For the past handful of seasons, the Mission Bay High School football program has created a sustainable and winning culture.
Under the watchful eye of head coach Greg Tate, the team has worked itself from a lower Div. V program to now a perennial playoff contender that looks formidable in its new home in CIF Div. III. Coming off an eight-win season in 2022 that included a run into the CIF Div. IV semifinals, Tate and his team have their eyes set on an even higher mark in 2023.
“Even though last season was successful, we still felt like we underachieved,” said Tate. “We’ve come into the offseason with a chip on our shoulder and we want to play to our expectations. Playing in Div. III will certainly present new challenges and better competition, but we are excited to showcase ourselves.”
This offseason, the Buccaneers have pushed the envelope and adopted an iron sharpens iron mentality. They have regularly arranged 7-on-7 games vs. teams in higher divisions, like nearby Div. II powerhouse Bishops.
However, if Mission Bay wants to continue its run of successful seasons, they have a few roster spots and new starters they’ll need to lean on. With the departure of players such as QB Ethan Sibler and two of their top three leading wide receivers, Jack Ryan and Jacob Sloan, the Bucs will need playmakers to fill those spots.
Fortunately, Tate is confident in both the depth and talent this team has to fill those voids.
“At quarterback, Charlie Hutchinson has been taking QB1 reps all offseason. It will be his first year playing football, so it’ll be a big jump for him, but he’s an all-state basketball player and a phenomenal athlete. He’s taken control of that position, and we’ve got a lot of trust in him,” said Tate.
“Meanwhile, on the outside, WR David Maier will be a big contributor again this season after he had about 900 yards receiving last year. As well, we hope for big things from both Charlie Grebing and Gavin Marzion, two big, physical, and fast WRs who will be able to stretch the field for us.”
As for the Bucs’ backfield, expect to see a big season from returning running back Caden Taffe. Taffe missed nearly half of last season, but according to Tate, has been putting on a show all summer camp and should see a majority of the workload in the backfield. And for a change of pace, home run hitter type back, the Bucs will look to Marcos Korch. A 6 feet 2 inches tall burner whose straight-line speed is some of the best in the county.
Still, even with how strong the Bucs’ skill position players are, Tate believes the strength of this offense will be in the trenches along the offensive line.
“Our line has four returning starters from last season, so they’ll be the most experienced group we have on the field,” Tate said. “Whether it be pass blocking or run blocking, I think this will be a unit that sets the tone for us.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Tate also has a high bar set for his defense and especially with his defensive backfield.
He knows his defense is strong at stopping the run, but his confidence in his DBs has grown this offseason, as this year’s unit has more length and physicality in their game. Tate plans to play more press-man and be more comfortable in man coverage.
“We’ve had talented DBs in years past, but they were a bit undersized. This group is all standing 6 feet tall and above. It will allow for a lot of movement in the secondary and let us get down hit,” said Tate, “We want to out physically a lot of teams this year. And we feel we can do that because this is our most talented group yet.”
This year will be a big season for Mission Bay as they look to continue to build a winning culture. Week 1 of the Bucs’ season starts on Thursday, Aug. 17, vs. Christian High School.
