Thousand Oaks Lancers

Last season's results: (3rd in Marmonte, 7-4 overall) Midseason losses to rivals Moorpark and Westlake prevented Thousand Oaks from making a run at the Marmonte League title in '06. Still, the Lancers won their final three league games and went into the postseason with a head full of steam. Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry over into the playoffs, where TOHS was whacked by Hart of Newhall 41-19 in the first round.

Notable returnees: John Lister, jr., RB (1,191 rushing yards, 9 TDs); Scott Luft, sr., WR/DL (13 receptions, 151 yards, 75 tackles); Evan Yabu, sr., DB (47 tackles, 3 INTs); Ryan Thompson, jr., DL (34 tackles); Dereck Jester, jr., DL (28 tackles) Impact newcomer: Josh Bounds, jr., DE Who they play: Thousand Oaks faces a tough series of road tests when they embark on a three-game trip in October. The journey starts at Moorpark (Oct. 12) before moving on to Royal (Oct. 19) and Westlake (Oct. 26), where new Thousand Oaks head coach Mike Leibin will visit the school in which he served as a defensive coordinator for the previous seven years. The Lancers roughed up Newbury Park last year. The rematch takes place Nov. 9 at TOHS.

Overview: With Luft, Yabu, Thompson, Jester and Kyle Woodruff all returning, Thousand Oaks may have the best defense in the league. Newcomer Josh Bounds will also help Leibin's group. Leibin described Bounds' play as "well disciplined, with a great understanding of what he's doing."

With Thompson, Jester and Bounds all having two more years at the school, the Lancers may be set on the defensive side for some time.

Lister had a great season as a sophomore, but can he repeat the performance? Leibin says he can and added that after a recent scrimmage all of the other coaches couldn't stop talking about the speed of his ball carrier.

For Lister to net big gains, the Lancers will have to get good play out of their quarterback. Ryan Cloney graduated after a storied career and his replacement still hasn't been determined. According to Leibin, the competition is between senior Kyle Triplett and junior Ian Shultis. Leibin described Shultis as having the stronger arm, while Triplett is a little more athletic and has the ability to run with the ball.

In a nutshell: All the intangibles are there on defense. Whether or not the Lancers can win the league may come down to the quarterbacks. If the signalcallers can perform well, Lister will have an opportunity to be one of the top two running backs in the league, alongside Simi Valley's Langston Jackson.