Back at his old stomping grounds, first-year Sierra head coach Ryan Teicheira held summer workouts behind the home stands of the stadium that bears his brother’s name.

Hanging at the top of the press box is a banner commemorating the program’s crowning achievement: “2015 CIF STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS.”

Teicheira, a 2001 graduate, was offensive coordinator on that team.

The Timberwolves have had just two winning seasons in the 10 years since, including a second Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship. In the meantime, Teicheira pursued other coaching opportunities, namely as the head honcho at Lathrop, which he turned into a bona-fide contender over five seasons.

Now, he’s tasked with helping his alma mater restore its former gridiron glory. Teicheira believes that much of the heavy lifting has already been done by his predecessors. The coaching staff is comprised of returning assistants and other fellow alumni.

To him, the mission isn’t necessarily to rebuild a team coming off an injury-marred 2-8 season.

It’s more of a reset.

“Coming back to Sierra, I felt the support from the administration and coaches,” Teicheira said. “Family values are a big part of the culture. The coaches have brought up my brother’s legacy, talking to the kids about the stadium name (Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium).

“This goes beyond my brother. It’s all the others from 1997 on, and how people still follow Sierra football and want to see Sierra football going strong. The family orientation centered around the football team has been great to see.”

Though some things have remained the same since his previous stint at Sierra, there are a few noteworthy changes.

Teicheira is bringing a new offense, and with it a philosophical switch in the trenches. He has introduced the Gun-T, a meld of the spread offense previously used at Sierra for much of the past 10-plus years and the Wing-T that Teicheira rode to great success with Lathrop.

“I think the offense suits us well,” senior Blama Kamara said. “A lot of guys on the team were skeptical, at first, but by now, everybody trusts (Teicheira), and the offense looks great and effective.

“Everybody gets involved, from the outside (receivers) to slot. We have different formations, and we can be really creative. It can be unstoppable, if we can execute the plays.”

The 6-foot-1, 178-pound receiver was a midseason addition last year, because of transfer rules, and Teicheira plans to make good use of the speedster who is a state track-and-field finalist in the 400-meter dash.

“It’s going to be by committee, but there are guys making names for themselves,” Teicheira said. “Blama is one of those guys. We’ll need to find a way to get him the ball in different spots.”

That doesn’t mean it will be a one-man show.

Teicheira intends to spread the wealth with slot receiver D.J. Shepherd, wingback Ozias Siga and a backfield rotation including Damian Densmore, Mateo Munoz and Venn Piedad.

Last season, the majority of touches went to second-year sophomore Darien East, an All-Valley Oak League Second-Team running back who has transferred to River Islands.

Densmore looks forward to contributing offensively after focusing on the defensive side his junior year.

“I haven’t done that a lot recently, so it’s a change of gears, but I think I’m ready to do it,” Densmore said. “We have the dudes that can block. I feel like we can move the ball more than we did last year, we just have to be a lot more physical.”

That’s where third-year guard Jaed Alcatuer, 260-pound junior guard Alejandro Meneses and senior tackle/center Angel Land come in as the anchors on the offensive line.

“They’re going to fall in love with our offense,” Teicheira said. “I think our linemen are starting to understand the differences of what we’re trying to do by playing physically. They’re seeing the competitive side of the trenches. They have to believe they’re going to be the dudes that make this team go.”

There’s a competition behind center between incumbent quarterback Jaysen Martinez and Ishmeet Singh, a senior transfer from Virginia. Last year, Martinez was thrust into the varsity spot as a sophomore after the projected starter unexpectedly transferred late in the summer.

“Jaysen had a good spring, and Ishmeet came in the summer and started pushing Jaysen from Day 1,” Teicheira said. “The door is still open for them, and we’re eager to see who pulls away. They’re the same type of quarterback, which is good, because we don’t have to change the offense for one or the other. It’s going to be the guy who makes the correct reads, motivates teammates and makes the team better overall.”

Densmore and Siga, both All-VOL Second-Team selections, head an experienced and athletic defense.

Densmore continues his partnership with Munoz as middle linebackers. Senior tackle Jesse Marquez-Barrios and junior ends Josiah Benavides and John Marek join them up front. Teicheira is impressed with first-year player Jacob Soares, a wrestling standout who is in the mix on the defensive line.

“We’ve improved a lot with a couple all-league guys coming back,” Densmore said. “(He and Munoz) have been playing together since freshman year, and we think alike. We have both have the same ideas to lead our defense to the standards that we have. We each have our own sides of he field, and we try to do what we can to make things easier on each other.”

The secondary features junior Omar Samadi and Kamara as cornerbacks, and they’re backed by second-year junior free safety Siga.

The Timberwolves are optimistic heading into this next era under Teicheira, who acknowledges they have “a lot to prove in terms of outside perceptions.”

There are winnable games against Central California Athletic League opponents Enochs, Modesto and Gregori, which are each coming off a sub-.500 season. The big pre-league test comes in the second week against Teicheira’s former team Lathrop, the two-time reigning Western Athletic Conference champion.

“I think we have a talented squad, and guys are stepping up in new roles,” Kamara said. “I think we should be able to compete for playoffs this year.”