Gridiron Weekly: Kellis aims to Make the Climb after strong 2nd half
Expectations high for Central Valley Region favorite Cougars
WEEKLY BLOG: 8/20/23
The Raymond S. Kellis Cougars are looking to build off a 5-1 finish from the 2022 season that enabled them to end up at .500. It was an improvement from an 0-4 start and an ending that placed them second in the 5A Central Valley Region.
Head Coach Ben Kullos enters his third season with the program and will fluctuate his defense to match the talent on that side of the ball. He took over the Kellis program following a winless (0-8) pandemic-shortened season in 2020. In his first two years, the Cougars have turned that around with a combined 11-9 record. Winning breeds interest and the team has seen fantastic turnouts for both spring football and summer lifting.
"With great numbers comes great competition," Kullos said in an e-mail interview. "I'm proud of the work put in not only by our players, but our strength and conditioning staff, who worked day in and day out to prime the players to perform their best in the fall."
Highlights from the summer included a fourth-place finish at a passing tournament at O'Connor HS and being able to return to Camp Tontozona in Payson during July. It was there that the team sewed deeper connections as a program.
There will be a bit of a new look in the run game. Senior Jeremiah McClaren will do double duty this season. He had 71 tackles at linebacker and will split time with sophomore Hector Cisneros. Cisneros enjoyed some carries on varsity last season as a freshman and accumulated 113 yards in his 16 carries (7.1 yards/attempt) with a touchdown in the season finale against Youngker. Kullos said both players looked "phenomenal" in the Cougars' scrimmage on Wednesday against Greenway, Camelback, and Buckeye.
Another two-way starter is Tristan Bacon. The junior wide receiver/outside linebacker had 19 receptions for 337 yards and scored four touchdowns. Defensively, the 6-1, 210-pound athlete had a pair of interceptions. A multi-sport athlete, Bacon also wrestles.
"He has a tremendous wingspan, making just about every ball catchable," Kullos said. "He ripped off some impressive runs on Wednesday night and we are excited to see what he can do this fall."
Junior quarterback Ronald Coty III shared time behind center last season with Darrien Campbell. Campbell, who graduated last May, also led the Cougars in rushing with over 1,300 yards. Coty showed he could run some as well and will put those dual-threat skills to use. Kullos likes the growth he has seen in his quarterback during the offseason.
"We challenged him as coaches to 'grow into his shoes' physically and mentally," Kullos said. "He has stepped up to that challenge in a big way. He has a cannon for an arm and keeps his eyes downfield while navigating the pocket. We run a QB run-centric offense, and he will get his fair share of designed runs, but it is the improvisation that has me most excited."
In addition to Bacon, another deep threat to watch for is senior Michael Taylor.
The forgotten ones, that we won't neglect here, are the ones that will allow those playmakers to produce - the offensive line. That unit will be anchored by seniors Carson Hutchings, Jacob Johnson, and Eric Lujano. That trio has combined for more than 40 starts over the past two years. Hutchings and Johnson were named Second Team All-Region last season.
"Our offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Darren Nill has done a great job pouring into these boys and the results are beginning to show," Kullos said.
Defensively, Kellis will bounce between a 4-2-5 and a 3-3-5. It is on this side of the ball that the Cougars bring the most experience.
"As defensive coordinator, it is my job to showcase our most talented players, and running a hybridized scheme allows us that freedom," Kullos said. "I expect big things out of our linebacking corps comprised of Bryce Bacon, Tristan Bacon, and Jeremiah McClaren."
Bryce, who is Tristan's older brother, had 67 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles in his junior year. In all, five returning Cougars were named to the region's Second Team. Both Bacon brothers, McClaren, senior defensive back Junior Chavez, and junior defensive lineman Tiyari Yarbrough made the list.
Kellis faced a great deal of adversity in the early portion of last season. In the second game of the year, against Peoria, Campbell was ejected. That forced him to have to sit the following week versus Ironwood. In that game against the Eagles, running back Derek Carter tore his ACL and was lost for the season. When a team starts out 0-4, and doesn't have a long track record of success in the program, the players could start tuning the coaches out, or attrition could rear its ugly head into the program. That didn't happen here.
"I'm most proud of our kids' ability to weather the storm and stick to the course," Kullos said. "I have high expectations for this team, but we are taking it one game at a time. The lesson learned last year is to not take anything for granted."
It's a favorable schedule for the Cougars that sees them face just one team (Paradise Valley) which made the playoffs in 2022. Of course, with a lower strength of schedule, that means it will likely take eight victories for Kellis to make its first postseason appearance since 2016.
"Owning the ball and winning on special teams are the two factors I took away from my end of the season analysis," Kullos said. "We won and lost games due to both."
The numbers back that up. In Kellis' five wins, it only had six turnovers. In the five losses, the Cougars turned it over 13 times. Protecting the rock increases the chances of winning. Another under the radar factor will be the amount of sophomores making varsity debuts. The Kellis freshman team went 8-1 last season.
Something new to the program is college attention. In May, Tristan Bacon and Coty each received offers from Northern Arizona. Hutchings has an NAIA offer from Jamestown (N. Dak.) and Lujano collected an in-state juco offer from Maricopa.
Kellis, located in Glendale near State Farm Stadium, is part of the Peoria Unified School District. The Cougars start with a short (three-mile) road trip to Independence (also 5-5 last year) this Friday in a neighborhood battle. The home opener is on Sept. 1 against Peoria.
"The 2023 Kellis Cougars are going to put their nose to the grindstone week in and week out and let the chips fall where they may come November," Kullos said.
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