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Dynasty DrivenDolphins bulk up, embrace new system and are ready for a breakthrough season

here was a feeling in the air surrounding the Dana Hills High School football field as practices intensified, pads were donned and the summer came to an end—a new school year and football season in sight.

Maybe it was the large group of players tailgating in their trucks in the adjacent parking lot, bumping their car stereos as they laughed and joked with one another before practice began.

It could have been the sheer increase in size of the players, especially the linemen, who have pushed one another in the weight room, putting on extra pounds thanks to a new strength and conditioning program.

Even the new black, royal and white jerseys invoked a sense of change and excitement.Whatever it was, it felt like the Dolphins had already formed a cohesive team—which is

exactly the way new head coach Todd Rusinkovich wants it.Rusinkovich, a Cornell graduate and San Clemente High School alum, is entering his first

year as the Dolphins head coach, bringing with him a new attitude and a new way of doing things. And the players are all on board.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW2011

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By Steve Breazeale After the program went 4-6 overall last season—taking third place in the South Coast League with a 1-3 record—something had to change for the Dolphins.

“The difference between this year and last year is last year there were the seniors (in one group) and the juniors (in a separate group). This year, there is the varsity team,” said senior left tackle Tyler Wilemon, gesturing as he spoke to illustrate the divide he felt in the two groups last season.

What Rusinkovich brings to the table, aside from his college coaching background and defen-sive oriented mindset, is a strong belief in building what he calls a “football family.” Right now, it’s taking shape both literally and figuratively at Dana Hills.

He also brought in his brother, Jake Rusinkovich, to coach the wide receivers, while his father, John Rusinkovich, will serve as director of football operations as well as a defensive assistant. The remainder of the coaching staff is made up of old football coaches and friends Rusinkovich made during coaching stints at the University of San Diego and at Saddleback College.

But the cohesive atmosphere extends past the players tailgating in the parking lot and the friends and relatives that make up the Dolphins coaching staff.

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Dynasty Driven(Cont. from page 1)

When talking to Rusinkovich about the new season, words like “dynasty” and “legacy” repeatedly pop up in the conversation.

The fact that there are more cross country championship banners hanging in the gym than football banners gets him thinking of ways to, in his words, “balance that out.”

One area in which Rusinkovich is starting to build this dynasty driven mindset in his players is on the sidelines.

When the Dolphins take the field for the first game of the season against Santiago High on September 2, there will be as many as double the amount of players, underclassmen included, dressed out for the game—a big difference from last year, when only 40 or so players suited up for varsity competition.

“Our thing this year is the whole team con-cept,” Rusinkovich said. “Regardless if you’re a returning all league senior or an incoming fresh-man, we’re all one program. To build a dynasty, it starts at all levels. My goal is to dress out 70 to 80 guys a game, that way once they move up in grades, they’re ready to roll. Plus it makes everyone feel connected too.”

The Line has been DrawnSenior right tackle Garrett Guidotti was listed

at 235 pounds last season. Now, in large part due to a new program implemented by strength coach Phil Skinner, he jumped up several levels to the coveted 1,200 Pound Club—a way to measure a player’s strength in the bench press, squat and dead lifts—putting on 20 extra pounds that brought his weight up to 255.

But it is not just Guidotti who has made strides in the offseason.

“The offensive and defensive line kept it really tight with each other and took care of business in the weight room,” Guidotti said. “Everyone got a lot stronger. Everyone got big and put on at least 20 pounds.”

Rusinkovich says that this assembly of line-men is the strongest he’s ever seen at the high school level and believes that the rare mix of strength and speed they possess will put them over the top against other teams.

“A lot of these kids compare strength wise to college age kids. It’s unbelievable some of the weight lifting maxes that they have and just how strong and hard they’re working,” Rusinkovich said. “They are going to throw their weight around this year and have some fun knocking people down.”

The energy around some of the linemen is palpable, and for good reason.

This summer the unit proved they are among the strongest in Orange County by winning the Fountain Valley Lineman compe-tition by a whopping 21 points, and finishing second in the Saddleback College competi-tion. Some of the schools they beat along the way included San Clemente, Tesoro and Trabuco Hills, all of whom, with the exception of Mission Viejo, make up the South Coast League.

“We lost to Mission Viejo [at Saddle-back]…I’ll take that,” Wilemon said. “But we got second. We beat [the remaining South Coast League schools] in tug of war, head to head. It was about ultimate strength—us versus them—and we won. That to me is the ultimate, ‘We’re going to beat you.’ And that’s going to show.”

