High school football season preview 2014: By the Sports Unit

Bass Lake High School head football coach Zeb Dreppelin is expressing cautious optimism this week as the season opener approaches.

BLHS faces the Corner County Monsters in a tough road test Friday to begin the 2014 prep gridiron campaign. The Canoes hope to avenge last season’s 54-0 loss to the Monsters, as well as previous losses to Corner County by that same score in 2011 and 2012.

The Canoes must replace 14 starters and many key special-teams student-athletes, from a squad that finished 3-6 in 2013 and landed second-to-last in the Moonshine Conference.

Only four seniors are on the squad, and none of them played much last time around. Even so, Dreppelin oozed confidence when asked about the youthful crop of boys (and one girl, who will handle backup punting duties).

“The kids are working hard — they’re hard-working kids,” Dreppelin said. “I can’t help but be enthusiastic. And nobody else should, either.”

Weight training has been a focus in preseason, Dreppelin told the Beacon.

“Some of these boys gained a lot of weight over the summer,” he said. “That can’t hurt.”

Dreppelin, who also coaches the boys’ basketball team, said a key is filling the role of multi-sport standout Vin Diagram, who started at quarterback and free safety a year ago. Diagram is headed to Bass Lake University to play basketball this fall, and also study for a degree. He threw six touchdown passes last year, but it “could have been almost 12,” Dreppelin said, “if receivers could have secured the ball better. And they couldn’t, either.”

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• A complete season preview of the Moonshine Conference is available from larger news organization with more resources.