Apple Valley’s 2025 season rarely followed a straight line.
The Sun Devils opened with wins over Orange Vista and Highland, were shut out by Corona del Sol, then saw their long-running Bell Game winning streak come to an end against Victor Valley. They responded by taking second place in the Mojave River League standings, making a run to the CIF-Southern Section Division 7 championship game.
The season ended there.
Barstow edged Apple Valley 10-7 for the Division 7 title, leaving the Sun Devils with a 9-5 record and a season that showed just how much the team could withstand.
Now, entering his third season as head coach, Robert Meras believes that experience is more valuable than simply looking back at the final score.
“Our year was a little bit of a roller coaster,” Meras said. “We preach overcoming adversity, and when things don’t go well, how are you going to react?”
Apple Valley does not have to search far for evidence of that growth. The Sun Devils lost three of their first seven games last season, then put themselves in position to play for a CIF-SS championship.
Meras said every single game helped prepare the team for its playoff run, forcing players to adjust rather than rely on everything going their way.
“You don’t ever want to lose a game, but we try to learn from our losses,” he said.
The next step is figuring out how much of that team can carry over.
Quarterback Brent Lanning is among the most important pieces. As a sophomore, Lanning completed 125 passes for 1,611 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions. With another offseason in the system, Meras said Lanning has taken on more responsibility as a leader and developed a stronger understanding of the offense.
“He’s just another coach out there,” Meras said.
Lanning is entering the season as the clear starting quarterback, but Apple Valley will have to sort through its running back rotation after Noah Hardeman led the team with 887 yards last season.
Chase Higgs saw more opportunities late in the year and finished with 40 carries for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Jewelein Washington had 23 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns, and Adriyen Fayloga is also expected to be part of the rotation.
Meras said Apple Valley plans to use the opening portion of the season to determine how those carries are distributed.
“We have a couple kids that we’re going to mix in in the first five weeks, and we’re going to figure out who’s going to be the guy moving forward,” he said.
There is experience to work with on the other side of the ball, too.
Erom Rohrbaugh returns after leading Apple Valley with 105 tackles and adding two interceptions. Higgs was close behind with 88 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and two sacks. He also forced three fumbles and recovered two.
Nathan Mulford also returns as a senior along the defensive front, while Lucas Arceo brings experience to the offensive line.
Apple Valley also expects to benefit from players who are no longer learning what Friday nights feel like.
Rohrbaugh said that difference is one of the biggest reasons he likes the team’s outlook.
“Last year we were young. A lot of people hadn’t played on Friday night,” Rohrbaugh said. “This year, everyone’s just hungry to go get it and do more than we did last year.”
That hunger is paired with a program that has invested heavily in its strength and conditioning work. Meras points to Anthony Morales and Sam Jang, both former Apple Valley players who now work at the school, as major reasons the program has continued to develop in that area.
“They just want to continue learning,” Meras said. “They go to a lot of colleges and seminars, and they just keep trying to get better and better and put it back into our kids.”
This year’s team will try to turn that experience into something more consistent from August through November.
Apple Valley already knows it can handle a season that takes unexpected turns. Now it has to prove it can navigate those turns with a more experienced roster and finish the job.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Apple Valley enters 2026 season with unfinished business and plenty of answers to find
Reporting by Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
