2022 Team Preview: Del Norte Knights

Del Norte 2022 Preview   Head Coach: Bruce Langston         Mascot: Knights             Twitter: @DNHS_Knights   Colors: Turquoise, Black & White              2021 Record: 1-8                      Overview: After a very young and inexperienced Del Norte struggled through a frustrating 2021 season, Knights coach Bruce Langston decided to ramp up the off-season workouts, including participating in 7x7 events (Albuquerque Metro Passing League, etc.) to help his players get acclimated to game speed. Two quarterbacks are battling for the starting job: JoJo Turtle-Morales, last season's starter, and Kenny Estrada. Morales is the more mobile QB and Del Norte hopes to utilize him more in the run game this season. The Knights are striving to have a balanced offense, which should boost the play-action aspect of its scheme.   The Knights are definitely aiming to run the football more effectively in 2022. Through the summer, Del Norte has gotten a look at several RBs, adopting a by-committee approach. However, one RB who has solidified his spot in the rotation is senior Emiliano Padilla. Padilla has excellent vision, adequate speed and is a good blocker on the edge. Sophomore Camryen Staples, a hoops standout for the Knights, is a promising young RB.   The Del Norte coaching staff is eager to see what Staples does when the pads go on, especially between the tackles. Sophomore Xavior Lynnchoice, who saw limited action as a freshman, and senior Richie Cordero are being counted on to lead the WR corps. Both are quick and elusive. Six-foot-3, 220-pound senior Gerardo Aguliar-Mora will be the tight end with promising 6-foot-4 sophomore Hyrum Shaw behind him. The offensive line will be entirely new after last season's unit was dominated by seniors. The Knights are putting a premium on mobility for future blockers.   Defensively, the Del Norte coaching staff is excited about senior MIKE linebacker Ezekiel Romero, a standout wrestler who plays with a high motor. Romero will utilize his elite athleticism to make play on the perimeter. Nicholas Benavidez returns at outside linebacker. Junior twins Sean Gilbert and Cory Gilbert are the defensive tackles. Angelo Maechtlen, another wrestler, is a promising defensive end after playing football for the first time last season. Overall, Del Norte's defensive line – and the defensive front seven - looks solid. The secondary will be young and inexperienced, though.   Schedule: Del Norte opens the 2022 season by hosting Deming. The Knights leave the Albuquerque Metro region just once this season when they travel to the Four Corners to face Miyamura.   Aug. 19 DEMING   Aug. 27 VALENCIA (Sat.)   Sept. 2 at Bernalillo   Sept. 8 at St. Pius X (Thur.)   Sept. 16 HIGHLAND   Sept. 23 RIO GRANDE   Oct. 1 at Miyamura (Sat.)   Oct. 7 Bye   Oct. 13 at Valley (Thur.)*   Oct. 20 at Manzano (Thur.)*     Oct. 28 LOS ALAMOS*   * District Game   Top Storyline: Will a crop of promising young players spearhead the revival of Del Norte football?   Final Thoughts: Yeah, Del Norte is a basketball school but head coach Bruce Langston understands the success of the hoops team (2021 Class 4A state champions, 2022 4A runners-up) shouldn't prevent the hoops team from succeeding as well. Just like some other APS schools, the Knights are rebuilding in our post-pandemic world. Right now, many of their best players are sophomores and juniors. Rebuilding is a process, and the Del Norte could be a year or two away from making some playoff noise in Class 5A. But the Knights are coming. We'll see if time and hard work pay dividends for Del Norte.                                                                          Coach's Comments: “We've spent the past year trying to rebuild the program and get our numbers back up after Covid. We're a young team. We only have five seniors, three of whom have played football, two have not. We have a good junior class that we think is going to be special. But they have to get out there and play the game, learn it and gain some experience. Right now, the kids are learning how to work hard. We should be able to be balanced on offense and sit in the pocket and gets some throws out. We should be able to run the football effectively. We'll mix it up a little more now that our quarterback is getting older. We have a lot of young kids. If we can keep them going, we should be able to make a good splash in a year or two. But we're hoping to get off the ground a little early and surprise some people this year. The Deming game will be a huge challenge in the opener. We have to come out of that game emotionally, physically and spiritually intact. If we do that, we can move forward through the season successfully.” – Del Norte coach Bruce Langston.

Del Norte 2022 Preview