The Dolphins’ starting offensive line will consist entirely of seniors; including Guidotti, Wilemon, center Michael Brown, left guard Forrest Anderson and right guard Wade Kraus.

The defensive line should be equally formi-dable. Guidotti will play both sides of the ball and solidify a line that includes fellow senior and two way starter Matt Romano, who led the team with four sacks last season. Junior tackle Dalton du’Casse and junior defensive end Devon Vise will round out the rest of the starting defensive line.

Quick HitsEven though they have experience, most

of the Dolphin skill position players will be getting full-time reps for the first time at the

varsity level in 2011. Starting senior quarterback Shane Scambray, who has been on the team for four years, is one such player.

The senior spent the summer adapting to Rusinkovich’s new system and says he’s finding his stride with the offense.

“I’m excited,” Scambray said. “I’m looking forward to (running the offense)…coach is bringing in new stuff so I can’t wait to see how it works out.”

Joining Scambray in the hunt for continuous reps at varsity will be a majority of his receiv-ing core. Senior wide outs Conner Collins and Hunter Briggs—both listed in the No. 1 slots in Rusinkovich’s depth charts—really broke through at handling their positions extremely well at camp. Both will get their first dose of regular playing time.

But not all of Scambray’s targets will be first timers as Romano (tight end) and senior An-drew Jitratanajinda (wide receiver/free safety) will bring their varsity level experience to the Dolphin’s skill positions.

Rusinkovich has been impressed with both of these two-way starters and they should each have an impact on both sides of the ball.

Sophomore running back Justin Scott has thoroughly impressed Rusinkovich and running back coach Stephen McCullough so much that he will be the team’s primary back for the open-ing game.

Speaking of which…

Counting Down to Kick-OffAll of the atmosphere and expectations that

have been building up throughout summer workouts will come full circle as the Dolphins take the field against the Sharks in the first game of the season.

And, as if the new energy surrounding this year’s more unified team isn’t enough, the Dolphins need only look back a few months to get some extra motivation.

“We’ve been thinking about what happened last year and how we’re going to work our butts off to make sure that we don’t lose a single game,” Wilemon said. “To make sure that every time we line up across from someone—every single down, every game—we’re going to come up with a win.” DP

Dolphins in a Nutshell2010 Record: 4-6, 1-3 South Coast League (third)

Playoffs: DNP

Returning Starters: Offense: 5; Defense: 6

Offensive Set: Multiple Set

Defensive Set: 4-2

Head Coach: Todd Rusinkovich (also defensive coordinator and safeties coach) (entering first year at DHHS, 0-0, 0-0 overall)

Assistant Coaches: Dave Brown (offensive coordinator); Phil Skinner (offensive line/head strength coach); Jake Rusinkovich (wide receiv-ers); Rocky Brown (wide receivers); Stephen McCullough (running backs); Brad Curtis (quarterbacks); Trent Henson (defensive line); Eric Smith (linebackers); Bob Cunningham (cor-nerbacks); John Rusinkovich (football opera-tions/defensive assistant)

2011 Dana Hills High School Football ScheduleDATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME9/2 Santiago Santiago High 7 p.m.9/9 San Juan Hills Dana Hills 7 p.m.9/16 Edison Dana Hills 7 p.m.9/23 Mission Hills Mission Hills 7 p.m.9/30 El Toro Dana Hills 7 p.m.10/7 Capistrano Valley Capistrano Valley 7 p.m.10/14 Mission Viejo* Dana Hills 7 p.m.10/21 San Clemente* San Clemente 7 p.m.10/28 Tesoro* Tesoro 7 p.m.11/4 Trabuco Hills* Dana Hills 7 p.m.* South Coast league game

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| 2011 DOLPHIN FOOTBALL PREVIEW |

“A lot of these kids compare strength wise to college age kids. It’s unbelievable some of the weight lifting maxes that they have and just how strong and hard they’re working. They are going to throw their weight around this year and have some fun knocking people down.”

—Coach Todd Rusinkovich

Hunter Briggs runs the ball against Los Alamitos defenders at the Air Strike tournament this summer. Photo by Tony Tribolet/XPSPhoto.com

The Dolphins went full bore in full gear to prepare for the upcoming season’s big hits. Photo by Tony Tribolet/XPSPhoto.com

| 2011 DOLPHIN FOOTBALL PREVIEW |

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Cornerback

Crosby (47)Kennedy (35)

Defensive Back

Marowitz (5)Deane (33)

Quarterback

Scambray (16)Ashton (13)

Vail (14)

Offensive Depth Chart

Defensive Depth Chart

tO WatCh OFFENSE

Shane Scambray (6-4, 190 #16): Scambray saw little time at the position last year with QB Trent Mason taking the snaps, but as a senior with the most experience of the quar-ter back bunch, he will start in game one.

