Gila Ridge Preview: No seniors? No experience? No problem

Most teams talk about rebuilding projects this time of year. For coach Simon Ocampo and the Gila Ridge football team, it's more like a building project.

The Hawks take the field for the first time in a varsity game Aug. 29 when they play Yuma High.

And whatever the game brings, Ocampo is going to make sure his team is ready.

"We're getting better every day - that's what we hang our hat on," Ocampo said. "We're not one of those teams that's going to and say 'We're going to win every game and that's our goal.'"

That would be a foolish goal, given there are no seniors at Gila Ridge High School, and thus none on the football team. But no seniors doesn't mean no leadership.

Ocampo said he's impressed by Esteban Ruano, a hulking junior offensive and defensive lineman.

"Kids look up to him," Ocampo said. "He'll say something and the kids will shut up and listen."

Ruano said the team has a tremendous work ethic, even if there are no seniors there as on-field leaders.

"Just because the seniors aren't here doesn't mean we aren't going to work as hard as we should be," Ruano said. "Of course seniors are going to be bigger and older by a year, but that's not going to stop us."

Ocampo said that work ethic more than makes up for the Hawks' youth.

"As a male at the high school level, not only that year of maturity, but even more so psychologically with the maturity," Ocampo said. "It's tough. It hurts not having seniors, but I love these guys. These guys are going to to battle for us. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Running back Dontae Gilmore said there is a positive side to having no upperclassmen.

"The good part about it is even though we're juniors, we're helping out the team," Gilmore said. "We're getting closer and getting on each other even though we don't have seniors telling us what to do."

The Hawks won't be totally inexperienced, having fielded a junior varsity team last year that had a lot of freshman starters. One of those was quarterback Corey Semler, who will be the starter.

"He's the smartest kid I've ever coached in my life," Ocampo said. "He could be an assistant coach for this program. He's that good."

And he's already looking forward to his varsity debut.

"It's going to be a big game Aug. 29 at Yuma," Semler said. "It'll be their 100th year, so that will be a big deal. And it's our first game. It should be exciting."

As if the first football game in school history wasn't motivation enough; as if playing a school with 100 years of history wasn't motivation enough, Ocampo said there's something else that will get the Hawks fired up.

"All of our sophomores came from Yuma High," Ocampo said. "We had a pass at them last year playing JV football, but there's a little something else there. Our boys are playing against some of their friends, some of their enemies, it makes it a little more sweet."

Predicting an upset would just be bulletin-board fodder for the Criminals. Instead, Ruano said the Hawks know where they stand and what has to be done.

"A lot of people are going to be shocked by us," Ruano said. "I'm not saying we're the best team in Yuma, but we'll just have to wait and see until Aug. 29."