Barons hope to put it all together

Experience at key positions could lead to big things this fall for the Fountain Valley High football program.

John Shipp enters his ninth season as head coach of the Barons and has 12 returning starters back from a 4-6 team. Found among that group are six players drawing attention from college scouts, four of whom are being “heavily recruited,” said Shipp, who also is the Barons’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

The Barons get a boost in returning quarterback Chris d’Entremont, who Shipp said can “flat out throw the ball.” Two of d’Entremont’s key receivers are back in Wyatt Christensen and Jacob Church, both all-league players. Gone is the team’s 2011 leading receiver, Sean Myers, a senior who in June was named MVP of the 2012 North-South All-Star Football Game.

Christensen missed five games last year due to injury (fractured pelvis). Shipp said the senior is being heavily recruited by several schools, including the Air Force Academy, San Diego State, UNLV and Northern Arizona. Shipp also said that d’Entremont and Church are being recruited by several schools.

One Baron with several scholarship offers is two-way lineman J.D. Hinnant. Cal, Oregon, Oregon State and Nebraska are among the schools that have offered the 6-foot-4, 265 senior. Another two-way Baron, offensive lineman/linebacker Sean Finley, has received offers from Arizona and South Dakota.

Fountain Valley also has another weapon returning in strong-legged Derek Huynen. As a junior last year, Huynen was named Kicker of the Year in the Sunset League.

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The Team

League: Sunset

CIF Division: Southwest

Head coach: John Shipp (ninth year; 40-39-1)

Coaching Staff: Trevor Martin (assistant head coach/special teams coordinator/defensive backs); Dan Brummett (defensive coordinator); Pat Taylor (offensive line); David Gutierrez (running backs/strength coach/junior varsity head coach); Will Taylor (wide receivers); Eric Faamausili (wide receivers); Ryan McHale (defensive line/strength coach); Keith Laszlo (defensive line); Tim Krapivkin (defensive backs); Sean McDaniel (offensive line); Dave Brewer (strength coach).

2011 record: 4-6

2011 league finish: 1-4 (fifth)

2011 CIF results: Did not qualify

Returning starters: 7 offense; 5 defense

Type of offense: Spread

Type of defense: 3-3 stack

Players returning with honors: J.D. Hinnant (OL/DL, all-league, Sr.); Wyatt Christensen (LB/WR, all-league, Sr.); Sean Finley (LB, all-league, Sr.); Derek Huynen (K, all-league, Sr.); Jason Baker (DB/WR, all-league, Sr.); Jacob Church (DB/WR, all-league, Jr.).

Coach’s outlook: “[We have] a great group of young men who have worked extremely hard for this upcoming year,” Shipp said.

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The Schedule

Friday: Foothill, 7 p.m. (Huntington Beach High)

Aug. 31: at Dana Hills, 7 p.m. (Dana Hills High)

Sept. 6: Corona, 7 p.m. (Westminster High)

Sept. 14: Downey, 7 p.m. (Huntington Beach High)

Sept. 21: at Trabuco Hills, 7 p.m. (Trabuco Hills High)

Oct. 5: at *Huntington Beach, 7 p.m. (Huntington Beach High)

Oct. 12: *Newport Harbor, 7 p.m. (Huntington Beach High, homecoming)

Oct. 19: *Los Alamitos, 7 p.m. (Westminster High)

Oct. 26: vs. *Edison, 7 p.m. (Orange Coast College)

Nov. 2: at *Marina, 7 p.m. (Westminster High)

(*denotes league game)

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Twitter: @MikeSciacca