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Cabrillo has been working hard all summer to stay sharp for the start of the season this month. The Jaguars need to perform well at the annual lower division tournament in Corona this weekend, where they’ll get a first look at the other top Division 6 teams. Cabrillo and Lakewood are both on the CIF Watch List in that division.
“We’re so hungry and we can’t wait to represent Long Beach,” Cabrillo coach Lawrence Durand said. “These guys are hard workers and reserved and that’s what makes them so dangerous. They’re not show boaters. They look unassuming. We’re kind of like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
With a thin lineup Durand will rely heavily on returners Rodney Reese, Gabriel Castaneda, Chris Caracoza, Tlaloc Morales and Mateo Jimenez. Reese will be the goalkeeper with team captain Caracoza leading the defense in front of him.
With Jimenez holding down the 2-meter, Castaneda and Morales will use their speed in the pool to press teams on the counterattack. Durand also said they can rotate to the middle to confuse teams.
Cabrillo is only two years removed from reaching the CIF Southern Section Division 7 semifinals.
