San Clemente Tritons: Division 1/2 Southern Section high school football preview

Here’s an inside look at the CIF Southern Section Division 1/2 San Clemente Tritons football team.

Links: San Clemente team page | 2019 schedule | Roster

2018 IN REVIEW

Overall record: 7-5 (4-0, 1stin the South Coast League). San Clemente lost 56-6 to St. John Bosco in the Division 1 quarterfinals.

HEAD COACH

Jaime Ortiz has been the head coach of San Clemente since 2012. Before that, he spent 11 seasons as their defensive coordinator.

TOP PLAYERS

SS Cole Batson, 6-3, 180, Jr.

OLB/SS Trenton Brail, 6-0, 180, Sr.

FS/WR Preston Rex, 6-0, 175, Sr.

WR Cian Smith, 6-1, 180, Sr.

RB James Bohls, 6-2, 200, Sr.

MLB Caiden Robertson, 6-2, 220, Jr.

THREE TO SEE

Cole Batson – SS

Batson had 98 tackles last season and earned second team all-league honors.

Trenton Brail – OLB/SS

Another second team all-league performer, Brail had 106 tackles and three sacks.

Preston Rex – FS/WR

Earned first team all-league as a safety.

OUTLOOK

After last season’s miraculous league title, San Clemente is losing a star-packed senior class. QB Brendan Costello, among many others, will be enormous losses for the Tritons. But with the talent they’re returning, particularly on defense, don’t rule them out for another highly successful season.

The hole Costello leaves at quarterback is enormous. He was the league MVP and is now at Oklahoma State.

But whoever takes over at QB will have a couple of serious receiving targets in wide receivers Cian Smith and Preston Rex. Smith was second team all-league last season after racking up 571 receiving yards, and has received an offer from Dartmouth. Rex is a 3-star recruit and BYU commit at the ATH position who totaled 361 receiving yards last season. Then there’s RB James Bohles, who registered 331 rushing yards last season and has multiple D-1 offers. Now that he’s San Clemente’s main rushing threat, expect him to carry a much heavier load this season.

The Tritons are a near-lock to be a defensive force. They’re returning one of the better defensive foursomes in SoCal in Rex, Caiden Robertson, Cole Batson and Trenton Brail. The latter three combined for a jaw-dropping total of 318 tackles last season, and all made second team all-league. And Rex, in addition to playing receiver, doubles as a first team all-league FS. Charles Clifford, Dean Westerberg, Dylan Lynch, and Gavin Raab are also major contributors on the interior.