Experienced Beckman football team gets ready to compete in new Lambda League

Beckman players listen to Patriot coaches after a game last season. (Photo: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Beckman High School’s football team, coming off a successful 2023 season, is preparing for new challenges in 2024.

The Patriots, coached by Marcello Giuliano, will soon be preparing to compete in their first season in the new Lambda League, part of a major re-leaguing plan for most Orange County teams.

Beckman moves from the Pacific Coast League into the new league, which also includes Fullerton, Marina, Sunny Hills, Valencia and Kennedy.

“Our whole program has worked really hard to make the transition into the new Lambda League,” Giuliano said. “It’s a big change moving away from our traditional city rivalries in the old Pacific Coast League, but we are looking forward to competing against this set of teams with different playing styles and terrific staffs. We have changed up our pre-league schedule too to help get us ready for this level of competition.”

Beckman was 8-3 overall last year, 2-1 in the Pacific Hills League and advanced to the second round of the CIF playoffs.

“We had a solid year in 2023, but we ended up a few plays away from advancing to the next round of the playoffs,” Giuliano said. “This year’s team is definitely motivated to find a way to make those two or three plays a game that really matter, whether that is vying for a league title or making a run in the post season. These guys have put in the work to be our biggest, strongest group in the last eight or nine years because we know our new schedule will be a very physical one and we’ll need to play that way in order to accomplish our goals.”

Beckman has plenty of experience.

“This year we are blessed to have an unusually high number of seniors and returning players, some of whom have been varsity players for three or four years,” Giuliano said. “Our offense will be led by a really experienced group of offensive linemen (MK Karpuhkin, Kian Kashkoolina, Abraham Vargas, and Roy Chaya all return). We have some holes to replace in the skill positions, but four-year player CJ Bertoni, senior Noah Czaychowski and returning junior Makhi Czaychowski will all be important contributors.

“We have enough new guys on defense that it will take us some time to find our identity, but we expect the defense to be led by some really important returners. Among others, senior middle linebacker Miles Park, senior defensive end Drexel Gibson, Jr. and junior defensive end Rian Silva will anchor the front and hopefully create the pressure needed to help out an inexperienced secondary.”

2024 SCHEDULE

Home games at Tustin

Friday, Aug. 23, at Santa Ana Valley

Friday, Aug. 30, at San Marcos

Friday, Sept. 6, at Canyon (Fred Kelly Stadium)

Friday, Sept. 13, (H) vs. Portola

Thursday, Sept. 19, (H) vs. Woodbridge)

League

Friday, Oct. 4, at Fullerton

Friday, Oct. 11, (H) vs. Sunny Hills

Thursday, Oct. 17, (H) vs. Kennedy

Friday, Oct. 25, (H) vs. Valencia

Friday, Nov. 1, at Marina (Westminster)

(10th in a series of summer football previews)

—-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com