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2009 Season Schedule
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Head Coach: Jon Hirsch - 1st Season (3-7)
Redwood Football Preview
By JOHN SWARTZ
THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL
By JOHN SWARTZ
THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL
Coach: Jon Hirsch (first season)
Returning starters: three offense, two defense
Last year: Redwood made the playoffs but yet again failed to pick up the school's first playoff win in the NCS D-II bracket,
losing to Brentwood's Heritage High to finish the year at 7-4, 4-3 MCAL. Joe Klemme was one of the top running backs in
the league, rushing for 1,001 yards and eight touchdowns. The Giants tied for third place with Justin-Siena, losing to the
Braves, MC and Novato while defeating Terra Linda, Drake, San Marin and Terra Linda.
Keys to success: After eight years at Redwood, Jim Nelson bowed out as the program's head coach, citing differences
with the administration. Hirsch, the Giants' defensive coordinator the last four years, and a Redwood High 1994 grad, was
hired three weeks later. He knows part of Redwood's success relies on him being able to make the transition a smooth
one for his players. "From my perspective it's been seamless," said Hirsch, who teaches history and geography at
Redwood. "This is a dream come true for me. It's something I've been thinking about a long time." Senior Jake Anderson,
a second-team all-MCAL running back and kicker who also played wide receiver last year, slides over to quarterback
where team captain John Fitch, described by Hirsch as a lineman of the year candidate, and co-captain Sam Perrella will
try to give the new field general some pass protection. Anderson's top target is Brendan Henderson, a senior wide
receiver who Hirsch said improved by leaps and bounds over the offseason. Receiving most of the handoffs in the
backfield is Tim Parks. On the defensive side of the ball, Tony Bricca and co-captain Kyle Thompson control things as the
heart of the linebacker corps, with junior Issa Madanat also expected to contribute. Madanat's older brother, Jimmy, is a
lineman, while Preston Curley will try to wreak havoc on opposing backs and QBs from his defensive end position. For
Redwood, which graduated six all-MCAL players from last year's squad and only carries 28 players on its roster, the
biggest test will be how fast the incoming players can get used to varsity speed. "So many guys need to step up because
we graduated three-quarters of our starters," Hirsch said.
The last word: "Lack of experience, that's going to be our biggest thing," Hirsch said. "We have a lot of learning to do
and a short amount of time to do it. Last year when we struggled I think we struggled in the passing game and in
defending the pass. I think based on last year that's the area we need to improve."
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