ALEX OSTERHOLT will start at running back and linebacker for the Panthers in Friday night’s season opener against Concord.

Benicia High’s varsity football team has high hopes when the 2015 season kicks off Friday night at home against the Concord Minutemen.

The Panthers have 13 returning seniors – including five all-league selections – from last year’s Solano County Athletic Conference co-champions. Benicia believes it has the talent to repeat as SCAC champs and hopefully go deep into the playoffs.

“We think we have the ability to win league,” said Benicia head coach Craig Holden. “After that everything’s up in the air. But a league championship is what we’re aiming for. Anything short of that would be disappointing.”

The offense is in good hands with senior quarterback Riley Pitkin, who made First Team All-SCAC last year after throwing for 1,977 yards and 19 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Pitkin also ran for four touchdowns.

“The sky’s the limit on how good he can be,” Holden said. “He was our JV starting quarterback for two years and our varsity starter last year, so he knows what he’s doing. He’s a vocal leader out there and isn’t afraid to jump on somebody and tell them what they need to do. That comes with experience and it’s good to have that kind of leadership from the quarterback position.”

Senior Alex Osterholt was a First Team All-SCAC linebacker last season and will also carry the load at running back. Osterholt was second on the team in rushing last year and at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds has the strength to run over defenses.

“He’s humongous,” Holden noted. “He’s all muscle and I think his arms are bigger than my legs. He’s gonna drop his shoulder and punish defenses, but he also has the speed to run away from guys.”

Joining Osterholt in the offensive backfield will be veterans Kyle Hanson-Regalado and Josiah Peterson, as well as JV call-up Cavon Etter. Peterson and Hanson-Regalado are “utility” players that can line up wide or in the backfield. Etter is a powerful runner similar to Osterholt.

Jason Shelley returns at wide receiver. The senior – who was Second Team All-SCAC and second on the Panthers in receptions and receiving yards in 2014 – has developed into Pitkin’s favorite target. The Panthers are looking for a second steady receiver, with Mario Ferreira, Xavier Judkins, Steve Urias and Kyle Sinclair battling for a starting job.

“I think we’ll be pretty balanced offensively,” Holden said. “I’m not afraid to run the ball or throw the ball.”

The Panthers should be fine with a solid line anchored by returning senior starters Ryan Blakeman, Justin Badger, Michael Soles and Imad Adel. Soles is the biggest player on the team, and Badger was a Second Team All-SCAC defensive lineman last year. Q.J. Dollar and Jonathan Holmes will see time at guard while Brian McCrae and Mason Newton are battling for the starting center job. Junior Kyani McFall is expected to become an impact lineman.

“We’re not the biggest or strongest line but they know what to do on each assignment,” Holden said.

Benicia must replace three linebackers from last year but begins with a solid nucleus of veterans Osterholt and Blake Pederson. Other possible linebackers include Hanson-Regalado, Etter, Johnny Thymiakos and Hunter Whitson.

“That’s where we have some holes to fill but we’re excited about who we have,” Holden said of his linebackers. “It’ll be a work in progress, but hopefully they get better each week.”

Shelley, Peterson and Matthew Larks are Benicia’s top cornerbacks. Junior Devin Holden will start at safety, with Sinclair, Justin Williams and Michael Mendoza also likely to see playing time in the defensive backfield. Sinclair returns as the team’s kicker and punter.

The Panthers opened last season with three straight losses before winning seven of their final nine games, and Benicia has another tough opening to the season this year. Benicia gets a rematch with the Minutemen, who beat the Panthers 48-13 last year in Concord. Powerful McClymonds comes to town the following week.

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