DOMINATOR & DOORMAT
Volcano looks to keep rolling, while Bernalillo has nowhere to go but up
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today Rio West continues its series of stories previewing the 2016 prep football season for schools in the area. Coming next week: Rio Rancho and West Mesa.
The tone of a football coach can reveal much about their hopes, their beliefs and their intentions. Sometimes, it’s the words themselves.
Chad Wallin has been coaching a playoff-caliber football team at Volcano Vista pretty much since the school opened, and the Hawks have, without fanfare, been one of the more consistently winning programs in the state’s big-school division.
Another season arrives Aug. 27, with an opener against Valley, and the Hawks are plugging in a majority of new starters this fall.
“We’ve got to win as many predistrict games as we can,” Wallin said, “and we’ve got to develop.”
Volcano Vista, which suffered a first-round playoff upset at the hands of Hobbs last November, will have more new faces in its lineup than familiar ones, perhaps explaining Wallin’s cautious description of the 2016 season. Just eight starters return for the Hawks, who may have to do more fighting than usual if they want to return to the postseason.
The most prominent of the returning players is senior wide receiver David Cormier, one of the state’s most versatile multisport athletes.
The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Cormier opens the year with Division I offers from both of New Mexico’s in-state schools, plus Northern Illinois just this week. He’s also generating interest from San Diego State and Wake Forest as a wide receiver.
He’s added about 20 pounds to his frame during the offseason, and physically, his game is a little like Cleveland’s nowgraduated (and future Lobo) Marcus Williams. With Cormier’s size and athleticism, he’ll make for a difficult matchup.
“I want to have a big year,” Cormier said. “I definitely think I’m ready. I’ve put in a lot of work this summer, two to three workouts a day, trying to prepare myself for this season and the next level.”
Cormier said despite adding bulk, he actually is quicker than he was a season ago.
That position, wide receiver, should be a Volcano Vista strength, and the Hawks are probably deeper at that position than any other. One of the state’s top sprinters, senior Abram Schaap, is a slot receiver, and Wallin is also extremely high on senior Julian Gallegos.
“I think he’ll have a phenomenal year,” Wallin said of Gallegos, “if people double David.”
Senior running back Chris Streetz also returns, and he rushed for over 750 yards and eight touchdowns last year.
“When we look at the skill guys, we are as talented as anybody,” Wallin said. “We may be better than a lot of people.”
The offensive line is a concern, as newcomers will attempt to mesh into a mix that includes the team’s top returner, senior Matt Gonzales. This is a pressing need because Volcano Vista opens with a new starting quarterback — senior Dillon Gassoway — for the first time since the 2012 season.
“Dillon has a really good arm and the thing is, he’ll stand in that pocket,” said Cormier. “But he’ll also run.”
Gassoway was Josh Williams’ backup last season; Williams had been QB-ing this team the last three seasons. Gassoway will have to acclimate quickly to the speed of the varsity level, Wallin said.
“As a whole, I think we’re pretty strong,” the strongarmed Gassoway said. “I like all the kids we have coming back.”
Added Cormier: “We’re filling in a lot of gaps, and we can equal out to the same talent we had last year and have better results.”
The defense is strong on the back end, with Cormier, Schaap and Gallegos in the secondary. Junior end Joren Dickey, who had a dozen sacks last season as a sophomore, is one of the top playmakers up front, along with senior tackle Dion Watson and end Austyn Romero. Adam Gay, new to the sport, could be a force on that defensive front, Wallin added. Linebacking is the weakness on that side of the ball.
“We are, I would say, a very green team,” Wallin said. “But I like our talent level and I love their coachability.”
The Hawks were 6-5 last season. Like Cibola — and now, like Piedra Vista — Volcano Vista faces long odds in trying to overtake Cleveland and Rio Rancho in District 1-6A.
Fortunately, Volcano Vista’s schedule, for the first time in many years, is not unforgiving. The Hawks play four schools out of the state’s weakest 6A league, District 4 — Valley, West Mesa, Atrisco Heritage and Highland — in addition to Mayfield and Eldorado. So Volcano Vista needs a strong first half to the season.
“It’s a fun culture right now,” Wallin said. “I don’t know if we’re more talented or less talented (than last year), but football is fun right now.”