Numerical RosterNameChristopher LloydMatt SladeAlec CranfordAndrew JitratanajindaMitchell MarowitzLogan WarrenConnor CollinsJonny OntiveroColton FreedmanDevin Rizzo-FodenMatthew RomanoJustin BurnsJeffrey AshtonMac Vail Hunter BriggsShane ScambrayNick TirellaLuis Prior Elliot Sutherland-DunningTimothy AlvarezParker McCloudJustin ScottDarrion WigginsLiam ParsekianAnthony HaddadinVictor MoralesEvan VogelerTrevor TriboletMarcus Hughes William McKinleyJames DeaneDalton du’CasseColin KennedyRonald TripodiJun Nan Zhou HungJohn MendozaCody BetzlerBronson FoustNigel CrosbyMichael BrownForrest AndersonJoey VascoJorge ValdiviesoZachary LawlessWade KrausGarrett WilksMichael TorbertBrennan CalleyConnor LoganMyles BisbeeKyle StricklandAlex O’BrienRyan NagelBrett WilshireJacob HarbinLibni VivasMatthew MajdAndrew VetterGarrett GuidottiDaniel HoffmanTyler WilemonIvan SaguilanCory ChambersMichael VogelerHank WhiteMason CummingsDevon ViseAntonio PangilinanTanner HarrellRyan Nicholson

No.12345678910111213141516171819

202122232425262728313233343539424344454750515354555658596061646566676970717273757677808183848588909599

Grade12111112121112121211121111101212111211

111110111212111111111212111212111111121112121212111212111211111011111210121111121212101110101111111112

PositionWR/DBWR/DBWR/DBWR/DBWR/DBWR/DBWR/DBRB/LBRB/LBWR/DBTE/DLQB/WR/DBQB/DBQB/DBWR/DBQB/DBWR/DBRB/LBWR/DB

WR/DBWR/DBRB/DBRB/DBWR/DBRB/LBWR/DBWR/DBRB/LBRB/DBRB/LBRB/DBRB/DLWR/DBWR/DBWR/DBRB/LBRB/LBWR/LBWR/DBOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/RB/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLOL/DLTE/DLWR/DBWR/DBWR/LBTE/DLTE/DLOL/DLOL/DLRB/DL

Height5’10”6’0”6’0”6’0”5’8”5’9”5’10”5’11”5’10”5’8”6’4”5’9”5’11”6’0”6’2”6’4”6’0”5’8”5’10”

5’11”5’10”5’10”5’10”5’10”5’11”6’0”5’9”5’10”5’10”6’0”5’10”6’0”5’8”5’8”5’10”5’8”6’0”6’0”5’10”6’0”6’1”6’0”6’2”6’4”6’0”6’0”6’0”5’10”5’7”6’3”6’0”5’11”5’8”6’1”6’1”5’8”6’2”6’0”6’3”6’2”6’5”6’1”6’3”5’9”5’8”6’2”6’5”5’8”6’0”6’0”

Weight170200170190180165180180205165225160185160205190170210160

170160170170170180200155180175200190230185150160160215205175250285240230200230215170220245300230200170285215180220230255265285200170150155220205180215230

Tackle

du’Casse (34)Bisbee (64)

Linebacker

McKinley (32)Tribolet (28)

Free Safety

Jitratanajinda (4)Lloyd (1)

Tackle

Guidotti (75)Nicholson (99)

Linebacker

Freedman (9) Betzler (44)

Cornerback

Parsekian (24)Briggs (15)

Defensive Back

Slade (2)Ontivero (8)

Defensive End

Romano (11)Wilks (58)

Defensive End

Vise (88)Harrell (95)

Center

Brown (50)Logan (61)

Guard

Anderson (51)Wilshire (69)

Guard

Kraus (56)Strickland (65)

Tackle

Guidotti (75)Vetter (73)

Tight End

Romano (11)Burns (12)

Tackle

Wilemon (77)Lawless (55)

Receiver

Warren (6)Rizzo-Foden (10)

Wide Reciever

Briggs (15)Sutherland-

Dunning (19)

Running Back

Scott (22)Deane (33)

Tyler Wilemon (6-5, 285 #77): Wilemon is as big as they come and another veteran of the line. The big left tackle will protect the edge of the Dolphin line and give his new quarterback some pro-tection in the backfield.

