Steal a glance at any Mountain View player’s wrist, and you’ll spot a black wristband marked with the new team motif, “212° Delta Swarm.”
As senior cornerback Alex Sigala explains, it’s about water: “At 211 degrees, it’s really hot. But add that extra degree and it starts boiling.”
The Mountain Lions, keyed to that extra degree of effort, are swarming around second-year coach Paul Schmidt’s leadership, which took them to last year’s playoffs largely on graduated running back Dan Moore’s offensive stomp.
“You didn’t have to be a smart coach to figure out the ball was going to Danny,” Schmidt said.
To fill Moore’s shoes, Schmidt adopted an open-field spread attack that uses three interchangeable backs — and posts senior quarterback C.J. Evanson (6’1”, 185 pounds) as a leg-pedaling, quick-tossing fourth back when needed.
“I like it this way,” Evanson said. “It shows all the dimensions of the game, and I’m not categorized as much.”
In fact, as much as the Mountain Lions enjoyed having Moore on the field last year, they’d rather evolve and reinvent.
Senior linebacker André Peterson (5’10”, 205 pounds) says he’s convinced he can “carry this team.” Schimdt calls his positive, respectful style “a great role model for the kids.”
Peterson offered up a concise defensive Delta Swarm theory: “We’re going to be coming hard to the ball every down this year.”
That attitude heralds a brand-new defensive scheme that escorts the Mountain Lions’ new offense. With only one lineman returning, Schmidt figured it’s a great time to start clean.
Josh Carter — a 6’5”, 285-pound recruiting centerpiece whose talent draws scouts from San Diego and as far as Boise — said the Mountain Lions will acclimate to Schmidt’s vision just fine.
“All these kids have been in the grit and grime. We’ll go into battle with them,” the lineman said.
Mountain View High School
Region: 5A Southern II
Mascot: Monte the Mountain Lion
Colors: Black and silver
Coach profile
Paul Schmidt, second year
Record: 7-4
Previous: Mountain View defensive coordinator for 18 years
2007 record (7-4, 2-1)
Aug. 31 at Marcos de Niza L 43-14
Sept. 7 North L 35-32
Sept. 14 at Kofa 34-0
Sept. 20 at Tucson W 40-21
Sept. 28 Salpointe W 21-16
Oct. 5 Casa Grande W 49-20
Oct. 12 at Buena W 49-14
Oct. 19 at Sunnyside W 49-42
Oct. 26 Rincon W 35-7
Nov. 2 Ironwood Ridge L 30-0
Nov. 9 South Mountain L 34-13
2008 schedule
Sept. 5 Marcos de Niza
Sept. 12 at North
Sept. 19 Kofa
Sept. 26 Tucson
Oct. 3 at Salpointe Catholic
Oct. 10 at Casa Grande Union
Oct. 17 Buena
Oct. 24 Sunnyside
Oct. 31 at Rincon
Nov. 7 at Ironwood Ridge
