Players such as Justin Brantley, left, and Guam High have found it tough to catch Father Duenas Memorial, winners of 72 straight games dating back 10 years and eight straight island titles. (Jeff Jones, J&M Media/Special to Stripes)
Ninth in a series of DODEA-Pacific high school football previews
A new coach and a team comprised mainly of underclass players faces the same daunting task: How can Guam High overcome longtime island football power Father Duenas Memorial?
Jooho Lee takes over the Panthers from Kevin Manns in a Guam Interscholastic Football League season that finally, after three years being played in different parts of the school year, returns to its customary fall season slot.
Twice in the last three years, the football season was played in November and December and once during the spring, following the coronavirus pandemic.
This iteration of the Panthers must make do without most of the line size and star athletes Aaron Johnson and Cameron Brantley, who helped lead Guam High to runner-up finishes against the Friars the last three years.
“Our kids at Guam High do their best to train, (but) right now, we have a very young team,” Guam High athletics director Ed Paz said in an online interview. “We have a lot of underclassmen in the mix.”
Only 10 players return, Lee said by email, including just six starters, from the 2023 unit that went 5-2 overall, both losses coming to Father Duenas, including a 43-0 drubbing in the island final last Nov. 18.
It’s a Friars squad that has won an island- and Pacific-record 72 straight games dating back to the IFL final 10 years ago, in which George Washington shut out Father Duenas 12-0 on Oct. 25, 2014.
Aside from having greater numbers than Guam High – the Friars sometimes put as many as 70 players on the sideline, compared to the 30s for the Panthers – “the Friars are established” as a program, Paz said.
“They have clinics during the summer to get the kids ready and they have the same kids all throughout high school,” Paz said, compared to a military lifestyle in which families transfer every two or three years.
Brantley and Johnson were exceptions, having played for four seasons in Panthers blue and gold.
But “Guam High is currently training new quarterbacks,” Paz said. “Our quarterback needs to have a good arm for a long pass. We also lost a lot of big players from last year as well.”
Among the Panthers’ key performers, Lee said, are receivers Judah Alcantara and Braden Flinn, running back Noah Harris and free safety Rai Johnson, who will be one of the hands tried at quarterback.
Speed and fitness will be the Panthers’ hallmark, Lee said; the team will be well conditioned. It’s a question of how quickly team cohesion can be built and spinning up a strong defense, Lee said.
The Panthers will see how much work they need to do when they open the season Friday at home against Tiyan’s Titans; kickoff is at 7 p.m.
“I can’t really tell how strong we are going to be until our first game,” Paz said.
Schedule
Friday, Sept. 13
Tiyan at Guam High, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20
George Washington at Guam, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 27
Father Duenas at Guam, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5
Southern at Guam, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 11
Guam vs. Simon Sanchez at John F. Kennedy High School, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19
Guam at Okkodo, 3 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25
John F. Kennedy at Guam, 7 p.m.
Playoffs
Semifinals
Friday, Nov. 1-Saturday, Nov. 2
Fourth place at regular-season champion, third place at second place
Third place
Friday, Nov. 8
Semifinal losers
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 9
Semifinal winners
