2002 PREVIEW PREP FOOTBALL: NEW COACH, NEW ATTITUDE AT HIGHLAND FOOTBALL TEAM EXPECTS TO CAPTURE LEAGUE TITLE.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer PALMDALE - From the day he took over as Highland's football coach in January, Sam Vaiana set out to overhaul everything about the Bulldogs' program, starting with the team's offense and attitude, and ending with its new, fully carpeted locker Things commonly known as lockers include:
After serving 22 years as an assistant - including stints at Golden League rivals Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley and Palmdale - Vaiana was chosen to succeed Lin Parker, who was fired after Highland's 4-5 season last year. It was Parker's 13th year as coach, the only one in school history. Vaiana has reinvigorated re·in·vig·o·rate tr.v. re·in·vig·o·rat·ed, re·in·vig·o·rat·ing, re·in·vig·o·rates To give new life or energy to. re the program in only seven months on the job. He installed a spread offense featuring five wide receivers in some sets. He worked the phones to tout Tout To promote a security in order to attract buyers. tout To foster interest in a particular company or security. For example, a broker might tout a security to a client in the hope that the client will purchase the security. his top players to Division I coaches. He persuaded the athletic boosters to outfit OUTFIT. An allowance made by the government of the United States to a minister plenipotentiary, or charge des affaires, on going from the United States to any foreign country. 2. a plush team room for the varsity players. Most significantly, however, Vaiana instituted a new attitude on a team that has won seven games the past two seasons. The 46-year-old is a taskmaster task·mas·ter n. 1. One who imposes tasks, especially burdensome or laborious ones. 2. A source of burden or responsibility: The profession of medicine is a stern taskmaster. on and off the field, insisting on perfection Perfection Giotto’s O perfect circle drawn effortlessly by Giotto. [Ital. Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 463] golden mean or section in everything, down to leaving no blade of grass on the vacuumed locker-room carpet. ``With coach Vaiana, even if you just trip, he'll get on you about that,'' senior wide receiver Kris Theus said. ``He'll get on everything you do, trying to make you better. Some people can take it, some can't.'' But Vaiana's players also sing his praises about how hard he works for them. Theus, who scored 10 touchdowns and ran for 674 yards last year, had not received any college interest before Vaiana took over. The coach placed some calls and got Theus an invitation to Washington State's summer camp. Theus, an all-league selection at running back last year, ended up being a standout player at the camp and now is one of the Cougars' recruits, albeit at defensive back. But it's the same story about Vaiana that senior linemen n. pl. 1. the football players who line up on the line of scrimmage. Noun 1. linemen - the football players who line up on the line of scrimmage Lee Keys and Jon Ikahihifo also tell. ``As soon as he stepped on as head coach, we started getting prospect letters from lots of different colleges,'' Keys said. ``We'd go to combines and he'd introduce us to all these coaches. He works hard for us.'' Keys is perhaps the most interesting story on the Highland team. He didn't go out for football until his junior season - after playing basketball his freshman year and focusing on grades the next year. In a little more than a year, the 6-foot-2, 320-pound Keys has made himself into a Division I prospect at nose guard and tackle. ``When I was younger, trying to sign up for Pop Warner Pop Warner refers to
Added Vaiana: ``Now I just use (USC) as motivation for him. I'll go, 'One hundred thousand dollars, man. Every time you run that wind sprint wind sprint n. One of a series of sprints run to develop breath and endurance. , it's $100,000.' That's what it costs to go to school at USC. That's motivation.'' The biggest question mark for Highland is at quarterback, where seniors Gary Rosales and Dan Oberly are battling for the starting job. Rosales started last year and threw for 799 yards and four touchdowns. But the Bulldogs scored only 157 points (17.4 per game), and with the new spread offense, Vaiana is hoping to double that. The Bulldogs' defense, on the other hand, was the strongest unit in the Golden League and one of the best in the area. Highland returns Keys and Ikahihifo to anchor up front, as well as all-league linebacker John Keith and defensive back Victor Watkins. Vaiana served as the team's defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League or college football who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great deal in many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head last season. With such a strong group of returning players, Vaiana is reluctant to accept anything short of a league title in his first season. A year ago, Highland lost by a touchdown to both Antelope Valley and Palmdale, which finished first and second in the conference. ``We're not here to rebuild,'' Vaiana said. ``I don't believe in that. We're here to try to jump to the top of the pack right off the bat. I'm going to try to make them as competitive as I can right away.'' Already, the coach can see that the team has taken on his personality. The Bulldogs open their season Sept. 13 against Mayfair at Bellflower bellflower, in botany bellflower or bluebell, name commonly used as a comprehensive term for members of the Campanulaceae, a family of chiefly herbaceous annuals or perennials of wide distribution, characteristically found on dry High and Vaiana's players are ready to get the games under way. ``We're trying to send a message that we're the new Highland,'' Keys said. ``If you're coming to play us, you better be ready to play and give it everything because we're going to win every down.'' HIGHLAND Coach: Sam Vaiana (1st year) 2001 Record: 4-5 League finish: Third Playoffs: None Key returnees: Kris Theus (Sr., WR/RB); Lee Keys (Sr., OL/DL); Jon Ikahihifo (Sr., OL/DL); Gary Rosales (Sr., QB); John Keith (Jr., LB); Victor Watkins (Sr., DB). Top newcomers: Dan Oberly (Sr., QB). HIGHLAND Date Opponent Time Sept.13 Mayfair** 7 p.m. Sept. 20 Saugus 7 p.m. Sept. 27 Burroughs*** 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Canyon 7 p.m. Oct. 12Paso Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
*Oct. 18 A.V.**** 7 p.m. *Oct. 25 at Palmdale 7 p.m. *Nov. 1 at Littlerock 7 p.m. *Nov. 8 Lancaster 7 p.m. *Nov. 15 at Quartz quartz, one of the commonest of all rock-forming minerals and one of the most important constituents of the earth's crust. Chemically, it is silicon dioxide, SiO2. Hill 7 p.m. *League contest **At Bellflower High ***Ridgecrest Burroughs ****Antelope Valley CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Highland High football player Mike Alonzo and the rest of the Bulldogs are under a new coach, Sam Vaiana. Former coach Lin Parker was fired after 13 seasons. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer Box: HIGHLAND (see text) |
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