The Pioneer Valley football team is coming off a season where they reached the Division V Central Section championship game before falling to Atascadero.
In Head Coach Dustin Davis’ third season with the Panthers, this year's team will be much of the same looking to compete in a difficult Moutain League.
“You know, we don't want to harp too much on last year," Davis said. "The good news is we got a lot of guys back from last year that were major contributors.”
However, what is different but not unfamiliar is the coaching staff with Coach Davis adding wide receivers coach, Harrison Keller, and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, TJ Jordan, both of who coached with Davis at Lompoc in their last stop as well as St. Joseph earlier in their high school coaching careers.
“It's more of like a trust with those guys," Davis explained. "I know what I'm getting. I know they're putting in the effort and the time. I know they're great teachers of the game and I know they're good examples.”
“That familiarity is really nice," Jordan added. "I kind of know his coaching style. We get along very well and it kind of lets me do my thing when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. That was what was intriguing here."
Jordan coached a dynamic offense at Lompoc beginning in 2018 when he took the reins of an offense that would break records with now graduated quarterback Cavin Ross finishing his high school career with 8,212 yards career passing yards.
While the offense will stylistically be much of the same from last season with Keller and Jordan’s direction, this team could be firing on all cylinders.
“I feel very, very strongly with our defensive staff and with Coach Davis running that side of the ball that, if we can score 28 points a game, I feel like we're going to be in every single game," Jordan stated. "If not, have a chance at the end to win every single game.”
Pioneer Valley hosts Independence in Week 0 of the high school football season.
