SRV Football Preview: Bounce Back Season Expected for Wolves

Returning Starters: 12 (four offense, eight defense)

Top Offensive Players: QB Zach Kline, Jr.; RB Micahel Summers, Sr.; WR Keaton Harvey, Sr.; WR Trent Peterson, Sr.; OL Ben Teichman, OL

Top Defensive Players: LB Kyle Egan, Sr.; DT Techiman, DE John Sheperdson, Sr.; CB Peterson, S Kaulin Blair, Sr.; S Micahel Tagliaferri, Jr.

Rising star: Kline.

Team Strengths: Experience on defense (40 takeaways in 2009) 

Areas to Improve: Identity on offense

Rivalry game: Friday, Nov. 12 at Monte Vista

Mark the Calendar:  Friday, Oct. 8 vs California

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When the San Ramon Valley High football team went 6-4 last season before being eliminated by Pittsburg in the first round of the North Coast Section playoffs, it was, by most accounts, a down year for the Wolves.

The program was coming off a three-year run in which it won at least nine games a year, including a 12-win season in 2007 which culminated in the NCS 3-A title.

Second-year head coach Mark Kessler believes the team is ready to jump back into the section's elite group of teams.

"I think we have a chance to be a very good team," Kessler said. "We have eight guys back from a defense that had 40 takeaways last year and are improved on offense."

All eyes will be on junior quarterback Zach Kline, who steps into the starting role vacated by the graduation of Chris Comes, who is now at North Dakota.

Kline has all the tools to be the next in an impressive line of signal-callers from the school, which includes Joe Southwick (Boise State), Corbin Louks (Nevada) and Sam Keller (Arizona State/Nebraska).

The 6-foot-2 junior right-hander made his varsity debut late last season and is drawing significant recruiting interest from several Division I programs, including Oregon State and Cal. 

"There are college coaches already telling me he is the special kind of player they are looking for," Kessler said. 

Whether he lives up to that billing will get figured out quickly. San Ramon opens its season Friday at home against Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, which comes into the game 1-0 and ranked No. 8 in Northern California by Cal-Hi Sports. Mitty senior quarterback Kyle Boehm has already verbally committed to Cal.

The Wolves come in at No. 17 in the poll and No. 3 of East Bay teams, behind only De La Salle (No. 2) and Monte Vista (No. 9).

As good as the San Ramon offense and Kline are expected to be, it is the defense which figures to carry the squad, at least early in the season.

Linebacker Kyle Egan, who is drawing recruiting interested from Oregon State, Cal Poly, Sacramento State and Nevada, is the unquestioned leader on defense, however he'll have plenty of talent around him. Ben Teichman, who is a monster in the weight room, is the anchor on the defensive line which also features a pair of interesting talents in Jordan Latendresse and John Sheperdson.

Latendresse has already committed to West Point to play lacrosse, but his 6-foot-6 frame has football coaches at the Academy interested as well. 

Sheperdson will be a good player on defense for the Wolves, but his future appears to be in long-snapping. His performances at summer long-snapping camps put him on the radar of several big-time powers, including Alabama, LSU and Florida State.

On offense, Michael Summers is back to carry the load at running back, while big things are expected from receivers Keaton Harvey  and Trent Peterson. 

After its game with Mitty on Friday, the Wolves will play Antioch and Washington to finish the non-league portion of their schedule.

After that, it gets much tougher.

The Wolves open East Bay Athletic League play Granada, California, Foothill and De La Salle — all of which opened with impressive performances last week.

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Schedule

9/10 vs Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

9/17 at Antioch

9/24 vs Washington

10/1 vs Granada

10/8 vs California

10/15 at Foothill

10/22 vs De La Salle

10/29 at Livermore

11/5 at Amador Valley

11/12 at Monte Vista

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Follow Patch Sports on Twitter for live updates from Friday's game against Mitty.