By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
CHRISTIAN DEFENDERS IN THE VALLEY
3-7 overall last season, 1-4 in the Ironwood League, fifth place
26-29 overall in the last five seasons
Head Coach: Brendan Chambers (second season, 3-7)
12 of 32 players from the 2023 Opening Day squad were lost
Last time in the playoffs: 2022
Schedule 2024
23.August @ Gahr (last season 7-4 overall)
31.August @ Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana (4th-6th)
September 6th Baldwin Park (5-7)
13.september Cerritos (9-6)
September 20th @Sierra Vista (2-8)
27 September BYE
4th of October Capistrano Valley Christian (8-2)
October 11th @ Thomas Aquinas (7-4)
18 October @ Village Christian (7-4)
October 25 Heritage Christian (5-5)
1st of November Ontario Christians (9-3)
It’s been a rocky start to his career as head coach at Valley Christian High, as Brendan Chambers won three games, two of them convincingly and the other by a point. He said the team has faced many challenges after a season in which the Defenders advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division 12 championship game, and they also played 10 games last season in which opponents combined for a record of 65-47 starting in 2022.
“We’ve had a tough battle all season with the opponents we’ve played, both in league and non-league,” Chambers said. “We lost a close game against Gahr that could have gone either way, and we had a great game against Heritage (Christian). So there were some good moments and some rough spots.”
“I think we’ve learned how important the offseason is for us; we need to get in the weight room, play 7-on-7, play summer ball and go to summer workouts to focus on the upcoming season,” he continued. “Our schedule has changed a little bit, which will help us improve our caliber.”
VC has a lot back from last season, which is a positive, and Chambers said he didn’t realize how young the 2023 team is until the first game against Gahr High. But the growth throughout the season and the experience the young players have gained should help the Defenders win more games this season.
When Chambers took the helm last season, he was the program’s sixth head coach in as many seasons. The three wins were the fewest since 2018 and marked only the third time since at least 1998 that VC won three games; the other time was 2012.
OFFENSE
The Defenders had a lot of trouble getting into the end zone in the first four games, but scored two short rushing touchdowns and two long touchdown passes. It wasn’t until the fifth game that VC celebrated its first big win of the season. The Defenders scored at least 20 points in four games, but came up empty three times, and two games were decided by one point each, while the other eight were decided by at least 33 points.
“As far as the offense goes, we just tried to figure out what worked best for the guys we had,” Chambers said. “We were pretty young. Joe (DeYoung) was the quarterback; he’s one of the most experienced guys we had, and Grant (Hefner) was, too. There were a few experienced players, but most of us were young, especially on the offensive line.”
Senior Austin Abrahams returns as quarterback, sharing duties with DeYoung and completing 49 passes for 586 yards and eight touchdowns while also throwing one interception.
“He’s just a damn good athlete,” Chambers said. “He was the guy we always wanted to get the ball to at receiver last year, with tunnel screens, split screens and vertical attacks. In the offseason, he took the initiative and went to private training, worked on his quarterback skills and has progressed over time. He’s done quite a few seven-on-seven situations this year, which was not the case last year, and every time we’ve been out there, he’s improved.”
Sophomore Liam Sweeney is the backup signal-caller, but because he is a transfer, he won’t be eligible to play until early October. That leaves sophomore Lincoln Slater, who completed two passes for 14 yards, as the backup.
Chambers said he’s more confident about the quarterback situation this season because of Abrahams’ progress and the increased space for pass receivers. The top returners are juniors Dylan Teays (11 receptions, 277 yards, three touchdowns), who will line up outside and play a few slots as well, and junior tight end Lucas Witt, who led the Defenders in rushing with 346 yards on 69 carries and two touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes for 109 yards and another touchdown. Senior Seth Dahlenburg and junior Sean Bouma are other wide receivers, while juniors Max Douglas and Cole Hefner are other tight ends who will be in the mix.
“Lucas was a weapon for us at seven-on-seven; almost unstoppable, kind of like Travis Kelce,” Chambers said. “We always know we can always get Lucas back. He’s probably one of the smartest guys we have. Even if Austin goes down at quarterback, Lucas is probably the guy who can fill that (gap) because he knows how to do it.”
Moving from wide receiver to running back will be senior Jayce Shields, who caught 16 passes for 163 yards and scored once in 2023. He will be joined by juniors Wyatt Barker, Tyson McNeese (16 carries, 73 yards), Timothy O’Conner and Karsen Wesley (nine carries, 38 yards).
The three players signed to protect this wealth of talent are senior left tackle Noah Klistoff, senior center Tyrone Voecks and junior right tackle Isaac Morales.
