Throw all records and statistics out the window.
The Northern Division I football season starts in earnest this week as teams embark on league play.
“It's a brand new season,” Douglas football coach Ernie Monfiletto said. “We're 0-0. Everyone is 0-0. The kids have had a great week in practice getting ready for Bishop Manogue and they understand that this is a new start.”
Douglas takes on Bishop Manogue in Reno at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Both teams come in after a tough non-conference season as Manogue has gone 0-5 to open the year while Douglas won its season opener and then stumbled in the four following weeks against North Valleys, Reno, Hug and Reed.
In the Sierra League, though, Carson has put together a 3-2 start while the remaining four teams have posted three wins combined.
“I think Carson has a leg up on everyone, but the league really is wide open for whoever wants to step up and take it,” Monfiletto said. “Most of it from hereon is going to come down to mental preparation.
“There is no time for feeling bad about ourselves. We need to continue to get better. We're just a a win away from being right in the thick of everything and it would give us a real confidence boost down the stretch.”
Douglas has progressed on offense every week since junior Bryce James took over at quarterback and senior Nick Abreu shifted into a super-utility roll that has seen him return two kicks for touchdowns, develop as a dependable ball carrier and pass receiver and make some game-changing plays on defense.
“As a group, we are growing and improving every week on special teams,” Monfiletto said. “Last week against Reed we ran 65 plays, we were consistent and our drives were almost mistake-free on offense. It's tough to look at the final score and find positives, but we saw growth in the details. Those are important things as we look at league play.”
This week, Monfiletto said the focus has been on getting to the ball defensively.
“We just need to improve on hustling to the football,” he said. “We've worked a lot this week on pursuit and finishing plays. That is our goal: fundamentals and finishing.”
Monfiletto said he's seen a renewed focus
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among the Tiger players with the start of league play approaching.
“They're taking it upon themselves to get after it,” he said. “We're excited about the opportunity to move forward. It's been hard on the kids emotionally after basically facing Andre the Giant (Reed), but we have a great group of kids. They'll go out there and give it everything they have.”
It's a BRAND NEW SEASON
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Photo courtesy of Ron Harpin/ www.rahphotosnv.com
Taran Grove (24) against Reed last week.