JC football: Fresno City set for opener

Fresno City College football coach Tony Caviglia is cautiously optimistic that an athletic and deep but still young team will settle in and play smart.

“Our kids are determined to play well,” said Caviglia, who is 130-46 as he enters his 17th year as the Rams’ coach, seven wins from becoming the school’s career wins leader.

“We’re going to play De Anza, and not sure what to expect, but if we play our game and not beat ourselves, I think we can win.”

The Rams open at 2 p.m. Saturday against the Dons in Cupertino.

Fresno City, ranked No. 20 in the preseason state coaches poll, is coming off a 7-4 season capped by a 35-21 victory over Santa Rosa in the State Center Bowl.

“Just to play hard every snap and do our job,” safety Tajhe Moore, a sophomore from Ponchatoula, La., said of the task at hand. “We have so many great players on the team that if we all do our job we feel we can’t be beat. We are approaching this season with great intentions on winning and playing good football.”

De Anza just wants to forget 2014. The Dons opened with a 52-7 loss in Fresno en route to an 0-10 season.

Here is a position-by-position look at this year’s Rams:

▪ Quarterbacks: Christian Rossi, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, passed for 1,243 yards with 14 touchdowns against nine interceptions as a freshman while sharing snaps with then-sophomore Nolan Sorensen a year ago. Utah is targeting Rossi, a former Clovis North standout. The likely backup is 6-5 freshman Anthony Monken (Libertyville, Ill.), who originally signed with Louisiana-Monroe.

▪ Running backs: Freshman Nate Jones (Tracy) “has a second gear and speed,” Caviglia said, but likely will be atop a “running-back-by-committee” approach with freshman Briquez Alvies (Alexander City, Ala.) and sophomore Elijah Shufford (Sanger), who sat out last season.

▪ Fullback: Freshman Isaac Gonzalez, a 2014 grayshirt and former Kerman standout, impressed Caviglia in fall camp. Freshman Elgin Austin (Hammond, La.) is in the mix for playing time.

▪ Wide receiver: “Talent, size” is how Caviglia sums up the position group, led by 6-2 sophomore James Whitfield (Fort Myers, Fla.). Sophomore Darius Green (Central) will be in the slot. Sophomores Bryant Fisher (Hanford West) and sophomore Kailon Carter (Boutte, La.) will be the flankers. Freshman Rashaan Miller (Pawling, N.Y.) also will see playing time as a punter.

▪ Offensive line: Sophomore Darian Warford (Mission Oak) will be the center after starting for the Rams last season. “He has a feel for what we’re trying to do on the offensive line,” Caviglia said.

Caviglia is happy how sophomore guard Sammy Madden (Clovis West) progressed through the offseason and camp, saying he’s “bigger and stronger.” Freshman tackles Greg Lewis (Hollywood, Fla.) and Tanis Joseph (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) both newcomers, likely will start. Joseph played with fellow freshman linemen Nahjee Young and Steve Exavier at Boyd High.

▪ Defensive backs: Moore finished second on the team in tackles (48) but is even better than last season, Caviglia said. He also had a sack and three interceptions. Freshman Ka’Lonn Milton (Buchanan) didn’t play last season but has been an early surprise. “We expect him to be a dominant player for us,” the coach said. Sophomore Deeldrick Taylor (Pineville, La.) is the vocal leader, Cavigilia said, and totaled 33 tackles and had an interception in 2014.

▪ Linebackers: Sophomore Chris Woolbright (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who has offers from Wyoming and San Diego State, leads the way. Last season, he finished with 30 tackles and two sacks while playing on the outside. Sophomore Cody Sanders (Liberty-Madera Ranchos) and freshman Tamarcus Russell (Dadeville, Ala.) will be the middle linebackers.

▪ Defensive line: Sophomore Josh Hinson (Hoover High) had three sacks and 23 total tackles a year ago. The nose guard is sophomore Titus Charles (New Orleans), of whom Caviglia says: “Big, strong and physical in the middle.” Sophomore Elijah Watkins (Brooklyn) and freshman Daud Davis (Dinuba) also will start. Walter Segal (Clovis West), Chauncey Brownfield (Rockville, Md.) and fellow freshman and Fresno State bounce-back Ramon Sierra (Garfield-Los Angeles) provide depth.

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 6:50 PM with the headline "JC football: Fresno City set for opener."