It didn’t take long for Wilcox to go even younger. Just two years ago, Wilcox started their first sophomore quarterback on varsity in over thirty years. That was Kai Imahara, who transferred to Archbishop Mitty ahead of his senior year this season. In his stead, the Chargers brass, led by Head Coach Conor Dunn and Offensive Coordinator Paul Rosa, have turned to freshman Haris Omeragic.
“Having Haris under center for us has been awesome; he is not your typical freshman,” chimed coach Dunn on his young signal caller. “He plays the game like someone who has played varsity for at least a season or two already. He is well beyond his years.
“That said, the biggest challenge for him playing varsity so young is learning the speed of the game at this level, learning about the physicality and demands from that aspect. Those are things, though, he will just naturally get adjusted to over time,” continued Dunn. “We’ve already seen that from game one to game four. He’s been able to take command of the team and speak to the group, which is impressive for a freshman. The sky is the limit for what he will be able to achieve with us over four years.”
Despite the expected growing pains and a 1-3 record, the Chargers were just a field goal away from improving to 2-2. The 28-26 loss to Woodside on Sept. 25 was actually a sign of progress for a team with underclassman leaders in numerous stat categories.
Sophomore Myles Cheney leads all Chargers receivers with 45.3 yards per game through the air. Fellow sophomore Danny Fernandez leads the defense in average tackles per game at 7.8. Another second-year high schooler, Daniel Ceballos, is third in tackles at 6.0 per contest. Meanwhile, sophomore Tevita Tava is tied for the team lead in sacks (2.0) with junior Dreyden Taleni.
“We do have a young team, but we don’t want to use that as an excuse,” responded Dunn when asked about his squad’s apparent youth movement. “We have young guys all over the field, but again we don’t use that as an excuse. We are four games in now and while our record isn’t where we want it to be, we are really focused on what we call ‘process over product,’ doing the right things day in and day out and not being overly concerned with the final score.
“We know there is an inevitable learning curve, with so many new players. Again, it’s not an excuse; we feel we are just a couple plays away from being 3-1,” continued Dunn. “But, conversely, if we were 3-1, we might be riding high and not challenging ourselves the way we need to in order to be where we want to be at the end of the season.”
While the talent is young on paper, the Chargers can definitely develop quickly considering the veteran coaching staff supporting Coach Dunn. By the end of the season, the team could certainly be in contention for winning the league.
“There are a lot of adjustments as a first-time head coach, but a lot of those are off the field,” acknowledged coach Dunn. “I’m very fortunate to have a staff that has a lot of experience. I am able to lean on them for a lot of on the field responsibilities.”
Dunn, Omeragic, and the rest of the Chargers will look to close out its non-league schedule with a win when Wilcox travels to Edison on Oct. 2.