Wade Kraus (6-0, 230 #56): In case you haven’t noticed, the Dolphins offensive line should be a force to be reckoned with, thanks in part, to Kraus’ vet-eran experience. He is expected to dominate at right guard.

Garrett Guidotti (6-3, 255 #75): ‘Terrifying’ said Rusinkovich about the senior right tackle. With speed and power, Guidotti is the strongest player in team history. A member of the 1,200 Pound Club, his record stands at 1,235 lbs.

Forrest Anderson (6-1, 285 #51): At left guard, Anderson will play alongside Wilemon to round out the left side of the line. And, with both weighing in at 285 pounds, the combina-tion will be intimidat-ing, to say the least.

William McKinley (6-0, 200 #32): The 2010 second team all league linebacker has emerged as a leader to help anchor the defense. McKinley looks to fol-low up a strong 2010 when he had 74 tackles and one interception.

Matthew Romano (6-4, 225 #11): Romano made great contribu-tions last year and will be a player to watch in 2011. He was active on defense, notching 32 tackles and leading the team in sacks with four in 2010.

Colton Freedman (5-10, 205 #9): Freedman will play in the middle of the 4-2 defensive scheme. A fast and athletic player, he is poised for a breakout year building on his 2010 campaign when he amassed 33 tackles.

Mitchell Marowitz (5-8, 180 #5): Marowitz was a formidable part of the Dolphins defense last year. His impressive stats landed him among the team leaders of 2010 with 32 solo tackles and 49 tackles total.

Andrew Jitratana-jinda (6-0, 190 #4): Rusinkovich used the word “intelligent” when speaking of his free safety. Jitratana-jinda can read offenses quickly and will be in charge of controlling the secondary.

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Wide Reciever

Collins (7)Jitratanajinda

(4)

tO WatCh DEFENSE Photos by Most Valuable Photographers, Inc.

Game Previews

Location: Mission Hills HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Chris HauserLeague: Avocado-East2010-2011 Record: 10-3 (4-0 league)2010 vs. DH: Win 48-42

2011-2012 Overview: A lot of the Grizzlies’ strength will rely on its defensive prowess—one that held teams to an average of 24.6 points in three rounds of the playoffs in 2010. Anchoring a solid defensive line will be returning se-niors Aaron Leauma and Anthony Lira (who also doubles as a tight end). In 2010 the Dolphins went through the same stretch of opponents, having to play Edison and Mission Hills in back-to-back weeks, and came out with back-to-back losses. Now the Dolphins hit the road in this one looking to avenge last season’s 48-42 loss that came in front of the crowd at its home stadium.

September 23Mission Hills

Location: Dana Hills HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Bob JohnsonLeague: South Coast2010-2011 Record: 13-1 (4-0 league)2010 vs. DH: Win 52-26

2011-2012 Overview: As usual, the Diablos will be on everyone’s radar as the team to beat in the South Coast league. The 2010 champions went undefeated in league play last year. In 2010 the Diablos did most of their dam-age against opponents thanks to a prolific running attack that averaged 238.2 yards per game. The Diablos’ offense was also able to move the chains as a result of the efforts of then junior quarterback Alex Bridgford, who threw for 16 touchdowns and completed 61 percent of his passes. Bridgford will return, along with 10 others from last year’s campaign, to lead the Diablos in another quest for the title.

OCtOber 14Mission Viejo

Location: Dana Hills HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Rob FirthLeague: Sea View2010-2011 Record: 6-6 (3-1 league)2010 vs. DH: Win 23-14

2011-2012 Overview: Just like last year the Dolphins will have to run the gauntlet of playing Edison, Mission Hills and El Toro in three consecutive weeks. In 2010 that three game stretch resulted in three consecutive losses, putting Dana Hills in an early 2-3 hole. The Chargers defeated the Dolphins 23-14 in last year’s effort and have plenty to build on heading into this showdown. El Toro enters the 2011 season with a talented secondary, led by senior mid-dle linebacker Brian Moreen who amassed an astounding 109 total tackles last year. El Toro finished second in the Sea View league last year behind Laguna Hills.

