Seth Davis is reminded of a painful end to the 2015 season every morning when he goes on his run.
The Weston Ranch coach and Manteca resident lives near Sierra High, where a banner celebrating the football team’s state championship hangs on the press box of Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium.
It is at this same venue back on Nov. 6 where the Davis’ Cougars had their hopes for a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth end. It also signaled the beginning of Sierra’s magical run to the SJS Division IV and CIF State Division IV-A titles.
Weston Ranch was fully in command of the Valley Oak League finale, leading 27-13 at halftime before losing, 34-27.
“Obviously, losing in that fashion has really driven us,” Davis said. “We did not wait until the summer; we had dudes in the weight room in January. That motivation alone has helped over the summer and hopefully is pushes us through the season. The kids are responding in a positive way and I think it’s showing over the summer.”
The Cougars showed well in various competitions. They won the El Capitan Passing Tournament held at Merced Junior College and competed in 7-on-7 events at Modesto JC, Fresno State and Elk Grove. Incumbent starting quarterback Malik Vega-Tatum is being pushed by junior Brandon Brown, and 6-foot-3 wide out Elijah Harper has emerged as a downfield threat. The 7-on-7s gave new offensive coordinator Dustin Allen opportunities to call the shots, a role Davis took on himself last season.
“(Brown) has developed big time for us,” Davis said. “It seems like he’s hitting his stride. Obviously he was able to compete well with no helmet and shoulder pads, but he went beyond our expectations.”
The linemen also had their moment in the spotlight, as they took part in camps hosted by Delta College, MJC and Cal. They dominated on their way to Delta’s Mustang Round-Up Challenge, winning seven of the eight events and taking second in the other.
“It’s not necessarily lining up against someone one-on-one with pads on, but it’s getting a chance to compete together and represent the program,” Davis said. “At MJC and Cal it was more about working on technique, so the guys up front were able to gain some experience and confidence throughout the summer.”
The Cougars have a brutal start to the Valley Oak League season with defending state smalls-schools champion Central Catholic and Manteca scheduled back-to-back. Before then, they’ll have two pre-league road games with Ceres (Aug. 26) and Bear Creek (Sept. 9) sandwiching its South Stockton rivalry game with visiting Edison (Sept. 2).
