OC Sports Zone Kickoff 2019: Woodbridge seeking to bring home another PCL crown

Among the Woodbridge standouts are (from left) Justin Morgan, Kaleb Go-Williams, Max Tipple, Ethan Assayag, Jakob Trestik, Tate Smith, Ezra Aguirre and Nick Felix. (Photo courtesy Harrison Zhang, For OC Sports Zone)

It was a special season for Woodbridge’s football team which won the Pacific Coast League title and captured the Dennis Toohey Fence Post Trophy. Coach Rick Gibson is hoping the Warriors can continue that success.

Woodbridge was 7-4 overall and 5-0 in the Pacific Coast League last year.

The Warriors are the league favorites but there are some question marks on offense. Woodbridge returns two starters on offense and six on defense.

“We have a very competitive preseason with two Sunset League teams (Newport Harbor and Fountain Valley), El Modena, Pacifica and Santa Ana. We need to improve weekly and gain important experience,” Gibson said. “Our goals are to get better weekly and to play through adversity and to compete for a league championship/city championship.”

Two seniors Tate Smith and Ethan Assayag, are battling for the starting quarterback job, Gibson said. It’s possible that the two could share the quarterbacking duties too, Gibson said.

“I’m not of the thought that you have to have the same person lead you throughout. I’ve done it in the past where I’ve switched quarterbacks throughout,” he said.

Gibson said the defense, led by outside linebacker Max Tipple, appears solid. Tipple is also a running back.

“Defensely, I feel pretty comfortable about because we return a lot of defensive players,” he said.

Woodbridge opens the season Friday, hosting Newport Harbor at 7 p.m. at University.

Tentative offensive starters

Tommy Prince, junior, Nick Felix, senior and Jesse Gordon, senior; z-backs;  Ethan Assayag, senior and Tate Smith, senior, QB;  Max Tipple, senior and Regis Baky, senior; RB; Vincent Garcia, junior and Carry Rainey, junior, x-backs; Jacob Dube, senior and Justin Morgan, senior, all-league, HB;  Ian Hardy, senior and Dylan Hutton, senior; TE; Sebastian Garibay, senior, LT;  Dario Amirghahari, senior, LG; Connor Skahan, senior and Ethan Anderson, junior, C;  Ricky Liu, senior and Jack Witter, senior, RG; Kaleb Go-Williams, senior and Trey Silber, senior, RT.

Tentative defensive starters

Tommy Prince, junior and Carry Rainey, junior; CB; Vincent Garcia, junior, CB; Owen Lucas, junior and Justin Morgan, senior, FS; Regis Baky, senior, SS; Kevin Bosley, senior, OLB; Max Tipple, senior, MLB, first team all-league; Ezra Aguirre, senior, OLB; Kaleb Go-Williams, senior, DT, second team all-league; Steven Blackburn, sophomore, NT;  Dylan Hutton, senior, DE; Nick Felix, senior, second team all-league, OLB.

Special teams

Jakob Trestik, kicker-punter, second team all-league; long snapper Ezra Aguirre; short snapper Connor Skahan; kick and punt returners Justin Morgan, Tommy Prince, Carry Rainey and Regis Baky.

RELATED: 2019 Woodbridge football schedule

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