On opening day of football practices, QB Jeremy Pacheco of University has real joy
In the second quarter of the first game last season, he sustained a season-ending knee injury. After surgery in October, he went six weeks without walking and had to study from home taking online courses.
After months of rehabbing, he's been cleared to play in his senior season.
"The energy getting back to play football is next-level," he said.
No one really knows how good he is, except for University coach Bryan Robinson, who believes he's ready to show off a strong arm and strong leadership qualities.
At Eagle Rock, where coach Andy Moran began his 29th season of coaching, the optimism is valid, because Moran has a quarterback in Liam Pasten coming off a season in which he passed for 3,602 yards.
"It's like Christmas," Moran said before sending his players to the weight room. "Everyone is excited for that first day."
Pasten has grown to 6 foot 1 but weighs a slim 145 pounds. Don't worry about hits.
"I have a good understanding of having to take hits or avoid hits to protect myself," Pasten said.
Pasten is also known for being one of the best high school barbers. He's up to giving 40 to 50 haircuts a month.
As for what's the most popular cuts, Pasten said, "Lower and mid tapers."
He might have to offer his linemen free haircuts for no sacks as an incentive to protect him at all costs.
The first three days of practices for City Section teams are conditioning days. Then helmets and shoulder pads go on.
Southern Section teams with Week 0 games also began practices on Monday.
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It sounds like Ben Johnson has plans for Bears rookie Kyle Monangai
The Chicago Bears have high hopes for their offense this season with the arrival of head coach Ben Johnson and improvements along the offensive line. While quarterback Caleb Williams' development is key, he won't be able to thrive without a strong running game. D'Andre Swift was brought in as a free agent ahead of last season, but he hasn't been as productive as they hoped coming in. Roschon Johnson, who the Bears selected in the 2023 NFL draft, is a solid back, but he hasn't proven himself to be a number one either. In the 2025 NFL draft, Chicago selected Kyle Monangai in the seventh round to join the running back room. He was seen as the third guy on the depth chart ahead of camp, but that may not be the case as the season progresses. Head coach Ben Johnson seems to have a plan for the rookie. 'I'm very pleased with where he's at,' Johnson said after Family Fest. 'I think he's a guy we're gonna be able to trust this fall.' Does this mean that Johnson doesn't trust Swift or Johnson? Of course not, but it does mean that he plans on using Monangai, perhaps more than anyone thought. Having three running backs contributing isn't necessarily conventional in the NFL, but the Bears could make it work. Nobody has made the case to be the undisputed top running back since coming to Chicago, and Johnson is ready to try to get the most out of every player. When Johnson was the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, he found success with Jared Goff throwing the football. None of it would have worked well, however, with that strong running attack, and they had no problem using more than one running back with the duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. We'll see if he can duplicate it in Chicago, where Monangai could be a contributor. This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: It sounds like Ben Johnson has plans for Bears rookie Kyle Monangai
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Petty talks RFK's uptick: 'They have a resurgence going on'
Kyle Petty analyzes RFK Racing's production over the past few weeks and the role Brad Keselowski has played in the team's growth.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jaguars HC Liam Coen believes Travis Hunter can win both OROY and DROY
What kind of impact could Travis Hunter have on both sides of the ball during his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars? If you ask his coach, a historic one. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Appearing on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Monday, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said he believed that Hunter, who was selected No. 2 overall in April's NFL Draft, can win both NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year as a cornerback and wide receiver. "I do think it's possible," Coen said. "He is committed to driving, not just himself, but his teammates as well. I think his teammates, these guys are challenging him every single day. He doesn't get a free pass because he was the second overall pick and he's Travis Hunter. "They are in his grill trying to jam him up, trying to hem him up, trying to make it as hard as they can possibly make it for him in a great way, like in the most healthy way as possible where they're going at it and chirping at each other. But it's truly iron sharping iron. That's what it feels like and I wouldn't expect anything less from those guys. They think he can do it as well, but they're going to make him earn it as well in this building." Two-way players in the NFL have made impacts on the game — see: Deion Sanders — but none of them have ever done what Coen says is possible for Hunter this season. There is a little over a month until the Jaguars host the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, and Coen and his staff are still working out the percentage of snaps Hunter will take on offense and defense to start the season. "We want to play him as much as we can," Coen said. Last season, Hunter played 753 offensive snaps and 776 defensive snaps, along with 23 more on special teams with Colorado, according to Pro Football Focus. Despite the extra usage, Hunter was productive with 92 receptions, 1,152 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on offense and 29 total tackles and four interceptions on defense. His play earned him the Heisman Trophy in December. Hunter said at the start of camp that playing both sides is more taxing mentally than physically. He'll now need to be ready to deal with NFL cornerbacks and wide receivers, like Panthers wideout Jaycee Horn come Sept. 7, who won't make life easy for the rookie. "[Horn's] not going to be like, 'Hey, man, this is cool what you're doing.' They're going to say, 'No, dude, you can't do this' and that's the beauty of it," Coen said. "I think [Hunter's] definitely driven to do it for the right reasons."
