‘I’M NOT DOING THIS FOR MYSELF’
Jaguars’ Cesar Granado leads fellow linemen
Aconversation with Capital High School football coach Bill Moon about his Jaguars tends to careen into places most coaches simply do not veer.
Existentialism, Buddhism and, of course, a few Xs and Os.
It’s what makes Capital such an interesting story.
The kids there are getting an education far beyond that which most football players receive.
“There are different ways of looking at things,” Moon said. “You can look at it as how much better are we than before? Or are we the best we can possibly be?”
On paper, the Capital program has improved light years in the four years of Moon in his second go-around back at the school.
He took over a program that went 1-9 in the three consecutive years before he got there.
But the Jaguars over the past three seasons have gone 5-5, 7-4 (including a state playoff appearance) and 5-5.
“Our first 11, I’m pleased with,” Moon said. “We’re stronger, faster and better than we’ve been in my second stint here. We’re more cohesive, we have more talent than this school has seen in many years. Whether they gel into a team unit, we’ll see.”
If the players have anything to do with that, the Jaguars are in pretty good shape.
Offensive and defensive lineman Cesar Granados has been making sure the team’s interior will be ready.
“I’ve been in the weight room, and not just by myself,” he said. “I’m the captain of the linemen and I try to push all the linemen to their limits. I’ll yell at them, get them pumped up. I get in their face and scream. I’m not doing this for myself. I’m trying to improve the whole team.”
The work senior left guard Granados (5 feet, 11 inches, 265 pounds) and other lineman like senior right guard Eli Miramontes (6-1, 265) is putting in is certainly paying off, Moon said.
“The real core to all of this is going to be our offensive linemen,” Moon said.
Those big fellas up front will be looking to provide some time for senior quarterback Cisco Leos (5-11, 180) to find senior receivers Lucas McNatt (5-11, 182) and Jovannie Guzman (5-11, 188).
Leos took over the position midway through last season and impressed Moon.
“He’s a thrower,” the coach said. “He’ll put the ball on you and he’s got the distance. He can throw the long ball and the short ball. And he’s smart. He’s poised behind his line.”
Now the quarterback wants to be a leader.
“My expectations this year is to come off the bus pretty hard,” Leos said. “Last year, it took us a while to get started. We just really want to start right away and not be slow like last year.”
As for team goals, it’s pretty simple, he said.
“We need to come off every snap hard, firing off,” Leos said. “And not walking back to the huddles, always running on the field, never walking.”
The team has the potential to turn in a state playoff-type season, Granados said.
“I want us to be really good,” he said. “My class of 2018 has been working really hard. A few weeks ago, for the first time, Capital won first place in lineman camp at Santa Fe. We’ve been working really hard, flipping tires and pushing sleds. I think if we can keep up the hard work and push ourselves we can be really good this season.”