By Pete Borello

If you expect Marshall Sperbeck to make any bold predictions about how well this year’s Foothill College football team will do, then you obviously don’t know the Owls head coach.

Although a preseason poll ranks Foothill ninth in the state among community colleges, Sperbeck is — as always — cautiously optimistic.

“We should be OK,” the team’s 12th-year coach said. “We’ll have to see how (the players) jell together.”

One thing Sperbeck will admit to is that the Owls aren’t lacking talent. Eighteen players who participated in the Santa Clara County High School All-Star Football Game over the summer are now wearing Foothill uniforms.

However, this is a young team that has 45 freshmen among its 65 players.

Their youth showed in last Saturday’s season opener, a 38-14 loss to Shasta in Los Altos Hills.

“We still have a ways to go,” Sperbeck said. “We need to get better quickly.”

Playing in the upper division of the Northern California Football Alliance with the likes of City College of San Francisco, Sacramento City, Butte, College of the Redwoods and Chabot doesn’t allow much room for error.

Sperbeck will rely heavily on his veteran players to not only contribute on the field but to help along the younger players.

Eight starters return from last year’s squad, most of them on the defensive side. Leading this group is linebacker Justin Luettgerodt, an all-conference defensive end last season. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Luettgerodt appears to have made a seamless transition to his new position.

“He’s going to be a force,” Sperbeck said of his NCAA Division I prospect. “He may be the top linebacker in Northern California. He’s a very good athlete and a tough kid.”

The play of Luettgerodt — whom Sperbeck called Foothill’s version of Chicago Bears all-pro linebacker Brian Urlacher — and the emergence of returner Tyler Silva should solidify a linebacking corps that was the strength of the 2002 team. The star of last year’s unit, conference MVP Joe Maningo, is now chasing quarterbacks for Cal.

Foothill’s defensive backfield, bursting with returning players, should also be an asset. All-conference selection Michael McCoy anchors a group that includes returners Ryan Walston and Martell Heffner. Walston scored the game-clinching touchdown on an interception return in last year’s Kiwanis Silicon Valley Bowl, which Foothill won 38-28 over West Hills.

The Owls’ defensive front, on the other hand, is considerably less experienced. The team must replace three players who earned all-league honors last season. Those trying to fill the void include George Manai, whom Sperbeck described as “doing a nice job,” and fellow freshman Gary Lovely, whose brother Greg plays defensive back for Foothill.

Foothill’s offense is also on the green side, with tight end Myron Parker and massive lineman Marcel Burrough (6-7, 340) among a small group of returners. Parker caught a team-high six passes for 107 yards against Shasta.

The Owls have a new quarterback in freshman John Russell, a graduate of Hayward High. Will Faules, a star at Homestead High last year, will share the running back duties with Los Altos High graduate Steve Holloway, who last played for the Owls in 2001. Holloway didn’t show much rust in the opener, totaling 80 yards on 18 carries.

Chris Galvez and Don Reighard are expected to solidify an inexperienced offensive line.

While it’s hard to say whether or not Foothill has what it takes to win its sixth straight Kiwanis Silicon Valley Bowl, one thing is for sure: Sperbeck’s not telling.

The Owls play a 1 p.m. game at San Mateo on Saturday, then return home Sept. 20 to face Fresno City at 7 p.m.