Kelly finds Black on a screen, Black finds blockers and sprints 68 yards to the end zone. In 2015, Dan received the Bud Dwyer Jr. media award from the Southern California High School Football Coaches Association. Before the 1985 season began, Bob Lester, El Modena High School football coach, promised himself that this would be a kick-back kind of year--that he wasn't going to get too excited on. Zach Cavanagh is the sports editor for Picket Fence Media. Varsity Football Chris Dunham Oct 7 Varsity Football Linda Slajer Oct 2 Varsity Football Linda Slajer Oct 2 We worked really hard for this game, said El Modena senior defensive tackle Esteban Choucair. In his first season, Henney got this Dolphins' program to set its sights higher and showed that it belonged . Their opponents took a combined record of 20-2 into Friday. I think were good, Mitchell said. All of the ribbing that went on between the coaches before their games became known as The Ted and Bob Show., The aura surrounding our game and the fun of the challenge will be a little lost for us, Mullen said. The stress never seemed to affect Lester, though. El Modena had possession, and Frasco was scrambling near his teams end zone. 2018 Varsity assistant at El Modena HS. El Modena Football on Twitter: "Shoutout to Coach Mitchell for It was fun to be a part of this.. Edison running back Kaleaph Carter is among Southern Californias most promising sophomores, but he will run into difficulty against fine Vanguard linemen Don Gibson (6-3, 255) and Allen Ennis (6-1, 220), as well as linebackers Ross Bauer, Joe Scagliotti and Pepe Jezek. . The Spartans, who are No. If we didnt, I think theyd be calling for my neck. Steve was honored as Champion for Character by the CIF-Southern Section. The charges Snitzler is facing could result in a more than 10-year prison sentence, according to Rackauckas. Its a good thing though weve had more Ws than Ls, he said. During football season, he partners with Steve Fryer and Jonathan Khamis on OCVarsity's Gridiron Show and hosts a weekly podcast on Trinity League football. 26-year-old Michael James Snitzler, a Santa Ana resident, is a former El Modena High School varsity football coach. Even when you have a good win, the whole thinking is, What went wrong in the win? There was just an incredible amount of pressure (to win), McWhinney said. Lester began his coaching career at La Veta High in Colorado in 1956, where he spent four seasons before moving to Colorados Salido High for two years. Rick went in and played a heck of a football game, Lester said. In his first season, Henney got this Dolphins program to set its sights higher and showed that it belonged with teams of El Modenas caliber. Entering his 20th season as the Vanguards coach, Lester, 55, figured he would delegate most of the workload to his fine group of assistants, oversee the operation, and try to relax and enjoy football for a change. But, after an inspirational post-game talk, which Cuccia attended, Brown said the players were remotivated to win a Southern Section championship--something no Whittier Christian team had done. One of the Captains of 1989 CIF Finalist team with Tom Meiss as head coach. La Veta High School (Colo.): 24-12-2 (1956-59), Salido High School (Colo.): 15-6 (1960-61), Duarte High School (Calif.): 17-10 (1963-66). Dan Albano has been a high school sports writer at The Orange County Register since 1993. Lester had great rapport with his assistant coaches and players. A client should expect nothing but excellence from me. Hes been like a second father to me., Said Lukenbill, an assistant: This is the end of an era and a lot of good times. DP Times Daily Steve's first byline appeared in the Register in 1979. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or disability. That makes a big difference, I think.. Reach Another Level with a Private Utah Football Coach. Varsity Football Chris Dunham Oct 22 Elmo warming up for Brea-Olinda! September 29, 1979, was a strange kind of Saturday night in Orange. . As the fog descended upon Fred Kelly Stadium, Dana Hills went blow-for-blow against a physical and tested El Modena squad. Jackson Keays's Football Recruiting Profile - NCSASports.org It was Kelly and the Dolphins quick-strike offense that put Dana Hills in control in the first half, 14-10. CIF-SS D5. 15 Offers 4 Visits 0 Coach Visits. The Vanguard disaster occurred early in the second quarter. The Dolphins gave it all they had and more, but as Dana Hills first CIF-SS playoff game since 2013 dragged on into overtime, it was the Vanguards that emerged from the mist victorious. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. @bokellyy @omarjayeblack1 @OwenCha16498928, Dana Hills leads El Modena, 14-10, 2:40 2Q. Villa Park has a nonleague game next week against Canyon, on Friday, Oct. 7 at El Modena. Steve Clark is the tight ends coach for BYU, while son Jamison is a member of the Utah Tech football staff. I think everyone understood the situation, he said. Bob is kind of a classic guy, and his resignation is a loss for Orange County football.. He was honored as a Jim Staunton Champion for Character by the CIF-Southern Section in 2017. For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an Insider member and continue to get Local News You Can Use from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County. Prep Wednesday : Coaches Who Replace Living Legends Can Find Themselves El Modena High School (Orange, CA) Varsity Football El Modena Vanguards Varsity Boys Football Orange, CA FOLLOW TEAM 22-23 V. Football Home Schedule Roster Stats Standings Rankings Photos Videos News More / El Modena High School Football El Modena Football OVERALL 11-1 0.92 Win % LEAGUE 3-0 1st North Hills HOME6-0 AWAY5-1 NEUTRAL0-0 The Vanguards stingy defense almost recorded the shutout but San Juan Hills Sullivan Land scored on a 6-yard TD run with 55 seconds left in the fourth. