Sophomores Lead Knights Defense

Charles Markham

Staff Writer

The 2006 Knights defense can conceivably be better than last year’s, which competed with some very good offenses, with a handful of returning starters; it’s easy to predict that the Green Gang gives up fewer points than they did last year.

This defense is lead by hard hitting sophomore linebackers Garrett Schaad (Maxwell High; Maxwell CA) and Jordan Sinclair (Red Bluff High). Either player should be in contention for leading tackler, not only on this team, but also in the conference.

Sophomore safety Chase Suftin (Enterprise High) is no slouch at hitting and is expected to build on that reputation throughout this season. Sophomore Defensive End Kevin “The Leak” Nicholson (West Valley High), last year’s big play maker on this defense, has the ability to continue where he left off last year. Many people are looking for him to have a better season this year and garner a first team All-Conference selection.

New faces to look for on defense are cornerbacks Donte Broadway (Skyview High; Vancouver, WA) and Cody Cavender (Shasta High). Yes, the Cavender legacy lives on at Shasta College.

With safeties Alan Flemming (Paradise High) and Daren Hubbard (Bethel High; Spanaway, WA), and linebacker Jersiah Tuisamatatele (Radford High, Honolulu), this year’s defense looks to be a tougher foe than last year.

The Knights are once again led by Craig Thompson, who is in his eleventh year as head coach.

The Offense is being coordinated by Howard Gay, a second year Knights coach with over 20 years of coaching experience. Gay’s last job was as the head coach of San Jose Community College. He joined the Knights last year as quarterback coach after a brief retirement.

Gay’s offensive is being lead by sophomore quarterback Garrett Hubrich (of Hillsboro High; Hillsboro, OR) a transfer from Western Oregon who is, by consensus, the best pure quarterback Shasta College has seen in some time.

Sophomore running back Steven “Hollywood” Valliere (Enterprise High) is expected to have a breakthrough year after a sub par freshman campaign. “I was disappointed by my performance on and off the field last year,” Valliere said when asked about being the Knights leading rusher without playing the whole season.

Tony “Hot Head” Jones (Ingraham High; Seattle, WA) is looking to come out of the coach’s dog house this season and prove that his game against Solano College last year was not a fluke performance.

Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Webb (Shasta High) is still coming back from multiple injuries but seeks to continue building on his success as a Knight.

Andrew Sabec (Reeths-Puffer High; Muskegon, MI) has worked hard this past off-season and is looking to become a major contributor to the 2006 Knights offense.

Another new face who is expected to have a stellar season is freshman Michael Hendrix, a wide receiver from the Peach State.

The Knights offense is being coached this year by Eric Caldwell, a first year Shasta coach. Caldwell’s line is anchored by the red shirt freshman center, Schuyler Wilson (Central Valley High), who, last season, broke his ankle in the Knights’ first game.

Other new offensive faces to look for are running back Steve Savage (Reynolds High; Troutdale, OR) and tight end Tyler Littlejohn (Mount Si High; Snoqualmie, WA). This year’s offensive looks to be explosive, exciting, and should score a lot of points.

The Defense is once again coordinated by the tough nose, old-school Matt Diskin, who is in his seventh year of coordinating the Green Gang. Cornerback coach Brandon Catanese has another set of cornerbacks to mold this year for that defense but, with his coaching ability and their talent, the Knights should be good at those spots.

Coach Blaine Gudath - who is also returning from a brief retirement to coach the secondary - returns to the Knights for his second stint on the coaching staff.

The Knights’ overall team talent matches up pretty well against other schools in the area, so this could be the year of the Knights. Or will it be another year of wasted talent and underachieving?