A.J. Gass is ready to begin his second year at the helm at Servite. Don't let the Friars' 6-6 record from last season fool you.
Photo by Heston Quan
Servite failed to have a winning record last season, closing out 2013 6-6 after a two-point loss to Alemany in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 playoffs.
At face-value, it's hardly the resume of a team poised to burst into national rankings the following season. Most of the other preseason Top 25 early contenders won state titles -- or came very close -- in 2013.
Beneath the surface, the facts surrounding this year's Servite squad paint a much different picture. Head coach A.J. Gass, a 1993 graduate of the school, is comfortably in the helm after being named head coach in late April last year, and he welcomes back a star-studded cast of players.
It starts on offense with one of the nation's more dynamic quarterbacks in
Travis Waller, a 6-foot-3, dual-threat quarterback whose recruiting stock has skyrocketed this spring.
The nation's
No. 5 dual-threat signal-caller per the 247Composite, Waller generated nearly 3,000 yards from scrimmage and torched defenses to the tune of 25 total touchdowns. Keep in mind, he performed the feat against arguably the toughest schedule in the state.
Six of those touchdowns were passes to the hands of returning receiver
Equanimeous St. Brown. A tall, athletic target, St. Brown is very difficult to stop in single coverage.
Among the other returning starters are
Clayton Johnston and
Tommy Garcia on the offensive line. Johnson is a 6-foot-6, 290-pound mauler who is dominant in run blocking. Garcia (6-3, 290) and
Aidan Carty (6-3, 230) are more than adequate. The program features several other young linemen who should be able to step in.
Waller led the team is rushing last year, but running back
Tate Beachley managed to gain 536 yards and six touchdowns.
The defense could be even more effective with seven starters from a year ago taking the field. Shutdown cornerback
Maurice Davison, who routinely locks up 6-5 St. Brown in practice, is a huge asset, knowing the caliber of receivers littering the Pac-5. He finished with eye-popping statistics: 56 tackles and seven interceptions.
Jack Savage, the son of UCLA head baseball coach John Savage, made 51 tackles last fall, reportedly playing the entire season with a torn labrum. A nasty, physical player, he lives up to his last name. He routinely sheds blocks from much bigger players.
Justin Parcells and
Nico Ament, the team's two leading tacklers in 2013, will look to pad their already-impressive career totals.
Servite builds its team on the concept of brotherhood. While there is tremendous camaraderie in the program, there is a special bond between three of this year's players: St. Brown and his two younger brothers,
Osiris and Amon-Ra.
The eldest brother is deciding between Stanford, USC and Notre Dame for college while Osiris, a sophomore, picked up an offer from Illinois in the spring. Amon-Ra will start on the freshman team, but could end up being the most talented of the trio, whose father is former Mr. Universe John Brown.
In 2014, Servite has tremendous promise. It just needs to turn some of last year's losses into victories against very tough competition to fulfill it.
Local quote
"Servite may have been 6-6 last season, but once you factor in that this program takes on some of America's best week in and week out, and the talent coming back, it's totally reasonable to have this team ranked in the Top 25 in the nation. Don't let that number fool you."
- Leland Gordon, Editor, MaxPreps.com (@lelandmaxpreps)
Travis Waller has already proven he can do it all from the quarterback spot.
Photo by Heston Quan/IIIustartion by Social Recluse Graphx