When Bourgade Catholic took the field for the first time this season, it looked like it might be another tough transition year for second-year head coach Marcel Lopez. Following a 30-10 loss to Coolidge, however, the culture around the squad has completely taken a turn in the right direction.

The Golden Eagles have won their last three contests, and by a margin of at least 22 points, including two blowouts by 49 points.

The team has just 14 seniors on its 35-man roster, as they lost close to 20 seniors from last year's squad.

Bourgade seemed destined for a year of developing its younger talent, but this has certainly not been their approach.

Lopez misses the senior leaders from last year, but knows how to work with what he has.

“Last year, we had a great group of kids,” Lopez said. “I wish I would have had those seniors for one more year, but the guys that are coming back have bought in. They’ve bought into the process and that’s why we’ve been able to achieve some of the success we’ve had these last couple weeks, and we’re looking to continue that in the next few weeks.”

Towards the end of practice this past Thursday (the day before their 51-12 rout of Tuba City), they conducted many scrimmage-type drills. The offense worked a lot from the shotgun, and typical for 2018, implemented a little bit of a spread in their offensive sets.

Gustavo Bonilla, a senior captain who plays both sides of the ball as a running back and linebacker, feels that these types of drills make a substantial difference in games.

“I think it helps a lot because you know what they’re doing, we’re on the same page, and we can work together on the field to score touchdowns,” said Bonilla, who has played the last three years on the varsity team.

The team has 11 juniors and 10 sophomores to round out the roster of 35. Joshua Dreher, one of the juniors, takes a role as a leader himself.

“As a freshman I came in not knowing much, and then when I grew up as a sophomore last year, I was put into the system under Coach Lopez, and I understood it,” Dreher said. “And then this year being in my second year under the system, you have to be a leader, because knowing the offense, it can get confusing sometimes.”

Dreher, who is also a captain, has played varsity every year he’s been at the school, and like Bonilla; is primarily a running back.

Sebastian Gameros is a sophomore wide receiver, cornerback, and safety for the Golden Eagles. He is a captain, and believes that he and his teammates respect each other regardless of age. According to Gameros, being a leader is no easy task.

“It takes a lot of responsibility, because the coaches also look at you to pick up the other guys. It’s not just a walk in the park,” said Gameros, who is also a returning varsity player.

On paper, before the season started this team looked like a young group of players who would likely lack leadership. The program has found leadership within their captains, and not only with their remaining seniors. Having leadership from juniors and sophomores has been a strong part of the team’s cohesiveness.

After a 3-7 finish last year, many would have thought that this season would be dedicated to developing the younger talent. Instead, Lopez has a group of fearless players who are winning now.

“Of course we will continue to build for the future but we want to win now,” Lopez said. “We believe that we have the guys and we have the talent that we can win and be successful this year.”