By Matt Browning
Valley Center is making the jump to AVCTL Division I this season and the Hornets’ Walker Vanderweide is looking forward to it.
“I am excited about us moving up a division,” Vanderweide said. “I feel like it will allow us to really show how good of a team we can be.”
From a physical standpoint, Vanderweide is one of the top defensive linemen in the league, as he was a first team all-league selection last year. But now he wants to match his physical ability with his mental ability.
“One area I really want to improve on this year is just IQ things like reading plays better and doing my job properly every play,” Vanderweide said. “I worked on improving my IQ in the offseason by watching lots of film and working on lots of drills and really just focusing on those key things. I have been working very hard in the offseason. Every day I lift in the morning and in the afternoon, along with a lot of speed work.”
Last season, Vanderweide recorded 82 tackles, 8.5 of which were for a loss. Vanderweide has some lofty statistical goals for 2024.
“My personal goal this year is to have over 100 tackles,” Vanderweide said. “And for my team goal I want to win every game.”
