Quarterbacks are often expected to be leaders on a football team. It’s a role El Capitan High senior Jesse Morgan fills comfortably and one he takes seriously. Morgan played receiver last year to do what he could to help the team. This year he transitioned back to quarterback and he has the trust of his teammates.

 

“He’s hard on the guys,” said El Capitan head coach Xavier Ramirez. “If they’re not running the right route, he’s going to tell them. He’s not afraid to lead the guys and all the guys are responding to it. The other day, we had a situation in practice where I felt Jesse was really, really hard on a guy and I had to tell him, ‘Hey, back off a little bit.’ It was funny because one of my players told me, ‘Coach, he’s doing his job.’ So they’re responding to him and this team is really holding themselves accountable.”

 

The Gauchos are coming off consecutive five-win seasons, and are hoping to build off a Sac-Joaquin Section Bowl victory over Livingston last year. El Capitan will feature a lot of new faces with a young roster that will lean on the few returning players like Morgan, Eli Hernandez, Austin Gooding, Rodolfo Rosel, Alex Hernandez and Joshua Reid. The Gauchos feature just 12 seniors on the roster so they will be counted on to set the tone for their younger teammates.

 

“As a quarterback, you have to be the leader,” Morgan said. “You have to be willing to take command, be the field general, especially on the field or off the field. One of the things I like about this group is we have a close bond.” 

 

Hernandez is another veteran player returning after earning second-team all-Central California Conference honors last season as a defensive back. The Gauchos lost two of the top offensive weapons in the CCC last year in receiver A.J. Jones and running back Lorenzo Peters. “This year we can’t rely on one person to save us when we're in bad situations,” Hernandez said. “We have been spreading the ball so I think that'll make us better.”

 

The Gauchos like what they’ve seen in junior running back Evan Jenkins and junior receiver Tyler Parker. Senior linebacker Alberto Torres transferred from Atwater will provide leadership in the middle of the defense. Junior linemen J’den Reniz, Tristan Zackariah and Christian Canela will be counted out to contribute as well.

 

The Gauchos also added some new faces on the coaching staff with Tom Bone and Alex Andrade. Ramirez also promoted two new coordinators with Alex McKeon taking over as offensive coordinator and Robert Davenport running the defense. “I just really felt like the kids are responding to the new coaches who are out here,” Ramirez said. “We’re not changing our schemes. We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, just perfecting the offense, making little tweaks. This is the third year we’ve been running the same offense. We’re all speaking the same language.”

 

This season also starts a new era of Gaucho football with the team opening up its new on-campus stadium. El Capitan will host its first home game in the new stadium on Sept. 4 against Central Valley. The players and coaches are excited to break in the new stadium. “It still doesn't feel real yet,” Ramirez said. “I think once we get out there, it's going to start feeling really real.”

 

“It's amazing because when I first got here as a freshman, it was dirt, none of that was there,” Morgan added. “So it's just amazing. I can't wait. I can’t wait for it to be packed, the crowd cheering, family there, on the field with my brothers. It's going to be amazing, it's beautiful.”

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.

 

Schedule

Oct. 28 at Grace Davis

Sept. 4 vs Central Valley

Sept. 12 at Sacred Heart Prep

Sept. 18 at Patterson

Sept. 25 vs Modesto

Oct. 9 vs Golden Valley

Oct. 16 at Los Banos

Oct. 23  vs Atwater

Oct. 30 at Merced

Nov. 6 vs Buhach Colony