Falcons forge on with new cast

"They're receivers who also run that rocket we run where we hand it off to guys in motion and give it to them around the edge," Schilling said. "That's what those guys do."

The offensive line will consist of senior Patrick Arnold at right guard, senior Adam Fletcher at left guard, junior Nathan Sarreal at center and seniors Garrett Stoudt and Luna are the starting tackles.

"All of our line, except for the junior are returning varsity players, so we have a lot of experience there," Luna said. "We can trust Zac at quarterback and he's good under pressure, but I feel like the offensive line is going to have to lead us."

At wideout, the Falcons will look to junior Nick Ruiz, senior Mark Sereno, and sophomore Sean Johnson, and Domingo and Fernandez will be targeted also.

Senior soccer standout Pavle Atanackovic will handle the kicking and punting duties.

"I think, overall, we have good execution, we have tough players, players that really love football and really want to win," Wilkerson said. "I'm very excited. I think I can lead this team. We have great receivers."

Schilling is scrapping the 4-3 defensive scheme the Falcons relied on last season and has installed a 3-4 look as a throwback to the Falcons teams from the early part of the previous decade.

"We're kind of using that as a guide," Schilling said. "The 3-4 gives you a lot of other things you can do out of it."

Luna and senior Wes Berg will be the starting inside linebackers with seniors Alec Traber and Chris Fierro starting on the outside.

The down linemen are Stoudt, Ben Thomason and Sarreal.

"We're running a different scheme this year, so that should help us out," Luna said. "We have some returning guys on defense who have a lot of experience and we're just going to try and blitz a lot and smack people in the mouth."

Domingo has one corner spot locked down, while senior Levi Walker and junior Kevin Cooper are in the mix for the other. Senior Tyler Martinez will play free safety and Perigini is the strong safety.

"We're going to have to rely on our defense," Domingo said. "Our defense is going to make stops."

The Falcons begin league play on Oct. 1 against Glendale.

"On paper, every team in the league has better guys and is more polished than they were last year," Schilling said. "The league is good, it's solid.

"Our goal will always be going into the season to try and win the Pacific League championship. [To] be there at the end, be in the hunt for the league championship and try and get into the playoffs."

Fri. at Verdugo Hills, 7 p.m.

Sept. 17 vs. St. Francis, 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. La Cañada, 7 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Glendale, 7 p.m.*

Oct. 8 vs. Hoover, 7 p.m.*

Oct. 15 at Muir, 7 p.m.*

Oct. 22 vs. Pasadena, 7 p.m.*

Oct. 28 vs. Burroughs, 7 p.m.*

Nov. 5 at Burbank, 7 p.m.*^

Nov. 12 at Arcadia, 7 p.m.*

*denotes Pacific League game

^denotes at Burroughs High

Home games at Glendale High