They were instrumental in the Rams capturing the program's first league championship last season.
MURRIETA — Murrieta Mesa football coach Oscar McBride admits to being “an offensive guy.”
But McBride also has been around the game long enough to know the importance of having a good defense.
“It’s cliché to say that you win championships with defense,” said McBride, who played collegiately at Notre Dame and two seasons in the NFL as a tight end with the Arizona Cardinals. “But when you can rely on your defense to set the tone and get their job done, it just makes things easier as a coach. I am fortunate to have players who really embrace that philosophy.”
McBride guided Murrieta Mesa to a share of the Big West Conference’s Lower Division league championship during his first season in charge of the program. The defense was a bright spot in league play, as the Rams allowed only 11.8 points per game. The heart and soul of that defense were linebackers Craig “C.J.” Moran, Ifeanyi Onye and Luke Van Den Berg, and the trio of seniors has returned to lead the unit again this season.
Murrieta Mesa (6-5 overall, 4-1 in league in 2022) opens the new season Friday at home against Tesoro.
Van Den Berg is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound middle linebacker who captains the unit and makes sure everyone is lined up right before every snap. He led the Rams with 99 tackles last season and added five sacks.
“I don’t want teams to gain an inch against our defense, let alone a yard,” Van Den Berg said. “If other teams are having trouble moving the ball, that lets me know I’m doing my job at getting everyone where they need to be.”
Moran is the team’s other middle linebacker, and the 6-foot, 225-pounder is a jack-of-all-trades for the Rams. Moran is committed to San Diego State to play baseball and will see more snaps at running back this season. He finished second on the team with 61 tackles last season and had four sacks and three fumble recoveries.
“The goal for the defense is just to be dominant every game and on every play,” Moran said. “I want teams to know nothing will come easy. I want them to game plan for the linebackers and be afraid to run the football against us.”
Onye is a 6-foot-1, 230-pound outside backer and edge rusher who led the team with 12 sacks last season.
“Ifeanyi is an absolute monster out there on the field,” McBride said. “We don’t have anybody in our program that can block him, so we’re happy he’s with us. We will leave it to our opponent to figure out how to stop him.”
Each player is great individually, but it is the chemistry and teamwork amongst the trio that really stands out.
“The whole defense is close on and off the field, and all of that pays off on Friday nights,” Van Den Berg said.
All three players are team captains, and McBride has confidence in their leadership skills, going as far to say he would be comfortable with any of them stepping up and running practices if needed. Onye and his fellow linebackers take pride in their leadership roles, especially being mentors to the younger players on the team.
“That all starts with our coaches. They have given us the guidance and the tools to be leaders for the team.” Onye said. “They pass it down to us, and now it’s our responsibility to do the same with the younger players.”
The linebackers have helped breathe new life into a program that experienced a winless season in 2021.
“In the past, a lot of teams just saw us as a doormat and an easy win on the schedule,” Van Den Berg said. “We want to change that. I want teams to say, ‘W... Click here to read full article
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