“This is my last, first game, of the season,” my son said to me this morning. He is a senior lineman for the Damonte Ranch Mustangs. He has been wearing the blue and green for six years: two years in the SYFL, four years for the high school. As I saw him in that jersey, this morning, I could not help but think of the other young men wearing a Damonte Ranch jersey this season. Some of them are guys that my son has been playing with for years, others are new. In the build-up to the 2019 season, it seems like more has been made of who isn’t wearing a Damonte Ranch jersey this season than who is wearing a Damonte Ranch jersey this season.
I am excited to see how good Damonte Ranch this season. They have an exciting running back, Ashton Hayes, who is only a sophomore. Ashton was the backup last season and tallied just under 600 yards doing so. The starting quarterback is a junior, Ethan Kulpin, the backup last season, while also starting on the defensive side of the ball. Speaking of the defense, they will have Christian Jamison coming back who will push for all-league and possibly all-North honors, along with Ty Polson. Ty earned a starting spot last season, as a sophomore. Every team needs experienced lineman and the Mustangs have Carter Lewis, who will be seeing time on both sides of the ball; he is a senior who earned all-league honors as a junior.
Damonte opens up on the road, tonight, in Roseville (CA), with the Granite Bay Grizzlies. The heat, and humidity, could be a factor, with an expected kickoff temperature of 90 degrees, plus the humidity. Granite Bay dropped their opener, on the road, and return home to host the Mustangs. One would expect a large and vocal home crowd for the Grizzlies, will see how the Mustangs handle this challenging road test.
Final thought: When you look back at the past, the story writes itself. I am excited about what is in front of us and how it unfolds for the players wearing the jersey this season, rather than looking back at the players that have already taken the jersey off for the final time.
Lynn Ault | Writer
Lynn Ault is the “voice of the Mustangs”, announcing football, basketball, and wrestling for Damonte. His daughter graduated from Damonte in 2017 after playing basketball and two years of varsity cheerleading. His son is a senior and plays football for the Mustangs.
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