Playing in the PRP wasn't easy for the Santa Monica Dolphins, and probably won't be all that easy this year, but there's reason to keep an eye on them.

Despite losing all-star fullback Quinn Perry to the University of Colorado football team, Santa Monica is likely coming into the 2019 PRP season in a stronger position than in 2018.

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"We've got a bunch of new players," said head coach Riaz Fredericks. "Last season we'd lost some senior players—some who retired and then three of them got injured. We went into the season without a lot of experience and that created a lot of instability."

That instability was reflected in how the season went—flow start, improvement into the season and then a drop-off late.

This year? The Dolphins have at least used 2018 to build that experience. And they need that stability.

"Santa Monica is such a transient place," said Fredericks. "We have people constantly coming and going, which can be difficult for continuity. So all we can do is just try to coach them up again from the beginning and focus on the basics and building a strong team culture. We’re pretty happy with where we are as opposed to where we were last season."

Adding some new athletic new, and with the preparation simplified a little to allow those new players to shine, you might see a Santa Monica team that's just a little harder to deal with this year. Rob Cleere will captain the side, and with Shawn Lee an experienced head in the backs and Steven Stagg now a player-coach, this could be a more savvy team, too.

"We're quietly optimistic," said Fredericks. This could well be a team to sneak up on you.