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer), El Modena wide receiver Blake Armstrong signals a touchdown along with the referee after scoring on a pass play against San Juan Hills in a non-league football game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, September 23, 2022. Sign In School Page; Team Page . In the second quarter, El Modena drove 55 yards on nine plays for another touchdown. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or disability. ORANGE El Modena coaches tried the its just another game approach to Thursdays football contest against Villa Park. None of the 6,500 people who sat transfixed in Fred Kelly Stadium will ever forget it, either. It was like we had to battle to get respect from other teams. Find trainers in your area Some coaches, especially those who had been on the staff for a long time before accepting the head coaching job, say replacing a very successful coach was not much of a problem at all. The Spartans start Crestview League games at Yorba Linda on Oct. 14. Coming into this program when we did, in four years, to say that we flipped around a program, I cant really put words to that.. In football or economic terms, those fans got a colossal bargain. Lester said 1979 was supposed to be a down year, and in fact the 79 team had already lost a game to Loara before meeting Edison. Many county coaches side with Backstrom in that replacing a successful coach isnt too difficult--especially when the former coach helps when he can. El Modena went on an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Smith to give the Vanguards a 15-14 lead entering the half. Before the game, Lester had grimly predicted, We dont win if Frasco doesnt have a big game. He was referring to quarterback Bob Frasco, the Ducks main asset. New era of football begins at Mater Dei under coach Frank McManus. Already have an account? Bell carried the Chargers 53 yards on seven carries, and Edison was in front, 27-22, three minutes later when Seurer ran the ball in from the one. For some African Americans,they inspire outrage; for others, a new sense of empowerment. He won Associated Press Sports Editors awards for game-story writing in 2001, feature-story writing in 2017 and breaking news in 2019. Especially because the Diablos finished last season 12-1 overall. Dana Hills Football Pushes to Overtime at El Modena, Falls in First CIF El Modena senior running back Owen . 15 in this weeks county rankings, have played a challenging schedule. 3920 E. Spring Street, Orange, CA 92869 714-997-6331, For questions regarding the El Modena Football Program and getting signed up, please contact Head Varsity Coach Matt Mitchell at, For questions regarding the El Modena Football Freshman team, please contact Freshman Head Coach Chris Esperanzaat, For questions regarding the El Modena Football Boosters and to join our weekly mailing list, please contact Football Boosters President Linda Manionat. Dolphins are eliminated in first playoff appearance since 2013 in Division 5 opener. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer), El Modena quarterback Xzavior Guess runs into the end zone to score a touchdown against Villa Park in the fourth quarter in a non-league football game in Orange on Thursday, September 29, 2022. El Modena Captains getting ready for the coin toss against Yorba Linda! BYU vs. Utah Tech: Father and son coaches on opposite sidelines Brown, who coached the Heralds freshman and junior varsity squads for 11 years, said when he took the job, he believed that most of the loyalties of the team and their parents were still with Cuccia. TOUCHDOWN: Dana Hills responds lightning fast. I want to do some of the things I havent done in 30 years, such as hunt in the fall, take a full summer off, not excrete so much stomach acid in the fall . Menu Join Team. Steve also writes a weekly column that covers pro and college sports, and other topics. Orange Unified School District is committed to providing equal opportunities for all students in all academic programs and school activities. And he still yells at me if I do something wrong, and still pats me on the back when I do something right.. ORANGE The Dana Hills football team fought. Villa Park struggled to establish an offensive flow and wounding up using two quarterbacks. Our coaches our dedicated! The pressure was so enormous . Bill Gibbons is like a living legend around here, he said. I think if there was a time that people might have second-guessed me, that couldve been it.. Speaking of bad luck, the El Modena Vanguards--or the Ducks as their colorful coach prefers--actually had to absorb the majority of it. Mullen eventually made it to Foothill, where the Knight-Vanguard rivalry in the Century League and in the playoffs evolved as one of the countys best. Key to the game--Much will depend on the effectiveness of the El Modena defense, particularly the Vanguards untested secondary. Neil P. - I'm a coach that believes in technique and knowledge which allows one to go out and dominate. I dont know if you can ask for any more. You could tell that they wanted to be good at this, and it was something that meant something to them. Califf kicked another field goal, this one from 36 yards, to make it 14-6. At Mission Viejo, Mike Rush took over last season for Bill Crow, who had coached football at Mission Viejo for 18 years, including the last eight years as head coach. Went to Orange HS. Its all the work that goes into it--the two-a-day practices in the summer, the endless hours in the film room--and the worry that comes with the pressure of maintaining one of Orange Countys most powerful programs. Lester had a kind of empty feeling. The Vanguards back-up quarterback, Rick Ledesma, had never thrown a pass in a varsity game. No. I am married with 3 children & 1 grandchild. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer), El Modena wide receiver Blake Armstrong, left, reaches for the goal line to score a touchdown as he is grabbed by San Juan Hills defensive back Isaiah Bennett, right, in a non-league football game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, September 23, 2022.