Revitalized Panthers seeking end to playoff misery

The Panthers’ senior core envisioned this.

It didn’t hit them after the opening-night road win over North (Bakersfield) and they weren’t surprised when they toppled undefeated Delano.

“Before the season started, we all knew it,” senior outside linebacker Kevin Hulse said.

They knew they would win the city title, be in the playoffs for the second straight season and have another crack at winning the school’s first playoff game in history.

The Panthers, the city’s designated losers for more than a decade, however are still getting used to the attention.

“For people that can remember the not-so-distant past, just being in the playoffs is quite an accomplishment,” third-year Porterville coach Rick Stewart said. “A lot of people didn’t even realize we were going for the first playoff win. It was mainly just, ‘Oh man, we’re in the playoffs’ because there was such a long dry spell. What I kind of like now is we’re starting to create a culture where that’s gonna become expected. We want to create a culture where not making the playoffs is a huge letdown.”

The current seniors knew nothing but letdowns in the early portion of their days in orange and green, going 1-9 as freshmen.

Going from that to a 7-3 (5-1, second place in the EYL) city-champion team that’s the No. 3 seed in the Division III playoffs is still hard for senior quarterback Richie Coppenbarger to take seriously.

“After that nightmare of playing for that freshman team, this is above and beyond what, I’m pretty sure anyone of us could’ve imagined,” Coppenbarger said.

This group didn’t grow up in a winning environment and didn’t appear destined for varsity stardom when their time came.

“Our team was a joke,” senior running back Jordan McIntire said. “We just went out to have fun really.”

Added tight end/defensive end Tre Davis: “Back then, we didn’t really know anything about winning. We were just playing the game.”

Ask any of the Panther players or coaches and they’ll point a new philosophy in how they prepare for a season as the point where things started to turn.

“It wasn’t expected of you back then to go to the weight room,” senior inside linebacker Brandon Gonzalez said. “You could just show up to practice and those who went to the weight room went to the weight room and if they did, they didn’t work out really. Our freshmen year, there was probably eight seniors in there. Now, there’s no room to do anything in there. It’s packed.”

Back in January, Porterville began gearing toward a deep playoff run as it began the heavy lifting portion of the program. The team spent that period (until May) performing more traditional lifts — bench press, power cleans, squats — before shifting into the program’s second phase.

The summer focus was on conditioning, using the SST (Sports Specific Training) model with the players powering through as many as 100 reps on much lighter weights while adding in sprints in between at times.

While this method is new for his current football program, Stewart insists it’s vital if winning is in the cards.

“To me, this isn’t new. It’s not a surprise, it’s just what you do,” he said. “There’s no sport that has to work as hard as football. Football’s the one sport where if you want to be successful, it’s year-round. The other sports can get away with no having to work year-round, but if you don’t go year-round in football you’re gonna lose.”

Gonzalez believes the summer regimen is what keeps his team fresh late in games.

“That’s why you see us in the fourth quarter rolling on teams,” he said.

Another reason is the leaving of “Ironman football” in the past for the most part. Porterville has just two players that start both ways, allowing the majority of the team to focus on their specific tasks.

The 34-27 loss to 10th-seeded Dinuba in the first round of the 2008 playoffs made the coaching staff make this a top priority.

“Dinuba’s the reason we went to it,” Stewart said. “We watched our one sub come on and off (the field) and watched their nine or 10 subs come on and off. That next morning, the coaching staff said, ‘We have to get to that level. We can’t have two-way starters.’

“It’s also elevated some of our average players to a starting position. We were able to eliminate some two-way starters because more kids got stronger and quicker. It gave us a bigger pool of kids to pick starters from.”

Some of the new starters include junior cornerbacks Chad Paul and Joel Smithey, senior guard Diego Paniagua and senior tackle Johnny Nieto.

While the first-timers provide the depth, the Panthers are buoyed by their stars. They aren’t the biggest or fastest players, but they have shined in their roles and none has shined brighter than first-year starting running back David Ali.

“David’s the beast of the team,” Coppenbarger said.

Added Gonzalez: “He’s the key to our offense. Richie plays a big part, he’s the mind of it, but David will definitely move the ball for us. You give it to him any hole up the middle and he’ll run people over.”

At just 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, the junior spent the season plowing through defenders in Jerome Bettis fashion.

Ali finished the regular season with 1,355 rushing yards (just 31 away from Josh Dieterle’s 2007 record, though it was set in nine games), the most in the EYL by more than 200 yards. He rushed for a season-high 238 against Tulare Union and finished the season with a four-touchdown, 183-yard night against Monache.

“He’s a go-to player,” Stewart said. “Because he works so hard and doesn’t miss practice, the offensive linemen appreciate him. The offensive linemen wanna block for him because he’s not a prima donna guy. He’s a running back with an offensive-line mentality. There’s no finesse about him.”

McIntire finished his last regular season with 653 rushing yards and five TDs while hauling in 11 passes for 303 yards and three scores, doing most of his damage outside of the hash marks.

Gonzalez and Hulse’s effects have been well-documented on defense, as each hovers atop the EYL in tackles (Gonzalez had 149 and three forced fumbles with Hulse tallying 136 and two), but it’s the players up front that have given them the chance to enjoy open real estate.

“Us being next to each other just blowin’ people up, there’s nothing like that,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a lot of fun, but if it wasn’t for our linemen then there’s no way me and Hulse would be able to have as many tackles as we do.”

The linemen occupy their offensive counterparts to open lanes for the two linebackers. Defensive end Jake Vanwinkle also has 97 tackles and leads the team with five sacks. In the secondary, junior safety Matt Clark has made an impact with two forced fumbles, three sacks and two INTs.

Coppenbarger, in limited duty after his battle with testicular cancer, has 215 rushing yards and five scores while passing for 313 yards in the Wing-T offense. The fact that he’s been able to contribute — let alone lead the offense — at all surprised Gonzalez.

“Every one of us right here were pretty much devastated when we found out Richie wasn’t gonna be able to play and thinking his season was ended,” he said. “We were stoked (he was able) to come back.”

Last week’s MRI showed Coppenbarger’s cancer had stopped spreading and, contrary to the original diagnosis, he may be able to avoid chemotherapy and radiation treatments after the season.

“I think him playing football is the only thing that’s got him through it,” Stewart said. “I don’t think he would’ve been able to deal with it without football. Football gets his mind off of it.”

He will lead the team against No. 14 Independence (6-4, 5-1 SCSL), which, like Mission Oak, has no seniors. The Falcons are a spread-offense-oriented team and use that to compensate for their lack of size. They are in the playoffs in their first year of existence and matched against a team that’s endured nothing but misery after the brackets are released.

At 7 p.m. tonight, the Panthers will attempt to reap the rewards of their devotion to film study and their all-in commitment to new-age training and put an end once and for all to the continuous playoff winless streak that’s come to define them.

“We’re gonna do some things for our town Friday night,” Gonzalez said.

Another Chance

Porterville still looking for first postseason victory

What: No. 14 Independence (6-4, 5-1 SCSL) at No. 3 Porterville (7-3, 5-1 EYL) in Division III first round

When: 7 p.m., tonight

Where: Jacob Rankin Stadium

Quick Hits: Panthers haven’t won a football playoff game in school history (114 years)...Junior RB David Ali needs just 32 yards to break Josh

Dieterle’s single-season rushing record (1,386 yards)