Bee’s Best prep football: No. 17 Oak Ridge wants bounce-back season — ‘We’re hungry’
The Sacramento Bee will unveil our Top 25 football rankings from No. 25 to No. 1, a team every weekday, right up to the Aug. 19 kickoff.
NO. 17 OAK RIDGE
City: El Dorado Hills
School opened: 1980
Division: I
Enrollment: 2,470
2021 record: 3-7
Coach: Casey Taylor
Outlook: Last season was a blur for Oak Ridge and coach Casey Taylor, and not because of a dizzying amount of success.
Quite the opposite. Taylor, in his first season, was in scramble mode from the start in taking over the powerhouse program, his alma mater.
The Trojans showed glimpses of potential and promise, opening with a 42-0 win over Cosumnes Oaks, falling to Vacaville 17-10 and stopping Elk Grove on the goal line as time ran out for a 28-27 victory. And then the misery: a four-game losing streak to open Sierra Foothill League play, then a two-game skid to close out the league schedule, and just like that, the Trojans were cooked. This was not the norm for Oak Ridge, a playoff regular over the decades, or for Taylor, who had a championship run at Del Oro and Capital Christian.
“We were trying to figure things out, in a great league, and I never really put a stamp on the team, and some thought, ‘Oh my God! They missed the playoffs!’” Taylor said with a laugh. “The positive is we got in the weight room a little earlier than others and started lifting. The kids have really bought into the weight room, a big part of our success at Del Oro, so we’re really excited. Our group is close. We’re hungry.”
A summer team trip to Southern Oregon University brought the team closer, Taylor said, including players opening up about their lives.
“I’ve coached a lot of championship teams with a lot of team chemistry, and this group has that,” Taylor said. “They know it’ll take all of them to make it work.”
Oak Ridge is set at quarterback with returning starter Maddox Varella, who passed for 1,440 yards and nine touchdowns. He is coached daily by former Oak Ridge All-Metro quarterback Marco Baldacchino.
“Marco’s done a great job, and Maddox is a great player, really improved,” Taylor said.
Oak Ridge has a bevy of backs to supply a run game, including Jake Hall and Dwight Martin. Both were superb sprinters in track, and both will play defense as well. Hall, in fact, is one of the top linebackers in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
Another defensive leader is Conner Dasmann, a rush end who had 74 tackles in 2021 and 9.5 sacks.
“He’s our guy,” Taylor said. “He has a motor. He makes plays. He’ll play some tight end for us, and he’s a great leader. Just a tough guy. He’s a state-level wrestler and he has a good way of challenging our guys. When your best players are your hardest workers, you’re in good shape.”
Taylor and his family sold their Rocklin home that included a garage stuffed with Del Oro championship memories. They now live close enough to Oak Ridge to walk to campus.
“We’re all settled in, and being this close to the school helps,” Taylor said. “When you’re not in the community, it’s hard to be a part of it.”