As the 2024 football season approaches, Gustine Football Head Coach Collin Lane is set to embark on his third year with the Gustine Reds, which looks to be a competitive season.
Lane is "changing the culture" for his team this season and for years to come with having more consistency and having a good chance at winning the Southern League title. Lane wants to continue to keep the vision the same to build good character for each player and hold them accountable on and off the field, and when they continue that it will lead to more wins in the season. Senior Austin Etheridge says the theme for this season is "Compete.”
Last season was a learning year for the upcoming Reds; many of the sophomores who are now juniors and on varsity were able to learn about the work needed to put in for this upcoming season. Overall, they went 4-3 in league and were able to make a run in the first round of playoffs against Rio Vista. There has been lots of growth and the seniors have been staying very consistent with practice and weight room as well as attending Hume Lake sports camp with the rest of the team members, who were very invested in learning. The attitude so far has been very positive, with a good group of kids that don't complain about the heat or 6 a.m. practice, Lane said.
This season there are 18 hardworking players and six of those are seniors. They are known to have a great bond with each other and are great friends.
"Since I've been here, this is probably the best senior group I've had, with positive attitudes and changing the culture, I'm excited,” Lane said.
Lane is looking forward to seeing Austin Etheridge, who led the league in tackles in 2023 and is a leader in the weight room and on and off the field. As well as Junior Joao Palomino, who as a sophomore had over 1,100 yards rushing on varsity, so this year he should be able to repeat that. He's also looking forward to seeing sophomore Alex Quezada, who played on varsity as a freshman and had big catches during games as well as contributing tough defense.
This season, Lane has been working alongside his quarterback club to start bringing back community involvement and being able to showcase proud Gustine alumni. This will hopefully bring more activities in the community that are sponsored by Gustine football, "We have been trying to improve on it, by getting the community to come to more of our games as well as having more alumni recognition such as the past teams who have won league champions," Lane said.
The Reds will play a scrimmage game against Chowchilla at 7 p.m. on Aug. 16 at Chowchilla.
Gustine High School will kick off the preseason home opener with a thrilling matchup against their traditional rivals, the Orestimba Warriors. An opponent historically played in the last few weeks of the season often determining playoff positions. The restructuring of the league brought this highly anticipated showdown to the forefront, paving the way for a spirited game and an even more competitive season. The game is set for Aug. 23.
