Every top-notch program eventually reaches the same crossroads.
The star seniors graduate. The roster gets thinner. Then comes the season that answers the question every dynasty eventually faces.
Was it the players? Is it the program?
At Hesperia Christian, the Patriots believe they already know the answer.
Five consecutive Agape League championships. A CIF-Southern Section title in 2022. Another trip to the CIF-SS semifinals last fall. Those accomplishments weren’t built on one senior class or one standout player. They were built on a culture that has made winning the expectation each offseason, regardless of who lines up under center or takes the opening snap.
This fall, that culture may face its toughest test yet, according to head coach Alex Vander Weide.
Hesperia Christian enters the 2026 season with one of its smallest rosters in recent memory after graduating seven seniors from last year’s 8-4 squad. The Patriots, who open the season Sept. 5 at home against Santa Clarita Christian, are chasing an unprecedented sixth consecutive Agape League championship while replacing key contributors on both sides of the ball.
Now entering his eighth season as head coach, Vander Weide believes this squad is ready to uphold the standard that’s been set.
“This is probably our smaller senior class in a while,” Vander Weide said. “We lost a lot. We lost seven seniors. But these guys have learned a lot in their time with us. They’ve been a part of some really good teams, and they’ve had some really good examples in front of them. So I’m excited for them to take the mantle and step up as leaders.”
Fortunately for the Patriots, leadership won’t be difficult to find.
Senior wide receiver and defensive back Jackson Lake enters his fourth varsity season after catching 24 passes for 412 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. Vander Weide believes Lake is poised for an even bigger role this season.
“I think Jackson Lake is going to have a huge season,” Vander Weide said. “Both sides of the ball.”
Lake credits the culture inside the program for shaping him into the player and leader he has become.
“I think it’s been really good,” Lake said of his time at Hesperia Christian. “You learn brotherhood and how to play as a team together. You also make a lot of friends along the way, and I feel like you learn the value of hard work.”
Those relationships, he says, extend well beyond graduation.
“I still have friends who graduated three years ago that I still talk to,” he added.
Lake spent the offseason focused on adding strength, believing the Patriots’ goals remain unchanged despite their smaller roster.
“I’m definitely most excited for the potential the team has,” Lake said. “If everyone just puts in the work, I think no one can beat us. We want to win league for the sixth time in a row.”
Senior Joseph Kelly shares that confidence.
After recording 42 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks last season, Kelly returns as one of the defensive leaders and is expected to anchor the Patriots’ line while also contributing offensively.
“I think Joe Kelly is going to break out again and just continue to grow on defense,” Vander Weide said.
Kelly embraced the offseason with a simple objective.
“A lot of conditioning, a lot of weightlifting,” he said. “There’s a lot of big guys that I see coming up, and I don’t want to be the smaller guy.”
Even with fewer bodies on the roster, Kelly believes effort can close the gap.
“We lost a lot of size, but I still think we can do a lot this year,” he said. “I see a lot of hard work. I see a lot of potential, and I’m excited to work with every single one of them.”
One of the biggest storylines entering camp is the competition at quarterback.
Senior Hunter Halbrook threw for 634 yards and 14 touchdowns before suffering an injury midway through last season, opening the door for younger quarterbacks to gain valuable experience. Sophomore Bridger Cacho responded with 315 passing yards and five touchdowns, while freshman Auster Koester added 672 yards and eight touchdowns.
Now, both are battling to become the Patriots’ next full-time starter.
“Whether it’s Bridger or Auster, I think either one is going to have a breakout year,” Vander Weide said. “They’re competing, and it’s just going to come down to whichever one can be more decisive. They both got experience starting last year and playing quite a bit toward the end of the season.”
Whoever wins the job will have experienced targets to throw to and an emerging running back ready for an expanded workload.
Sophomore Jeremy McGee carried the ball just 27 times for 70 yards as a freshman, but his response after last year’s semifinal loss caught his coach’s attention.
“As soon as we lost in the semis, he came up to me and said, ‘I’m going to get bigger. I’m going to get stronger,’” Vander Weide recalled. “You could just see he took it hard, and he wanted to do something about it.”
McGee has followed through on that promise.
“I’ve been working on being stronger,” he said. “Just pushing harder.”
Playing varsity football as a freshman also taught him what separates successful programs from everyone else.
“You push hard, work hard and encourage your teammates,” McGee said.
Vander Weide also welcomes what he expects to be a more competitive Agape League, particularly with programs like Academy for Careers & Exploration continuing to improve.
“I’m excited that there’s going to be more competition,” he said. “I always want a league championship to mean something. The more competitive it is, the more it means.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Hesperia Christian chases 6th straight league title with new faces leading the way
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
