Backfield duo might be best hope to get CHS football back on track

By Kyle Jorrey Acorn Sports Writer

BUSTIN' OUT-Above, Alex Henderson, left, and Adam Bernstein hope an energized rushing attack will be help the Coyotes improve from a season ago. Right, Henderson is a CIF- quality sprinter who's set his sights on 1,500 yards. Far right, Bernstein plays football with reckless intensity, enjoying nothing more than the chance to go one-on-one against any foe.

As the old adage goes, "When you’re already on the bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up."

And for the Calabasas Coyotes, who returned to the gridiron this past Monday after a winless season (0-10) a year ago, the feeling around camp is that the team is heading in the right direction—especially in the offensive backfield, where the tandem of tailback Alex Henderson and fullback Adam Bernstein might be the Coyotes’ best chance to get back in the win column and stay there.

"I felt a big change of attitude during the off-season," said Henderson, a senior who transferred to Calabasas from Quartz Hill High School (Palmdale) for his junior year. "It seems we are really benefiting from all the work we’re doing. We’re working on the things we really need to work on."

As a junior, playing behind graduate tailback Obi Ikemetuna, Henderson saw limited action, carrying the ball 70 times for 292 yards. But when he took a handoff or grabbed a pass, he was effective, recording a team-high five touchdowns—four rushing, one receiving. Giving the Coyote fans a preview of what’s to come, Henderson rushed 33 times for 169 yards in the team’s final loss of the season against Agoura.

This season, thanks to a new coach, Wayne Quigley, and an opportunity to start, Henderson has big expectations, well aware that his future in football is dependent on this year’s success.

"(The game against Agoura) didn’t mean anything, it was just one game. I want to prove to people that I can do that more like every game," said Henderson, who’s also a top-notch sprinter on the Calabasas track team. "My goal this year is to try and get over 1,500 yards, and I know that’s going to be real hard."

And he’ll get that opportunity if Quigley, who’s enthusiastic about the speedy senior’s chances, has his way.

"He’s a great athlete with great ability. I think he’s going to help us win some games," Quigley said. "He’s going to be a major factor in our team’s success . . . he’s got great speed. He could rush for 2,000 yards if we opened up some holes."

Chances are, some of those running lanes will be opened up by Bernstein, an energetic junior who enjoys planting opponents in the dirt—whether as a fullback on offense or as a linebacker on defense.

In fact, with all the uses Quigley has for a hard hitter like Bernstein, theTarzana native’s biggest challenge might have to do with his physical endurance.

"I feel fully confident (playing offense and defense). That’s what I’m there to do," Bernstein said. "I’ll go all game."

Though at 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds Bernstein is a well-equipped blocker, according to his new coach he’s much more than just a blocking back meant create daylight—the junior also likes to take the pigskin and run.

"When he gets to run the ball, his eyes just light up," Quigley said. "He’s a good north-to-south runner. He doesn’t try to dodge a lot of people. He just gets the ball and goes over people."

Between Henderson and Bernstein, expect the Coyotes to improve on the 111 yards-per-game they rushed last season—which ranked Calabasas second-to-last in the tough Marmonte League.

"I hope to be able to do some running—run I-formation and just slam it or go off-tackle," Quigley said. "If we have the lineman to open up some holes, we’ll be able to do it."

And if you ask Bernstein, expect the Coyote defense, which gave up a dreadful 49 points a game last season, to see improvement as well as it battles potent offensive attacks they’ll see during league play. According to the junior, Calabasas is improving at every defensive position, and forming a new, tougher outlook as well.

"The attitude is completely changed (on defense)," Bernstein said. "We’re really small, but we’re really mighty––especially our defensive backs. They’re not very big, but they know how to come up and knock the crap out of people."

And hopefully they will, if players like Henderson and Bernstein can inspire a group still laden with underclassmen.

"They’re both good leaders, and I think the kids as a whole are more optimistic this year," Quigley said. "Because of players like them, they’re starting to believe in themselves more and they’re anxious to prove they can do it."

And none is more anxious than Henderson, a senior who said he’s ready to leave his mark on Calabasas and return the Coyotes to respectability.

"The difference this year is going to be our ability to rise to the level of the teams we play, and by the time we get halfway through the season, get past that level," said Henderson, the team captain. "I think we’re tired of being the team that other teams look forward to on the schedule. We don’t want that title anymore . . . I would hope we see a record improvement, but I know it’s going to take a lot more than just me . . . at least we know there’s nowhere to go but up."