Since taking over as head coach in 2022 with a roster that was made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores, Anfernee Sloan has consistently told everyone who would listen, “It’s coming.”
Walking out of the team huddle in the end zone after last Friday’s scrimmage against Bishop Manogue and North Valleys, Sloan was all smiles as he remarked how explosive the Vaqueros were offensively and looked like a more mature unit defensively.
“I think some people in the stands probably had some questions about this year’s team, and they probably might have been a little shocked,” Sloan said. “I’ve been telling people for a couple years, it’s coming.”
The Vaqueros will open the season Friday night against Douglas, which reached the state semifinals last year in the Northern 5A Division III, and bumped up to Division II this season. Not only did the Tigers go 10-2 last year, but seven of their wins were shutouts and they allowed just 69 points all season.
Only two teams scored more than 10 points against Douglas last season, The Tigers lost about 20 seniors from last year’s team, including their top three receivers and two leading rushers, but return nine seniors, led by quarterback Jackson Ovard, and a large junior class.
“I know they’ve got a good football team coming back,” Sloan said. “We’re going to duke it out.”
The Vaqueros return the vast majority of their offensive production from last season. Running back Keeshawn Love 1,395 yards on 163 carries last season as a sophomore, and overall, the Vaqueros return players who accounted for all but 182 of their rushing yards last season.
Junior Bryce Stephens returns for his second season as the starting quarterback. He completed 30 of 62 passes for 544 yards and ran for 236 yards on 62 carries. But those numbers barely hint at his potential, and Sloan’s eyes lit up when asked about the difference between Stephens this year and last year.
“It’s his maturity,” Sloan said. “He sees things, he’s understanding leverages, he’s understanding numbers, he’s understanding this is where we can exploit them.”
Stephens said he feels more prepared mentally and physically heading into this season.
“In the offseason I was just hitting the weights hard, and this season I’m coming for it all,” he said. “I’m coming for State.”
The biggest question for the Vaqueros is the offensive line, where for the third straight season they have an almost entirely new group. Last year’s line struggled particularly in pass protection, and was one reason the Vaqueros attempted only 73 passes in 10 games.
Sloan said he was happy with the way the offensive line performed in Friday’s scrimmage, and he likes their potential.
“That’s been the big bugaboo the last couple years,” he said. “It’s three years in a row with us having a brand new group, the only difference is we got guys that came back, that didn’t play last year on varsity, that are getting the opportunity to play.”
The two slot positions in the Vaqueros’ flexbone offense is the deepest position on the team, even with the loss of last year’s starters, Johnnie Williams and Garrett Harjo. The Vaqueros rotate players on nearly every play at those spots, and Sloan said they also have several players who will see the field at the outside receiver positions.
He said they have good speed across the board on the outside and will be more aggressive taking shots downfield in the passing game this year.
Defensively, the Vaqueros are led by standout returners Marciano Montano, Joey Machado, Harley Denison and Love, although Marciano and Denison missed the scrimmage with injuries.
Sloan said he wasn’t ready to say who will fill out the rest of the lineup when the Vaqueros take the field Friday night.
“That was our big-time evaluation today,” he said. “I wish I could tell you, but I think that might be a Friday thing next week because there is some guys that we’re going to move around.”
Overall, Sloan said the Vaqueros are bigger, stringer and faster than they have been the past two years and he things they are on the verge of realizing the potential he’s been touting for the past two seasons.
“We’re just miles ahead of where we were last year,” he said. “I think it’s a very mature team, explosive, aggressive. We’re going to pride ourselves on being a blue-collar mentality, go-get-it-done kind of football program.”
The Vaqueros are coming off of consecutive 4-6 seasons, albeit ones that unfolded in much different ways. The 2022 team was 2-5 before finishing the season strong, but missed the playoffs because of a tiebreaker. Last year, the Vaqueros never won consecutive games, but made the playoffs, where they lost 39-16 at Spring Creek, just two weeks after losing to the Spartans by four in a game where a potential game-winning touchdown went off a receiver’s fingertips.
“This is going to be an interesting season,” Sloan said. “Elko lost a lot, Fallon graduated a lot, Truckee – everybody’s curious can they do it three years in a row. We’re the darkhorse. I think our division is going to be exciting.”
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