Mission Bay junior defensive lineman Lorenzo Pittman (left) battles with a teammate during practice

With a Division IV title and undefeated record, the 2009 season was a dream for Mission Bay. As the Buccaneers rebuild heading into this season, they’re not planning on making it a nightmare.

“A lot of people are second guessing us, saying we’re not going to be as good as last year. I think we have a chance to be better actually,” said defensive tackle Lorenzo Pittman. “If we come together as a team, we can definitely be CIF champions again.”

Mission Bay finished 13-0 last season to win their first section title since 2001. Head coach Willie Matson said the team’s expectations have not changed from last year.

“They’re going to have to play at a high level now because the bulls-eye is firmly printed,” Matson said. “People aren’t just going to want to beat us, they’re going to want to beat the heck out of us.”

The bulls-eye is in large part courtesy of quarterback Dillon Baxter, who is now at USC. Last year’s national player of the year was an unstoppable force, rushing for 2,974 yards and 50 touchdowns and throwing for 1,922 yards and 25 scores, providing highlight material nearly every time he touched the ball.

“A guy with Dillon’s ability comes around once in a lifetime,” Matson said. “But a lot of these kids have a lot of pride and they want to say ‘Hey, it wasn’t just Dillon. We had a team behind this,’ and that’s really important to them.”

Senior Ryan Daniels and junior transfer Nathan Long are currently vying to take the keys to a Mission Bay offense that has four-fifths of its offensive line back from last season. Matson said Daniels is more of a pure passer, while Long brings a dual threat aspect to the position.

“The concept of the offense will not change, but we’re going to have to be more diverse in how we utilize the offense,” Matson said. “We have to be more balanced – it won’t be so centered on one person.”

Seniors Jesse Klein and Marcus Jasper lead Mission Bay’s receiving corps along with junior Chris Byrd. Senior Anthony Magee (241 yards, one touchdown last season) will start at tailback.

“We don’t exactly have one individual like we did with Dillon,” Pittman said, “so it’s going to be a lot of teamwork that we need to put together, especially on offense.”

While the Buccaneers are in transition on offense, Maston said their defense should be better than last year. In 2009, Mission Bay allowed 20.5 points per game.

“Our defensive line is going to be strong and our linebackers are going to be stronger,” Matson said. “It’s going to be a nice, balanced defense. I’m looking for big things from them.”

Mission Bay’s defense starts up front with Pittman, who started last year as a sophomore. Last year at defensive tackle, Pittman had 62 total tackles (18 solo) and three sacks.

“Last year, we had a lot of seniors to lead us and now all the juniors from last year have to step up and lead,” Pittman said.

Juniors Byrd and inside linebacker Isaac Griffin are also expected to make impact defensively. Matson said Griffin is the team’s top newcomer.

“We have a lot of juniors playing,” Pittman said. “We all have to grow and mature.” Mission Bay begins their title defense at home Friday, Sept. 3 against Valhalla. The Buccaneers have won their last seven season openers.

“I have a lot of faith in my team; I think we have a good group of guys,” Pittman said. “We’ll be good.”

Division IV Teams to Watch: Coronado, Madison, Olympian, Santa Fe Christian, Valley Center