The guard positions are still unclear, but seniors David Armenta, Landon Bouma, Logan Johnson and junior Jayden Bailey will be added to or removed from the rotation.
“We’ve made a lot of improvements on the offensive line with Noah, Tyrone and Issac, all three starters coming back from last year,” Chambers said. “And I think a lot of those guys don’t have to play both ways with the defense we have.”
DEFENSE
The Defenders allowed over 40 points in half of their games and at least 21 points in three other games. In fact, most of their points were given up in the first half, making a second-half comeback nearly impossible. Of the seven losses, only the game against Gahr and the game against Village Christian High were one-possession games at halftime.
“I think for them it was just a matter of learning a whole new defensive system,” Chambers said. “The year before, they were fluctuating between 2-5 and 3-4 … and they just needed time to figure out what that (new defense) looks like and how it works. The youth at some of those key positions was critical. They were just very, very young and very, very inexperienced. I think they improved in the offseason; we definitely got better.”
Armenta, Landon Bouma and Klistoff, who had 10 tackles last season, will rotate between the interior defensive line positions, while Morales (16 tackles) is a sure-fire candidate, according to Chambers. The ends will be Barker and Douglas.
In the secondary, it’s Abrahams (28 tackles), Sean Bouma (17 tackles), Shields (42 tackles) and Teays, while Hefner (94 tackles, one sack) and Witt (36 tackles, two sacks) return as the primary linebackers, with senior Jack Nichol and junior Jackson Halter-Caldarella joining them. Chambers said Hefner and Witt were the heart and soul of the defense last season and are expected to be the same in 2024.
TIME SCHEDULE
While the first game of last season was a visit to El Dorado High, Gahr is on the schedule in a few weeks and Chambers is hoping that the end of the game won’t come down to a missed two-point conversion.
“We’re really excited for this game,” he said. “I look back at last year and there are a few games that stick out in my mind and this is one of them. Yes, we lost on that two-point conversion on the last play, but that was just the atmosphere we had here. (Gahr) was a quality opponent on the other side of the court; coach (Greg) Marshall did a great job with those guys. But it was also just something I look back on, like so many missed opportunities for us. We’re definitely looking forward to (playing them again).”
After a short week, as the game at Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana High is on a Saturday, the third game of the season against Baldwin Park High will be the first official game on VC’s new, recently installed artificial turf. As if that wasn’t tough enough, Chambers and the team will have to fit a lot more into a short week, as the Baldwin Park game is on Labor Day. Another challenge awaits the Defenders when they host Cerritos High, the defending Division 12 champions. VC hasn’t played its other city rival since 2015, a 48-6 victory.
“I think we’re all pretty excited about it,” Chambers said. “We saw them in seven-on-seven in the spring and got to compete against them. The coaching staff is doing a great job with this school right now. It’s just an opportunity for us … we would have been in Division 12 if we somehow made the playoffs last year.”
After the week off, VC will face a new Ironwood League team, as Capistrano Valley Christian High, which Chambers knows all too well when he was head coach at Saddleback Valley Christian High, replaces Big Bear High. The two schools are a mile apart in South Orange County and have been league rivals.
It will not be easy for the Defenders in league play, as no one had a losing record in 2023 and the only league win came by one point against Heritage Christian High. VC has lost two league games against Aquinas High by a combined score of 98-14 and against Ontario Christian High, along with four of the last five meetings overall. The last two games against Village Christian ended by a combined score of 68-12.
“I think if you look at the Ironwood League, it’s super tough,” Chambers said. “But I feel a lot more confident this year with the group we have. I think if you look at Aquinas and Ontario Christian, they’re probably first or second. I don’t know if us, Heritage, Village or CVC can hold a candle to them.”
HOMECOMING
For the second time in its first four games, VC will face another city opponent and this should be the benchmark for the Defenders. In VC’s earliest home game in over 25 seasons, VC hosts Cerritos. Since 1998, VC has a 21-3 record in home games, with its last loss coming two seasons ago to Ontario Christian. VC and Cerritos have faced each other three times, but not since 2015, and all three games have been won by VC. The last meeting with the Dons ended 48-6 and in 2014 it ended 38-14. Last season, the Defenders crushed Sierra Vista High 38-0 on homecoming night, which is now the second earliest homecoming game (September 15).
FINAL COMMENT
“I’m just excited for my second year at Valley Christian,” Chambers said. “I’m very thankful that they put the money into that (football) facility and continue to put money into the facility with the bleachers and the press box. I think when it’s all said and done, it’s going to pay off for the program, for the football programs and for the school in general. It’s going to bring people to campus that wouldn’t normally be here. We’re going to be able to practice there year-round, which we haven’t been able to do before.”
