Beckman Coach Marcello Giuliano with some of his standout players (from left) Rian Silva, Sawyer Nickelson, Aidan Tran, Noah Nam, Makhi Czaykowski, Nathan Garcia and Roy Chaya at the CIF press conference Tuesday at The Grand in Long Beach. (PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
It’s already been a special year for Beckman High School’s football team.
Coach Marcello Giuliano and his players are looking to cap it with one more victory when the Patriots take on Brea Olinda Friday at 7 p.m. in the CIF Division 8 final at Brea Olinda.
The Patriots are trying to secure the first CIF title for the program. Beckman lost in two previous CIF Southern Division finals in 2010 and 2011. Giuiliano, who coached at Pacifica previously, will be coaching in his first final.
Both teams enter the game 10-3. Beckman is riding a nine-game winning streak.
“It’s awesome,” said Giuliano, in his 11th season as Beckman coach. “But it’s also surreal. Right now, you’re just in the thick of it so I’m just hoping I can take a little time to enjoy it. It’s just getting ready for a football game. And hopefully, upon reflection, it sinks in.”
Beckman has had quite a playoff run after capturing the outright Lambda League title with a 5-0 record.
Beckman is led by senior quarterback Noah Nam, who has passed for more than 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns.
“I’m just super proud of our team and super excited to be in position to be able to play in this game,” Nam said Tuesday at the CIF press conference at The Grand in Long Beach.
Nam wasn’t expecting early on the team would reach the final.
“Beginning of the season, to be honest, not really,” he said. “I just trust in our coaches they had a plan for us, I just took it week by week. I’m going to take in all in and be grateful for the opportunity to be there and to know that we have a job and it’s not finished yet.”
Nam said the team’s success has been based on trust, “the offense trusting the defense, and the defense trusting the offense and doing our part and minimizing turnovers.”
A number of other Patriots have stepped up.
Running back Makhi Czaykowski has rushed for 1,571 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Giuliano has also stressed the importance of defense and the unit has come through. Nathan Garcia leads the defense with more than 100 tackles. Xavier Mussleman-Cano has seven interceptions.
“Our defense has done a good job over the last several weeks of being able to hold people under their season averages, and our two safeties not only run the show back there but they make a ton of the tackles,” he said. “Aidan Tran, at tailback, is also our linebacker and our corners have done a really good job …. they’ve been ball hawks and we’ve gotten a lot of takeaways and interceptions.”
The coach talked about the players’ contributions during Tuesday’s CIF football press conference media luncheon at The Grand in Long Beach.
“We’ve got our two safeties (Sawyer Nickelson and Nate Garcia) here who have done just a phenomenal job running the defense and making the lion share of the tackles,” he said. “We have our backfield here, Noah Nam at quarterback and Makhi Czaykowski at tailback and Aidan Tran at tailback. Those guys obviously have been really heady football players that have been super consistent on that side of the ball and we have two of our linemen here Roy Chaya and Rian Silva, both two-way guys, offensive line and defensive line.”
The team’s experience has been a plus, the coach said.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who have played a lot of football,” Giuliano said. “Some of these guys have been playing varsity football since they were sophomores. So that experience has been really, really critical. Obviously, it’s critical we have dynmaic athletes who can make plays and smart kids who know the game. I think the big thing, coming out of last year we lost so many seniors who had been so critical and it took us a while to find our personality and find our leadership and these guys have done a great job with that.
“Once we learned as a team who we were, and how we needed to play the game, that’s when you really saw things start to change and develop and they bought into that. Everyone talks about all the touchdowns and all the great plays on defense, but all of those are a product of pretty boring details that you really need to hone in on and they’ve done a great job of buying into that.”
Giuliano said he’s looking forward to his first appearance coaching in a final. It’s the first time one of his teams have advanced past the second round.
“I’ve been coaching a long time and this is my first trip so I’m wise enough to know it doesn’t come around all the time and it is a special deal,” he said. “Of course, I want them to understand it’s special. But I really want them to understand it’s another business trip.”
Giuliano said he has a lot of respect for Brea Olinda.
“They’r real good, I think it’s two pretty equal teams,” he said. “They have a big offensive lines, they’re different on offense than we are, but both teams have really important quarterbacks. Their quarterback is a real dynamic ball player and very fast and they want the ball in his hands when it matters. We both have good, physical tailbacks and we both have aggreesive defenses that can run around and make tackles. I really feel it’s two real similar teams.”
Beckman is part of the Tustin Unified School District. The school is located in the city of Irvine.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
More Stories
Woodbridge QB Waylon Stone wins autographed football of LA Chargers star at CIF luncheon
PHOTOS: Brea Olinda and Irvine prepared for CIF Division 8 semifinal playoff battle
CIF football championship schedule for Orange County teams Friday and Saturday