Bee’s Best prep football: No. 11 Antelope has an offense ready to charge through section
The Sacramento Bee will unveil our Top 25 football rankings from No. 25 to No. 1, at least a team every weekday, right up to the Aug. 19 kickoff.
No. 11 Antelope
City: Antelope
School opened: 2008
League: Capital Valley Conference
Division: ll
Enrollment: 1,877
2021 record: 10-1
Coach: Mike Byerly
Outlook: The beginning of last season was chaotic for Antelope High School football coach Mike Byerly.
He was hired late in the process, only a few months before the season started. The Titans went on to go undefeated in the regular season and reached the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals.
With a full offseason under Antelope’s belt with Byerly and a chunk of key starters returning, the Titans are once again a team with championship aspirations.
“Last year I was hired on late in the process,” Byerly said. “The metaphor building a plane while you’re flying it, we felt like that on both sides of the ball, especially on defense … We are excited going into it (because) we have a lot less confusion.”
The most notable returner on this Antelope roster is senior running back Curron Borders. Last season, Borders rushed for over 2,000 yards with 33 total touchdowns. Byerly says Borders has grown tremendously in the offseason and is determined to show last season wasn’t an outlier.
“He’s gained strength since last season in every measurable way,” Byerly said. “He ran track and field and gained muscle weight while maintaining that explosiveness. We are excited to see what he’s going to do. He was a vocal leader for us a junior and that has not stopped. He’s the heart and soul of our team.”
The coach added, “We are excited to see him mature going into his senior season. He’s more and more becoming like a man. He has lots of attention from colleges in the region and he’s handling it really well. As people see him in his senior year, they’re going to be happy with what they see and see that (last year) wasn’t a fluke. He’s special.”
Other notable returners for the Titans include quarterback Josiah Bateman, wide receivers Lamar Johnson, Cassidy Cole and Trevon Watson. On defense, Antelope returns Culby Perkins, Xavier Marez and Alpha Ban.
Byerly had very high praise for Bateman, who is entering his third season on the varsity roster. The coach hopes the Antelope offense can reach new heights with the returning playmakers coupled with Bateman’s experience.
“It’s not easy to learn a spread offense,” Byerly said. “Having him in his third season now with this offense, he has sure shown a lot of promise in the offseason. We think we are going to be able to spread the football around more this year.”
Antelope opens up the season at home against Whitney on Aug. 19. The Titans beat the Wildcats in the playoffs last season. Other teams on the nonconference schedule include Elk Grove, Lincoln of Stockton and River City. Antelope’s Capital Valley Conference opener is Roseville on Sept. 16.
“We wanted to get those teams on the schedule because they’re great programs,” Byerly said. “That has energized us in the offseason to get ready. We don’t have half of a season to mature. … However the record turns out (in nonconference play) we are excited about the maturity we are going to gain from playing those games.”