Calabasas football team expected to take to the air, be explosive this autumn

Acorn Sports Writer


MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn  VETERAN PASSER-Justin Fenchel will quarterback the Calabasas football team's offense this fall. He's shown here at a summer league tournament at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village.

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn VETERAN PASSER-Justin Fenchel will quarterback the Calabasas football team’s offense this fall. He’s shown here at a summer league tournament at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village.

A passing tournament, with no shoulder pads or tackling—a typical summer-football endeavor for high school players—took place at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village two weekends ago, and early on, at noon Sat., June 30, the Coyotes of Calabasas faced off with the host school.


Calabasas head football coach Larry Edwards saw his team defeat the Lions 3-2 (three touchdowns to two) before losing to Saugus, 4-2, in the following game.


While winning is important, something a team learns to do, Edwards said summer passing leagues and tournaments are more of a rehearsal; the regular season is still when victories count most.


"We try to get as close to game experience for the players as possible," Edwards said after losing vs. Saugus. "Obviously, though, it’s a practice for us, so there’s not a large consequence involved."


Still, Edwards didn’t discount the importance of prepping for the season by ironing out the kinks, which the Coyotes and all Southland teams had a chance to do during springtime intra-squad practices and in summer with adversaries from opposing schools.


"We want to get guys in a competitive game-situation and see how they react," Edwards said, stressing summer is a time for improvement and education. "We’re going to make some mistakes. How we correct them and learn from it is important.


"The growing pains happen over the summer right now and we’ll have the bugs worked out, hopefully, by September."


The Calabasas football team hopes to improve on last season’s 5-5 record, and with senior quarterback Justin Fenchel at the helm offensively, Edwards has a veteran to steer what he hopes will be a potent Coyote passing attack.


"We have some real good receivers, so we’re going to throw the ball a lot, possibly more than last year," Edwards said. "It’s not necessarily that we’re going to change the offense that much. We’re just going to give it a different packaging."


He said the emphasis on passing isn’t a change in coaching-philosophy, but merely utilizing his personnel. Fans can expect more diversity from the Coyote offense. "When that happens, when you throw successfully, you’re not as predictable," he said.


Despite the relatively relaxed atmosphere of summer football, the Calabasas head coach couldn’t help but be satisfied after his players defeated the—albeit a younger (no seniors)—outfit from Oaks Christian.


"We had some very clutch performances in the last drive," Edwards said. "For some of the guys, this was their first experience in a competitive setting. They stepped up and played well."


After the loss against Saugus, Fenchel said he and his teammates were still making adjustments.


"We were off and on," said the football and basketball letterman for Calabasas. "We played well in spurts."


The Coyote quarterback said the games can increase team-confidence.


"Playing during the summer gives us a chance to become more aggressive on offense," Fenchel said. "It’s an opportunity for the receivers to get more physical and for me to work on finding the open man."


Receiver Alex Rosenblum will make the move from junior varsity to varsity in his upcoming sophomore year. He probably spoke for many players whose enthusiasm and optimism are high.


"It feels really good to get out there," Rosenblum said, after catching three passes in a touchdown drive late in the game vs. Saugus, and whose major asset is speed. "I just have to be confident in myself. We’re a young team with a good future ahead of us."


Edwards summed up the plusses of summer passing league games.


"It’s fun to play in these tournaments because you get to see teams you wouldn’t normally get to see during the season and you get to compete against someone other than yourself every day. They’re fun, they’re competitive and the players enjoy them."




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