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Sports

Malibu High Football Eyes First League Title

With a small team that cannot afford to lose a player, staying healthy is a must for the Sharks to have a successful season.

The Malibu High School football team has never won a league title in its 16-year history. The Sharks are determined to change that this season with a new defensive scheme and a two-quarterback system.

Head coach Ray Humphrey begins his seventh campaign Friday night, and he is confident this team will be better than the 2010 squad that managed only one victory. Remaining injury-free will be crucial if Malibu is to challenge for the Frontier League crown.

"If we stay healthy, I like our chances," said Humphrey, whose team was plagued last year by injuries. "This is a good group of kids and they've been motivated since January. We lost four key offensive starters to graduation, [quarterback] Chris Konkol, [running back] Matt Mason and [wide receivers] Saadiq Hassan and Hunter Johnson. But that's something you deal with every spring."

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Malibu travels to Fillmore for its season opener, scheduled to kick off at Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Flashes dealt the Sharks a 53-0 loss last season.

"This is one of the better teams we'll play and we lost to them big last year, so I'm anxious to see how much we've improved," Humphrey said. "As I recall, we turned the ball over five times, so of course we'll have to take better care of the football." 

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With only 19 players on the roster, Malibu will be playing Ironman football most of the time, meaning the same players are in the game for offense and defense. That is nothing new in the East Valley Division (XII), the second-lowest 11-man playoff bracket in the CIF Southern Section.

"Grace Brethren won league last year and Bishop Diego is very good," Humphrey said. "We're in a very balanced league and we're all in the same boat as far as having low numbers. When you play both ways, if anyone gets hurt, it's not easy to replace them."    

Trying to fill Konkol's shoes is sophomore Dylan Miller, a player new to the program whom Humphrey described as a "skilled drop-back passer who is good on a roll out."

Miller played Pop Warner through middle school in Westlake and likes what the coaches have done to prepare him for the season ahead.

"We've been a run-first team so far, but the passing game will get clicking because we have strong outside receivers," Miller said. "I'm a little guy, so trying to get rid of it is the best decision."  

Junior Brennan Cassone will be the other quarterback, in addition to playing wide receiver and free safety. He was Konkol's backup last season and caught 21 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns in only five games at receiver. He also made 31 solo tackles with 11 assists and five interceptions at cornerback. 

"I actually prefer receiver, but having two of us [at quarterback] will make defenses have to adjust," Cassone said. "I think we're a better team. We lost four games last season by one touchdown, so we were in the games, but we just couldn't finish. We beat [defending league champion] Grace Brethren convincingly in a passing league game in July, so hopefully we can repeat that when we play them."

Govinda Covin is the new defensive coordinator and line coach. Since he arrived in April, he has brought a fiery attitude to the team that has rubbed off on his players. He installed a 4-3 defense that he hopes will produce turnovers. The Sharks allowed 30 points per game last season.   

"With such a small group, our goal as coaches is to get the most out of every kid," Covin said. "It's a Cover 3, one gap attacking defense and the kids are catching on and getting aligned right. I want us playing with intensity and focus. They're giving maximum effort and that's all you can ask."

Seniors Devon Baldinger (fullback/free safety) and Evan Anthony (left tackle/middle linebacker) are co-captains. Junior right tackle/defensive end Nick Carlson and senior running back/defensive end Cooper Smart must provide leadership for a squad down 11 players from last year.

"Sure, we have less guys but there's no dead weight—everyone can play, everyone wants to play and definitely we'll be better," said Anthony, who had 45 tackles last season despite missing five games with a torn MCL. "It takes a lot out of you playing Ironman football, but I like this new defense better. There's some good blitz packages and on the other side of the ball, we have a solid running game and good receivers."

To prepare for its season opener, Malibu hosted a practice game against St. Bernard and Viewpoint last Saturday. Humphrey said the Sharks "held their own" in the three-way scrimmage.

"We were ready to play and did a lot of good things, so hopefully we can carry that over to Friday," Humphrey said. "The mistakes we made are fixable and we're addressing them in practice this week."

Miller admitted he may have butterflies for the first few series on Friday, but he has confidence in his teammates, and said the Sharks have only one way to go—and that's up.

"I'm sure I'll be nervous, but my guys will pick me up," he said. "We just want to improve every game and if we do it'll be a good season. Playoffs is always a goal, but we're taking it one game at a time."

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