sides of the ball, the Greyhounds enter this season with a lot of excitement.
The Atascadero junior class is filled with players ready to step into starting roles. Head Coach Vic Cooper thinks his team might start slow but expects they'll get better as players get comfortable at the varsity level.
"It's going to be how they adjust to the Friday night lights and the varsity speed that determines how we do" said Cooper.
The team is certainly not as big as it was a year ago but the players think they are faster this season.
"I think you can expect a lot of speed. Pretty quick this year. We lost a lot of seniors which was a lot of our size but I think our speed makes up for it" said senior wide receiver and cornerback, Wayde Vierra.
Coach Cooper says you can expect a stable of running backs to try and replace the 894 yards Deonte Barnes gained on the ground last season.
"I don't necessarily know if we'll have a thousand yard rusher this year but we may have three or four, five hundred yard rushers" said Cooper.
Junior quarterback Robbie Berwick is back after starting all ten games under center as a sophomore. Berwick threw for 1,245 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions last season while rushing for 361 yards and six scores.
"Any time you've got a starting quarterback coming back that's a huge plus" said Cooper.
Atascadero will open the season on Friday, August 24 against Clovis North (Fresno.) The Greyhounds will host the game between teams that have been practicing in triple digit temperatures over the last week and a half. Clovis North finished 10-3 last year and won the CIF Central Section Division 2 Championship.
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