A new era has started in the Diamond Bar High School football program. Marcus Hughes, who was selected as head coach in early March, made his debut on August 29, defeating the Montebello Oilers 48-14. Even after many personal changes during the offseason, the Brahmas continued their momentum from last year’s 7-5 record by racking up 410 yards of offense and only giving up 187 yards on defense. He followed that with a huge win in the Branding Iron game.

After reaching the second round of the CIF Southern Division playoffs for the second time in a decade, the DB football program experienced a rough offseason. Former DB head coach Ryan Maine became the offensive coordinator at the powerhouse Santiago High School, while wide receivers Cordell Broadus and Kanya Bell and three other key players departured from the program during the summer.

By looking at just the numbers, a football fan may think Hughes is using the same offense as last year’s team. However, the team runs a complete different system, displaying some promising and flashy plays throughout the entire game against the Oilers. Hughes, who went 67-13 in six seasons at Cornwall High School, has implemented a run-first pass- second offense.

During the first game, the Brahmas rushed for 251 yards and two touchdowns.

“When I came here and saw some of the kids we have, we definitely run more on offense than last year,” Hughes commented.

Another aspect of the new offensive system is that the Brahmas will switch positions in the middle of a game. For instance, senior and co-captain quarterback Tyler Peterson played two straight years only in the pocket. But, in the game against Montebello, Peterson played multiple series at the wide receiver position while wide receiver Antonio Hull lined up behind the center.

“Tyler is a very good athlete. He is someone that we can move into different positions to help us be successful. He is a team player so he adjusted to it. We have some flexibility with some of the athletes on the team. We have to do different stuff each game,” Hughes said.

On the defensive side of the ball, Hughes has integrated a system that makes the team’s speed and quickness into an advantage. Even though the team lacks size, the Brahmas only gave up 187 yards to the Oilers.

Junior defensive back Dimaggio Rico used his quickness to intercept the Montebello Oilers’ quarterback’s pass for a pick six return for the Brahmas. DB gave up 106 passing yards to the Oilers.

“We switched our defense and tried to find a defense that would suit our kids and put us in a position to win,” Hughes said.

Although the Palomeres League is a couple of weeks from kick-off, the Brahmas have the potential to match and even exceed last year’s record of 7-5. Even though the teams in the PL are much tougher compared to the teams in the Hacienda League, the 2014 DB football.