Injuries force change

Rick Devereux

Sage Hill School Coach Tom Monarch had a goal of winning five games

this year. Five would have been more than the combined total of the

program (four) going into the season and would have given the

Lightning a bright future with a junior-dominated squad.

But Sage Hill has won six games and, like Bob Marley sang, once

you get what you want you want more.

Monarch wants the Lightning to win their first-ever Academy League

game and secure a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division XIII

playoffs for the first time in the three-year history of the varsity

program.

Those goals seemed attainable until injuries started to spread

like the flu.

Running back/cornerback/kick returner Keya Manshadi has a strained

calf muscle and suffered a mild concussion against Brethren Christian

Saturday.

Wide receiver/cornerback/punter Braden Ross suffered a high ankle

sprain against Brethren Christian.

Linebacker/fullback Dylan Milstein broke his collarbone and is out

for the year.

“We’re in survival mode right now,” Monarch said. “We have got to

take what we have and piece together something competitive.”

Sage Hill (6-2, 0-1 in league) will be forced to shuffle things

around for Friday’s 2 p.m. league contest against visiting St.

Margaret’s (5-1-1, 0-1), which is ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern

Section Division XIII. Don Ayres, who was the starting fullback for

much of the year, will be the starting tailback instead of Manshadi.

Bryan Kornswiet, the starting center, will line up at fullback.

The Lightning will face a St. Margaret’s defense that gives teams

multiple looks.

“We’ve seen them in two or three different defenses so far,”

Monarch said. “It looks like a five-man front is their main defense,

but they use four and three linemen sometimes.”

While pieces are moved around on the offense, the real Sage Hill

changes are coming on defense where five players are expected to man

new positions.

Kyle Rammer will start at defensive tackle, a position he has

played before. Rammer is taking the spot of Morgan Brief, who has

been moved to defensive end. Michael Morgan, who usually plays

defensive end, will play outside linebacker. Inside linebacker Nick

Sohl will fill in for the injured Ross at one cornerback spot and

outside linebacker Ayres will fill in for Manshadi at the other

corner. Usual defensive linemen Sani Krishna and Bryan Forrest will

take over the inside linebacking duties.

“Losing Ross and Manshadi, that hurts because they are our

bookends at corner,” Monarch said. “[St. Margaret’s] has probably the

best quarterback in the league [in Sebastian Bacon]. I said before

the season started and I still think it’s true: they are the best

team in the league.”