Lathrop’s best season in program history ended on a stormy night at Yuba College.

Special teams mishaps led to two touchdowns for Sutter, and that was the difference in a frustrating 21-19 loss in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V semifinals last year.

The Spartans ran the table in the Western Athletic Conference for their first-ever league title, and they had never previously advanced to the final four of the section finals. As much as they had accomplished, the now-seniors were left unsatisfied.

“It just fuels us,” Pablo Peña said. The senior fullback/middle linebacker is the reigning WAC MVP. “It’s the fire burning underneath all of us. We know we should have that game, but we basically shot ourselves in the foot.”

That same disappointment brewed all last offseason after the Spartans were outclassed by eventual champ Casa Roble in the quarterfinals.

Lathrop has improved in each of coach Ryan Teicheira’s first four seasons, but that has come with heightened expectations. 

“We have that bad taste in our mouth, and we’re going to come back with a vengeance,” lineman Christian Erazo said. “You always want to make it farther than you did (previously), and the seniors coming back definitely want it this year. The expectation is to make it to (a) section (final), but we have to secure that WAC championship first. That’s something we have to keep going.”

Sustaining success is the next step in Teicheira’s program-building project.

He lost most of his starters to graduation, most notably on the impenetrable defensive front where only Peña now remains. WAC Defensive Player of the Year Casyn Hopping and three-time All-WAC first-team defensive lineman Sean Teu have left big shoes to fill. On the offensive side, Erazo is the lone returning starter up front.

Teicheira remains optimistic. The senior class has never had a losing season at every level, and there are a number of players from this group eager to get their shots in the limelight. Leading the way are the likes of third-year varsity starters Maddox Ramos and Peña, as well as all-conference first-team safety Eliseo Lopez. They’re joined by a promising group of juniors and sophomores.

“It’s going to be a challenge to find the puzzle pieces and put them all together,” Teicheira said. “They’re excited about their opportunity, ready to compete and hopefully go farther than we did last year. Sutter is a really good team, but we felt like we lost that game — we didn’t get beat.”

Treydon Santos is among the seniors expected to have an expanded role. He backs the experienced secondary at free safety and will join Peña in a loaded offensive backfield. Teicheira calls him the team’s “Swiss Army Knife,” for his abilities in the rushing and passing games. Malachi Gonzales adds another speed threat at tailback, while fellow seniors Richard Felina and Humza Habibi are options at wingback.

Eric Lucatero and Ramos return at tight end and split end, respectively.

Lathrop came into the first official practices of the season with four openings on the offensive line, but there are experienced players vying for spots. Junior tackle Beau Grisham and senior interior lineman Malakai Dunn have varsity reps under their belts. Guard Shane Agbulos, defensive lineman Avner Faaliga and 6-foot-2, 285-pound tackle Malachi Joseph are juniors looking to make an impact in the trenches.

Senior Landon Nolte is competing with sophomore Daryion Reyno at quarterback. Jayden White, another sophomore, may be an immediate contributor in the defensive backfield.

“The seniors have been putting in the work, and they know that the incoming junior class can only make them better,” Teicheira said. “The talent is there; they just need to find the mind set to beat teams in close games. If they do that, they’re going to be a team that can be really special.”

Erazo, Peña drive physical Wing-T attack

By JONAMAR JACINTO

Ryan Teicheira introduced the Wing-T to Lathrop in 2021, and it turned out to be a perfect fit for the personality of the team.

It has since helped establish the Spartans as one of the top lower-division programs in the Sac-Joaquin Section.

Christian Erazo and Pablo Peña are the types of players Teicheira had in mind when taking over. Both crave contact but are deceptively quick with their bulky frames.

They lead a senior class that has experienced many of Lathrop’s milestone moments, including its first Western Athletic Conference championship in 2024 followed by its first run to the SJS Division V semifinals.

The Spartans have done it with a physical defensive front and a methodical, old-school attack that — with the right athletes — has held up in this era of pass-first spread offenses.

“I love the Wing-T, man,” Erazo said. “Our bread and butter is running the ball. I’ve been running the Wing-T since I started football in the seventh grade. It’s the only thing I’ve known.”

The 6-foot, 278-pound guard was in the running for the WAC’s Offensive Lineman of the Year award, which went to then-Johansen senior Richard Nuku — he was also named Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Formerly a linebacker, Erazo has both the power and mobility to effectively play his part in the Wing-T. With the Spartans losing all of their defensive linemen to graduation, he may be needed to contribute defensively.

“We ask them (offensive guards) to do a lot, and he’s a big and athletic kid who is smart and has a nastiness to him,” Teicheira said. “Christian loves to get after people. If need a yard or two, he’s going to be the guy to move people and get us that space.”

Erazo and Peña have been teammates since the seventh grade when they played on the Lathrop Jr. Spartans. Peña is the tone setter on both sides of scrimmage, and he’s the reigning conference and All-Area MVP.

“Pablo is our star player,” Erazo said. “Ever since the Jr. Spartans, he was always the highlight of our team. He’s a bruiser back who gives us momentum running the ball. Even if there are no holes, he’ll make the hole. Outside the game, he’s a great friend.”

Peña has the same trust in Erazo and describes him as “more of a brother.”

“We also do track together, and we’re always messing around with each other,” Peña said.  “We’re pretty close. We’ve been teammates for a long time, but we’re more than just teammates.”

A plowing fullback at 6-1, 230 pounds, Peña paced Lathrop with 1,043 rushing yards on 182 carries last season, and his 24 touchdowns are a single-season school record. Defensively, at middle linebacker,

he was second on the team with 100 tackles (14 for losses) with an interception and two fumble recoveries.

He had one of his most productive games in the Spartans’ 34-14 quarterfinal win over Hilmar, rambling for a season-high 189 yards and two touchdowns, while compiling eight tackles and a pass deflection on defense.

“It made me feel great (to be named WAC MVP), but I feel as if I can do a little bit more on both sides of the ball,” Peña said. “But the main goal is to push for a section title this year.”

Teicheira would like others to step up and help take the load off Peña’s shoulders, but there is no doubt who makes this team go.

“Pablo is the heart and soul of this team, and he has been that way since his freshman year,” Teicheira said. “He plays at a high level and makes things happen offensively and defensively.

“He just has a great feel and does his homework — a student of the game. He’s that guy who is everywhere on the field. Offensively and defensively, he’s our feature. He’s the guy that lights the fire for everybody else with the way he plays.”