Silverado has long embraced the expectations that come with being one of the High Desert’s premier football programs.
A CIF-Southern Section championship in 2024 raised the bar. A first-round playoff exit last season served as a reminder that success one year guarantees nothing the next.
Now, as the Hawks prepare for the 2026 season, they find themselves at another crossroads. They graduated explosive playmakers, return a veteran core on defense and believe the next chapter won’t be written by what happened in the past, but by the seniors determined to leave their own legacy.
No one embodies that mindset more than senior linebacker Nheeko White.
Two years ago, White helped Silverado capture the first CIF-SS championship in school history. Last November, he walked off the field after an unexpected 21-14 loss to Ramona in the opening round of the Division 9 playoffs, ending a season in which the Hawks entered as the No. 1 seed.
Now, with one final season ahead of him, White knows there won’t be another opportunity.
“The biggest thing has been getting mentally prepared,” White said. “Knowing this is my senior year, my last season, it really hit me that this is it. I have to leave everything on the field. That’s what’s really pushed me this offseason because I know this is my last opportunity, so I want to give everything I’ve got.”
That same urgency has been evident throughout Silverado’s offseason workouts, according to eighth-year head coach Keron Jones.
“I’ve just seen a lot of hungry individuals,” Jones said. “It’s exciting to see them get after it and understand it’s their team. We’re only going to go as far as they take us.”
Jones has challenged his seniors to decide how they’ll be remembered.
“I always talk to the guys about how they want to be remembered,” he said. “Do you want to be remembered like the team that went 0-10, or do you want to be remembered like the team two years ago that won the championship?”
Silverado finished 6-5 last season and was second in the Desert Sky League standings. The Hawks defeated Victor Valley and Granite Hills by less than a touchdown, topped Adelanto by 13 points and suffered a seven-point loss to league champion Barstow before earning the top seed in the Division 9 bracket.
The season ended earlier than expected, but Jones refuses to let last year’s disappointment become this year’s burden.
“Every year is its own beast,” Jones said. “You can’t focus on what happened last year. We had a major injury early in that playoff game. If that doesn’t happen, I believe we go on and win, but you can’t harp on the past. Just like the championship two years ago, we can’t ride that into a championship this year. This is a new team.”
The offense must replace graduated stars Aumereion Bailey, who rushed for 1,430 yards and 15 touchdowns, and receiver Jayden Pauling, who finished with 29 receptions for 514 yards and six scores.
Rather than searching for one player to replace Bailey, Jones expects competition to determine who emerges.
“We’ve got a few guys in the mix right now,” Jones said. “It could be a running back by committee, or somebody could separate themselves once we get into pads.”
One player Jones believes fans will quickly learn about is versatile newcomer Zion Millican, who is expected to contribute at running back and linebacker after transferring from Davis, in Northern California.
“Nobody knows who he is,” Jones said with a smile. “I’m excited for people to ask, ‘Who’s that guy?’”
Quarterback Johnny Diaz also returns after an injury-limited junior season in which he completed 62 of 116 passes for 587 yards and six touchdowns in eight games. More importantly, he enters the season with a full offseason dedicated to mastering the position after splitting his time between football and basketball.
“As a quarterback, I focused a lot on coverages and reading defenses,” Diaz said. “My arm talent grew, but I think the most important part is really having the mental side of playing quarterback.”
Diaz has spent much of the offseason building chemistry with receivers Brent Hubbard and Dereon Wells, organizing throwing sessions outside of practice.
“We’ve been at the park every week just building that connection,” Diaz said. “It’s different now because it’s our senior year. We have more of a chip on our shoulders.”
Hubbard, who stepped in at quarterback while Diaz battled injuries last season, believes that chemistry has carried over to the rest of the team.
“I’ve seen that guys are hungry,” Hubbard said. “They want it. They want another ring.”
Wells shares that confidence.
“We have a lot to prove this season,” Wells said. “We graduated a lot, and I feel like we’re ready to prove everybody wrong.”
Defensively, White will anchor the middle of the field. As a junior, he tallied 124 tackles, including 62 solo stops, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks.
But he isn’t the only proven piece there. Junior Daonta Lewis returns after recording 86 tackles a year ago, while Walls, an All-DSL selection, finished with 48 tackles and delivered one of the defining moments of last season when he blocked a potential game-tying field goal late in Silverado’s 27-24 victory over Granite Hills.
Jones believes the defensive front has continued to make strides in the weight room, though he admits the real evaluations begin once the pads come on.
“I tell everybody the first day of hitting is like Christmas for me every year,” Jones said. “That’s when you find out who’s really about it.”
That physical identity has helped make Silverado one of the High Desert’s standard bearers, a reputation Jones believes comes with an unmistakable target.
“Oh yeah,” Jones said when asked if that target still exists. “Everybody in the High Desert hates Silverado. Shoot, I just went into freaking Walgreens in a Silverado shirt and the cashier was talking mess about us. That’s fine. We embrace it. We enjoy it.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Silverado’s pursuit of another championship begins with a battle-tested senior class
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
