Valley football gets back to basics in search of wins

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Christopher DeVargas

Members of the Valley High football team pose for a photo at the Las Vegas Sun’s high school football media day July 20, 2016 at the South Point. They include, from left, Gustavo Gomez, Iyen Medlock, and Sonny Gibson.

Thu, Aug 25, 2016 (2 a.m.)

2016 High School Football

Members of the Cheyenne High football team pose for a photo at the Las Vegas Sun's high school football media day July 20, 2016 at the South Point. They include, from left, Corwin Bush, William Federson, John Tarver, and Deriontae Green. Launch slideshow »
Prep Sports Now

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The Valley High football team’s losing streak goes back to 2013, so second-year coach George Baker came up with a simple plan: get back to the basics.

Employing what he calls Football School, Baker spent a lot of the offseason re-teaching some basic tenants of football like proper footwork and tackling technique. The idea was to make sure everyone was up to speed and to bring the team’s overall football IQ up, something that senior Iyen Medlock felt they accomplished.

“I really feel like it made us better as a team and individuals,” Medlock said.

Much of the instruction was old hat for Medlock, the Vikings’ top overall player who is moving from quarterback to receiver and safety this season. But the point was to make sure everyone understood what was expected, so even if the instruction wasn’t necessary for some players they were able to act as senior leaders for the rest of the team.

“It makes you feel like you’re responsible for helping all the younger guys or whoever needs help,” Medlock said.

The 6-foot-1 Medlock is more natural at receiver but he was needed at quarterback. Now the Vikings have Sonny Gibson playing behind center, running an offense that Gibson said is going to play “fast and mean.”

Not only does that free Medlock up to play receiver, but Baker also said that would mean more time for Medlock in the secondary, where he can help play behind a strong front seven. Baker highlighted senior Gustavo Gomez at linebacker and the Vikings have more size along the defensive line, too. Still, the Vikings’ success will be more about speed and technique than weight.

“We’re not going to go out and out-size anybody,” Baker said.

That’s where Football School becomes even more important. The little things, when done right, can add up to something big, and entering his second year that’s exactly what Baker envisions for Valley this season.

“We’re light-years ahead of where we were last year at this time so that’s really going to translate to what we do on the field,” Baker said.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.

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