New Cottonwood Middle School head football coach Brandon Figy has taken on 33 Lobos who have responded well to him early.
“That was the best practice we had all year,” Figy said after his 33 players had their first day fully dressed out for practice Thursday, Aug. 12. “We looked better than I thought we would. Most of the guys want to hit and were really popping pads.”
Coming off an 8-2 single year under Zack Calandra, nine experienced core players — including Figy’s son, Zach, an eighth-grader — will be relied upon at the skill positions to bring the Lobos their third undefeated season in five years.
“I don’t know if we’ll go undefeated, but we are going to try to get better every single week,” Brandon Figy said. “Our No. 1 rule is effort — play harder than the other team.”
That starts at quarterback, where Zach Figy is battling another coach’s son named Zach — assistant coach Rob Harrison’s seventh-grader — to lead the team after eight years behind center in High Desert Youth Football.
They will be using three different formations to run the Lobos’ offense — the spread formation, two running backs in the Wing T and “some wishbone,” in Brandon Figy’s words. “I don’t have a favorite.”
Another eighth-grader, offensive guard Austin Volk, will also have a role generating points out of those formations when he rotates to fullback, or is called on for field goals and extra points.
“He’s our kickoff man also,” Figy said. “He’s our Swiss army knife.”
Eighth-grader Ray Kaehler, who starred for Figy as head basketball coach for the Lobos last season, will play key roles both at cornerback and wide receiver in his first year of football.
“He can jump out of the gym,” Figy said. “He’s a tall, athletic kid.”
Figy will also be splitting running backs Drew Meyer, who “has great hands,” he said, and Mark Similien, another expected starter in the secondary, out of the backfield in their final fall with the Lobos.
Although most of Figy’s 21 eighth-graders can and will play both offense and defense, the anchor of his five best linemen, Tyler Griffin, will play solely at center over the nine-game regular-season schedule.
“He’s one of our best players. He’s very smart,” Figy said of Griffin, a Lobo since he was a sixth-grader. “So we don’t want to wear him out.”
Another one-way player in his final fall with the Lobos is likely to be free safety Ishmael Cervantes.
At the other offensive guard position is another really good first-year athlete, Figy said: Eighth-grader Elian Martinez, who will line up next to Volk as well as at nose guard on defense.
The two tackle positions look to be manned by eighth-grader Collin Vashon and seventh-grader Kevin Castro.
“Once we start playing the games, we’ll know a lot more,” said Figy, who opens at Camp Verde Middle School at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6.
For the Lobos’ full schedule, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 17, issues of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
