Costa Mesa High Football Position by Position: QB job remains in Swanson family
For the first time, Costa Mesa High senior Sammy Swanson and sophomore Ben Swanson are playing the same sport on the same team.
Sammy, who played quarterback for the Mustangs football team last year before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee midseason, has not thrown any passes leading up to his senior year. Instead, he’s passing off the quarterback position to his younger brother.
Ben, a lefty who played quarterback on Mesa’s freshman team last year, is ready to take the reins on the varsity level. Sammy is moving to the offensive line, trying to help ensure that Ben can stay upright.
“He’s definitely stepped it up being a younger guy, the leadership and just knowing everything about the offense,” Sammy Swanson said of Ben. “If you watch him play, he really controls the offense, and it’s usually tough for younger guys to do that among a team of all seniors. But he’s doing it perfect ... he’s a pretty smart guy. He picks things up pretty quickly.”
Both Swanson brothers figure to play a key role for Costa Mesa, which plays Northwood on Friday night at Irvine High in its season opener. Here’s a position-by-position look at the 2015 Mustangs.
Quarterback: Ben Swanson (6-foot-1, 150 pounds) has impressed Coach Glen Fisher in fall practice.
Swanson was battling junior Eric Carrasco for the starting quarterback spot, but Carrasco transferred to Estancia.
“The word that I would use for Ben is leader,” Fisher said. “He’s a sophomore, but he’s in control. He does a great job around the guys. He works hard. He’s just going to get better and better.”
The Mustangs did not throw it much with Sammy Swanson, who completed 10 of 29 passes for 140 yards in seven games. But they look to air it out more with Ben, often utilizing a spread offense.
Fisher said Costa Mesa also has a package at quarterback for senior utility player Cameron Curet, who like Sammy Swanson was a first-team All-Orange Coast League player last year. Curet will usually line up at receiver.
“We’ll be running a lot of zone and option and stuff,” Fisher said. “Other than that, we’re working on [a backup quarterback].”
Running backs: Senior Jonathan Brucales, who played tight end last year, moves into the starting running back position. Brucales (5-8 and 180), flip-flops with senior Mason Mataafa, who shared running back duties with Curet a year ago and now is playing tight end.
Junior Cody Merrifield (5-6, 150) and sophomore Tim French (6-0, 185) will also spend time at running back.
“Jonathan is our one, Cody’s our two, Tim’s our three, but we’re going to rotate them,” Fisher said. “They all have something a little different. Jon’s pretty fast and pretty strong, Cody’s pretty shifty and Tim French is a bulldozer. They complement each other well.”
French and senior Rodrigo Carvalho (5-8, 185) will share fullback duties.
Receivers: The receiving corps is a strength for the Mustangs and offensive coordinator Cody Fisher, who is Glen Fisher’s nephew. Curet (5-10, 160) played plenty of running back last year, rushing for 937 yards and three touchdowns, but also had nine catches and 141 yards at receiver. Senior Josh Snipes (5-6, 145) is also started at receiver in 2014.
Fisher said that Elijah Collado (5-7, 135), Eddie Vargas (6-2, 155) and Christian Villaverde (5-8, 145) will also see plenty of playing time at the position, and Mataafa could run some routes as well.
“We feel really good about our skill guys,” Fisher said.
Tight end: Mataafa, Tony Fuentes (5-10, 160) and perhaps even Sammy Swanson will figure prominently when the Mustangs run tight end sets.
“I like to line up and try to run the ball at people, just because I like that kind of football,” Glen Fisher said. “I think there’s always a time in the football game when you need to line up and just try to run right at people; try to assert your will on them.”
Offensive line: The two spots that Fisher is sure of are junior Roman Ayala (6-0, 245) at left tackle and senior Helper Kisino (5-7, 195) at right tackle. Sammy Swanson has been playing center recently in practice, while seniors Andrew Garcia (5-9, 175) and Adrian Plancarte (6-1, 190), as well as junior Ray Welsher (5-11, 205) are also competing for playing time.
Defensive line: Ayala returns at end, with Kisino at tackle, senior Neru Fesili (6-4, 325) at noseguard and sophomore Angel Valle (5-7, 165) at the other end, when they are aligned in the four-four. Welsher is also in the mix.
Linebackers: This is another strength for the Mustangs, as and Sammy Swanson return as inside linebackers, with French also in the rotation.
Mataafa produced a team-leading 127 tackles last season, and also led the team with seven sacks.
Brucales and Curet are the outside linebackers, while Carvalho is also in the rotation at outside ‘backer.
Last year, Curet had 92 tackles (40 solo), three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
“Cameron does a lot of things for us,” said Glen Fisher, who is also the defensive coordinator. “We love our linebacker corps. They’re athletic, they’re aggressive, and it’s definitely one of the spots on the team that we’re very, very pleased with.”
Secondary: The main three options at cornerback are Snipes, Collado and Fuentes, and Fisher said Villaverde will also get reps there.
Merrifield is slated to be the strong safety, and sophomore Luke Tsuge (5-10, 175) is the frontrunner at free safety, with Vargas also in the mix, as well as Dias.
Fisher looks at Merrifield as a big-time player.
“Cody is a little hammerhead,” he said. “He’s going to fool a lot of people. He’s not the biggest kid, but I’m telling you, he plays like he’s 6-5, 250 pounds. He’s a football dude. He studies and knows what he’s doing, and he’s got the biggest heart in the world.
“We feel good about the back end of the defense.”
Special teams: Curet, the Orange Coast League Special Teams Player of the Year in 2013, will kick and punt for the third straight season.
Fisher said that Curet, Snipes and Tsuge will return kickoffs and punts.
Villaverde is the Mustangs’ long snapper, and Ben Swanson is the holder.
Twitter: @mjszabo