El Toro

Location: San Clemente HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Eric PattonLeague: South Coast2010-2011 Record: 8-3 (3-1 league)2010 vs. DH: Win 42-28

2011-2012 Overview: The Tritons have 16 players return-ing to the gridiron this season, which will no doubt have a positive effect on the team. But perhaps no one on the San Clemente team will be more pivotal to its success than senior quarterback Travis Wilson. In a game where the quarterback position gets a lot of the attention, Wilson seems to shine in the spotlight when he’s under center. Last season, Wilson threw for more than 2,000 yards and rushed for 457 more, amassing 18 total touchdowns. On defense, senior inside linebacker Chad Foster will try and be as effective as last year, when he led with 107 tackles.

OCtOber 21San Clemente

Location: Capistrano Valley HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Matt PostonLeague: Sea View2010-2011 Record: 3-7 (0-4 league)2010 vs. DH: Loss 40-27

2011-2012 Overview: With head coach Matt Poston at the helm, the Cougars have yet to finish above .500 in a season and have struggled in league, going 1-8 in both South Coast and Sea View leagues. However, Poston has to like the fact that the Cougars will have 14 returning players from last year’s varsity squad—nine are full-time defenders. Junior quarterback Mason Dossey had a decent 2010 campaign as a sophomore, throwing for 1,246 yards and eight touchdowns. But Dossey must solve his turnover problems (he threw 13 interceptions) if the Cougars are to make any noise in the Sea View league in 2011.

OCtOber 6Capistrano Valley

Location: Tesoro HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Brian BarnesLeague: South Coast2010-2011 Record: 8-4 (2-2 league) 2010 vs. DH: Win 38-3

2011-2012 Overview: 2010 was a nice bounce back season for the Titans, who went 5-5 (2-3 league) the year before. But they still finished third in the South Coast league behind Mission Viejo and San Clemente, respec-tively. One player to watch for the Titans this year will be senior wide receiver/defensive back Kyle Woolbright. Woolbright averaged 55.3 yards per game in 2010 and connected with sophomore quarterback Matt Adam for five touchdowns. With another year of experience under his belt, Adam, now a junior, will be expected to improve on a year where he threw eight interceptions.

OCtOber 28Tesoro

Location: Dana Hills HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Aaron FlowersLeague: Sea View2010-2011 Record: 7-4 (2-2 league)2010 vs. DH: DNP

2011-2012 Overview: The task of developing a strong foot-ball program from the ground up is a big one and the 2010 Stallions football team produced the school’s first-ever winning record since its inaugural season back in 2009. But most of that squad from last year will be gone. This year San Juan Hills will only have eight players returning with varsity experience, among them senior running back Kyle Bauer, who led the team in rushing touchdowns.

September 9San Juan Hills

Location: Dana Hills HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Dave WhiteLeague: Sunset

2010-2011 Record: 7-4 (4-1 league)2010 vs. DH: Win 27-212011-2012 Overview: It seems like every year Edison is al-ways poised to make a solid run heading into the playoffs. With a deep roster and 14 returning players coming back to the varsity squad, this season looks to be no exception. Last year the Chargers held off a second half surge by the Dolphins and escaped with 27-21 victory, handing Dana Hills its first loss of the season. Senior wide receiver Troy Baljeu will try and build off of his 518 yard, six touchdown 2010 campaign by connecting with returning senior quar-terback Chase Favreau.

September 16Edison

Location: Santiago HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Jeff SteinbergLeague: Big VIII2010-2011 Record: 4-6 (3-4 league)

2010 vs. DH: Loss 49-202011-2012 Overview: Santiago finished in the middle of

September 2Opening Day: Santiago

Location: Dana Hills HighTime: 7 p.m.Coach: Scott OrloffLeague: South Coast2010-2011 Record: 4-6 (0-4 league)2010 vs. DH: Loss 39-38

2011-2012 Overview: Finishing last in league play should be enough to motivate coach Scott Orloff’s team to a stronger 2011 campaign. Last year, Dana Hills and Trabuco Hills competed in a shoot out against one another with the margin of victory only a one point difference—the Dol-phins eventually claiming the victory. However, Trabuco Hills might just be the most experienced team in the South Coast league. The Mustangs’ depth charts will be filled with 18 returning players who have seen their fair share of action at the varsity level.

NOvember 4Trabuco Hills

the Big VIII (tied for fourth) and struggled to find wins in league play. With the mediocre taste of last year still lingering, Santiago could come out firing against the Dolphins in their season opener. The quarterback position was definitely one of their strengths last year, and junior Michael Darr looks to be the frontrunner to take over the position heading into the 2011-2012 season.

September 30

| 2011 DOLPHIN FOOTBALL PREVIEW |

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By Steve Breazeale