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Roosevelt expects to go on the offensive against foes this year

Quarterback Jesse Diaz leads the Roosevelt High School offense.

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 04.SEP.08
Roosvelt High School football coach Javier Cid is heaping a lot on the shoulders, not to mention legs, of senior quarterback Jesse Diaz this year.

Diaz, part of a quality returning City quarterback class that also includes Franklin’s Adrian Diaz and Jordan’s James Boyd, is coming off a junior season in which he threw for 2,460 yards and 18 touchdowns, while completing 70 percent of his passes. Cid is expecting that much, and hopefully, more, as well as another 500 or so yards rushing.

“I think we’ll have him running more,” said Cid, whose Rough Riders open the season at San Diego Section power Torrey Pines Friday. “Hopefully, he’ll have about 3,000 yards of total offense.”

With the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Diaz leading a talented corps of offensive players that also includes junior wideout Manny Ayon (43 catches, 746 yards, five TDs), junior receiver Tino Lomeli and sophomore receiver Jesse Lira, as well as fullback Jose Guillen, the Rough Riders are expected to be potent offensively.

Considering there’s little returning experience on defense, the offense will have to carry the load, according to Cid.

“Offense is our strength,” he said. “We lost a lot on defense, so we’re going to have to outscore teams to win. I see us having to score in the high 20s or 30s. Defense is a question mark. We have good kids there, just not a lot of experience or much depth.”

Rafael Ortega, the returning center and middle linebacker, is the defensive leader. Guillen plays linebacker and returning letterman Daryl Lazo has been impressive at free safety in preseason drills.

Another player to watch is 6-3, 280-pound lineman Nelson Maldonado, who has Arizona State and UNLV showing interest.

As for the Eastern League race, Cid said it has never been better from top to bottom.

“We had five teams go to the playoffs last year,” he said. “The teams that were strong last year are strong this year. Some of the others are getting stronger.

“Jordan (league champ) is even better because it has a lot of thee-year starters. Garfield has a lot of talent returning from its (Invitational) championship team. South East has the best running back (Senen Carson) in the league. Bell is getting better. The whole league is getting better.”

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By replacing Crenshaw with Torrey Pines on the preleague schedule, Roosevelt is making history with the longest road trip in school history, according to Cid.

“We’re really excited about the trip,” he said. “It’ll be a good experience for the kids. The game will be a good challenge.”