Varsity veteran will not settle for less

Johnny Schupp, right, is expecting nothing less than a section title for the Bulldogs this season.

His sister has moved out, so Johnny Schupp has turned Lauren’s bedroom into a football shrine and training temple.  Along with all the trophies, team photos and medals are a bench and pull-up bar.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior made good use of the room this summer as he prepared for his third and final season with Vacaville High School’s varsity football team. This is it, and he knows it.

Schupp joined the Bulldogs a year after they won the Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Now that his days in black and orange are numbered, he believes this team can go just as far and accomplish just as much.

Even coach Mike Papadopoulos looks up to Schupp.

“We want to do something better than the 2007 team,” he said. “The coaches always tell us that we can be good or we can be great. That saying is pretty real. I’ve heard it so much it motivates me.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be great. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

There is little doubt the Bulldogs have much to prove in 2011 after being humiliated by Folsom in a 75-6 playoff loss last November. It took weeks for Schupp to recover from such a shellacking.

“I still remember (then-senior) Hudson Buck breaking down in the locker room,” Schupp said. “I don’t want that to be this team. I don’t want that to be this season. We bonded over the summer. We’re so close. We’re all working to improve. This is a great group of guys.”

Schupp has blossomed from being a timid sophomore in 2009 to a take-charge senior in 2011. He is hardly the most vocal member of the team, but his teammates know when he is ready to go.

“When I get fired up, the other guys are right there with me,” said Schupp, who admitted that does not always mean all of his teammates jump during practices at the mere sound of his voice.

“Some are hardheaded,” he joked. “That’s just the way life is.”

Training camp has been somewhat of a reunion for Schupp, who was separated from his classmates when he was promoted to the varsity team two years ago. The class of 2012 is intact at last.

“I get to play with those guys again,” said Schupp, who has shared the wrestling mat with his classmates. “I haven’t played with them in so long.”

The football reunion will be a joyous one if the Bulldogs can fulfill Schupp’s prediction of greatness. The first test is Friday night against Rodriguez at Tom Zunino Stadium.

“The pressure’s on,” Schupp said. “It’s definitely on.”