High school football: Northridge seniors want to put Knights back on the map

Note: Northridge finished with a 5-5 overall record in 2009 and a 3-5 mark in Region 1. It did not qualify for the playoffs.

LAYTON — Zero and nine.

That's the record Northridge's sophomore team had back in 2008. It was a difficult year for those players, who are, you guessed it, seniors now and the heart and soul of this year's varsity team.

You'd think coach Erik Thompson would be in a panic about this group, but he's feeling pretty much the opposite.

"You'd think you're in trouble, but these guys have worked their butts off," Thompson said. "They've put themselves in a position where I think they're going to challenge every game."

The 0-9 record is a bit misleading when it comes to Northridge's current seniors. Some of them were playing varsity at the time. But there are plenty of them that remember how miserable their sophomore season was, and it helped build some character.

"The seniors have been through hell," Thompson said. "They haven't won a lot of games, but they're good students, good leaders and the kids behind them are really talented, so we're excited to blend them together. We have a better team than most people think we do."

The Knights return plenty of talent and experience as younger players were thrown into the fire last season. Northridge is usually loaded in the skill positions and lacking in the trenches, but they actually have some pretty decent size that can match-up with the bigger and physical teams in Region 1.

Quarterback Trent Buckley will help give the Knights a more physical mentality on offense. He started at defensive end last season, and the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder won't shy away from contact.

"He's been in the fire, been under pressure," Thompson said. "He brings a real physical toughness to our offense. He runs like a fullback, and is a really skilled quarterback as well. He just hasn't had a lot of experience."

Buckley is excited to be Northridge's starting quarterback and help the Knights fare better than they did as sophomores.

"We're confident, but we know we have a ton to prove," he said.

Northridge' best overall player is probably Brock Johnson. He'll start at fullback and safety. He led the state in tackles as a junior.