New sideline sage in place

Four head coaches in four years have guided Sage Hill School’s football program.

The fourth is J.R. Tolver. He’s trying to avoid what happened to the previous two coaches. Each lasted one season.

One recorded a more successful record than the other.

The Lightning are counting on Tolver’s playing experience in college and the pros to help them bounce back from a 2-8 season, the program’s worst since 2003.

Sage Hill’s justification for winning one game back then was valid. Teams don’t win much after completing their second varsity season.

Being a head coach of a high school program is new to Tolver. Competing is not.

Tolver’s playing days as a wide receiver in the NFL are done, but the 29-year-old is striving for excellence. The losing has to stop in order to return to the playoffs.

Keeping players healthy is necessary because the Lightning aren’t very deep.

Tolver has assembled a coaching staff featuring some ex-San Diego State teammates, who turned pro.

“We bring in the dimension that we succeeded at a high level,” said Tolver, referring to line coach Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and secondary coach Ricky Sharpe, who played outside linebacker and safety, respectively, in the NFL. “Obviously, if we’ve done it before, they believe that we know how to do it.

“There’s a responsibility that comes with that as well. We come with instant credibility, but at the same time, we’ve got to prove that we can teach and that we can put things in place that are going to work for them.”

Sage Hill starts the season with a nonleague home game against Fairmont Prep on Friday at 7 p.m.

Here’s a position-by-position look at the Lightning:

Quarterback: Junior Randall Mycorn is slated to start after competing for the job last year

“He’s pretty much our guy,” Tolver said after Colton Gyulay decided against returning for his junior year. “He’s put in a lot of work, especially during the summer. He wants to be a leader of this team.

“He’s probably pound-for-pound our most athletic player.”

Sage Hill moves to a more traditional offense, run first, unlike the spread it ran in recent years.

The Lightning struggled to score last year, averaging 9.1 points per game.

Ryan Tollner is the new offensive coordinator. He was the backup quarterback at UC Berkeley in the 1990s. In the offense, Tollner, Tolver’s former sports agent, plans to use Mycorn’s ability to run the ball.

Senior Andy Multari is the backup.

Running backs: The featured back is junior Taylor Ross. Blocking for him at fullback is senior Dusty Orrantia, a first-team All-Academy League pick last year.

“We’ll be a run-based offense,” said Tolver, adding he wants Ross and Orrantia to combine for more than 20 carries per game. “Our philosophy is we’d rather be on offense more than we are on defense. In order for us to win the time of possession, we’ve got to control the clock.

“Fortunately for us, we have the personnel to do that.”

Receivers: Multari is Mycorn’s go-to-guy in the air.

Other options include sophomore Taylor Petty and senior Kevin Schaefer. Both are quick.

Schaefer, a sprinter on the track team, has run faster than 11 seconds in the 100-meter event.

“He’ll be a Division I player, maybe the first Division I football player out of this school,” Tolver said of the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Petty.

“Schaefer is the fastest kid by far on the team. He ran track the last three years. He never played football before [at Sage Hill]. [I] just talked to him [about joining the program]. He always wanted to play.”

Tight end: Senior Connor Gaughan is a big target at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds.

Tolver said UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the University of San Diego have expressed interest in Gaughan.

Offensive line: Four out of the five starters return.

Senior Mo Kreitenberg (6-0, 210) is starting at left tackle, junior TJ Danner (6-0, 240) at left guard, senior Brendan Killaly (6-0, 220) at center and senior Adam Donchess (6-0, 215) at right tackle. Danner and Donchess earned first-team all-league recognition last year.

The right guard position is a battle between senior Sam Simon and sophomore Ford Hanour.

“It’s going to start upfront for us,” Tollner said. “We’re going to go as they go.”

Defensive line: The opposition ran through Sage Hill last year. The defense allowed 36.8 points per game.

Danner and Simon are the defensive tackles, while Gaughan and Donchess look to apply pressure from the outside.

Linebackers: Killaly is in the middle, with Kreitenberg and Orrantia as the other linebackers in the 4-3 alignment.

Secondary: At cornerback, Multari gives the defense experience. Schaefer looks as if he’ll start on the other side.

Petty and Ross are the strong and free safeties, respectively.

“The Taylor brothers,” Tolver has nicknamed the duo.

Special teams: Tolver hasn’t decided who will kick and punt.

Ross and Petty will be in the mix on kickoff and punt returns.