The Gauchos have been one of the top powerhouse programs in California over the last 5 years. Since 2015, they have an overall record of 50-10. They won the state championship in 2015 and 2017 and they finished in the Final 4 in 2016 and 2018. They have also won the Los Angeles City Championship 7 out of the last 8 years.
If they continue the trend of the last four seasons, 2019 should be their year to win another state championship. Can a football program of this caliber make a significant improvement or have a higher outlook than what they have already accomplished? This Gauchos team has that kind of potential in 2019.
The Gauchos lost several key players from their 2018 team. Jonah Tauanu’u was the league’s Player of the Year and will play for Oregon. Tilini Livai was the Lineman of the Year and he will play for USC. Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson is going to San Diego State, Juice Tupua is going to UTEP, and Steve Jenkins will play at UNLV.
Offense
The Gauchos averaged 38 points per game in 2018 and they have the majority of their offensive weapons back this season. Quarterback Jack Garcia was a 1st Team All-Los Angeles City Section performer as a sophomore. The 6’3 185-pound 2021 prospect completed 75.7% of his passes, threw for 2,130 yards and 15 touchdowns in 8 games. The Gauchos were 10-4 on the year but were 7-1 with Garcia as the starting quarterback. Since the end of last season, Garcia has picked up 24 offers including Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, and USC to name a few.
The Gauchos passing attack picked up a lot of momentum in the second half of last season, and with all of Garcia’s main targets back, they will be tough to stop. Josh Jackson (6’1 185), a USC commit, caught 50 passes for 915 yards and scored 8 touchdowns. Eren East (5’10 165) is one of the most underrated receivers in the 2020 class. He caught 54 passes for 772 yards and 3 touchdowns. Both receivers earned 1st Team All-City. Elijah Queen is a 6’4 190-pound receiver that caught 33 passes for 386 yards and 4 touchdowns. He earned 2nd Team All-City honors. Qadash Towner is a 5’9 160-pound 2022 slot receiver that has picked up a Utah offer this offseason.
The Gauchos also picked up a Maryland transfer, Traeshon Holden, a 6’3 195-pound receiver that is committed to Alabama. Last season, he played for St. Frances Academy, a Top 5 team in the USA Today national poll. He caught 39 passes for 720 yards and 10 touchdowns. Holden will be a huge addition to a team that is already loaded.
The running game was strong last season and it will be even better in 2019. They have two smaller all-purpose backs that have tons of speed with Jack Brown (5’10 170) and Marceese Yetts (5’9 170). Brown was 1st Team All-City, averaged 9.1 yards per carry, had 942 all-purpose yards, and 10 touchdowns as a junior. Yetts, a 2021 prospect, averaged 5.7 yards per carry, had 903 all-purpose yards, and had 8 touchdowns. Jojuan Collins (5’11 205) was 2nd Team All-City, rushed for 664 yards, 10.9 yards per carry, and scored 9 touchdowns. Collins has 14 Division 1 offers including Georgia, Florida, Oregon, and Auburn. They also have a great young running back prospect in the 2022 class with Tomarion Harden (6’0 205).
The offensive line brings back some experience with Leehi Losua (6’0 245) and Ikani Tuiono (6’3 285). Losua earned 2nd Team All-City honors and Tuiono has picked up a few Division 1 offers this offseason. Damani Woods (6’4 260), Joseph Toilolo (6’0 255), and Matt Camacho (6’8 311) will compete for starting jobs and add some depth to this position group.
Defense
The offense is talented, but their defense could be even better. Jordan Banks (6’3 245) and Jordan Berry (6’3 305) are two dominating and aggressive players that set the tone for the defense. Banks was the Los Angeles Defensive Lineman of the Year after recording 20 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He is considering Alabama, USC, Washington, and Oklahoma. Banks is committed to LSU and causes a lot of havoc in opposing backfields.
They will be joined up front by Sayeed Shah (6’4 235), a defensive end that had 44 tackles and 7 tackles for loss as a junior. Maleek Williams (6’4 220), John Hala (6’1 263), and Damonic Williams (6’1 280) will all be key big guys in the trenches. Hala and Williams are two sophomores that picked up offers during the spring.
The linebackers are a talented group with Alonso Person (6’3 215), Andre Jenkins (6’0 230), and Taariq Al-Uqdah (6’0 202). All 3 linebackers have Power 5 offers. Banks will move around at linebacker and defensive end.
The deepest position group from top to bottom for the Gauchos are the defensive backs. Brandon Jones (5’10 175) was 1st Team All-City, had 57 tackles and 2 interceptions in 2018, has 15 offers, and is committed to Stanford. Craig Martin (5’10 170), Kymani Green (5’11 180), and Keyshawn Abreu (6’0 182) all return from last year’s team.
Jared Greenfield (6’1 180), Anthony Beavers (6’2 175), Macen Williams (5’10 160), and Darrion Green-Warren (6’0 175) all transferred in from other schools. Greenfield and Beavers are committed to Oregon. Williams is committed to Arizona State and Green-Warren has over 30 offers. This rounds out one of the most impressive defensive backfields in the country.
2019 Schedule
The Gauchos had a little bit of a setback last season, losing 4 games in the regular season, but rebounded nicely in the playoffs. This season they will have a huge week 1 game against Buchanan. They will have a big challenge trying to stop a Top 5 running back in the country in Kendall Milton. In week 2, they fly to Hawaii to take on Kamehameha Kapalama. They play Orange Lutheran in week 4 and Gardena Serra in week 5. The Gauchos won in double overtime last year against Serra. They should be in good shape when they enter the playoffs.
2019 Outlook
The Gauchos have had some really solid teams in the past, but this 2019 team could be their best yet. They have over 20 players with Division 1 scholarship offers. They are a little thin at offensive line, but will likely have some of the talented defensive linemen play both ways. They can create a rotation for the 3 open starting spots.
Outside of the offensive line, they are loaded with great talent at all the other position groups, and they have a favorable schedule. If the team can stay focused, healthy, and take one game at a time, they do have a chance to run the table from start to finish. They will have obstacles and challenges along the way, but with their senior leadership, talent returning, and a few key transfers, this team has all the pieces to the puzzle.
