Labeling it “probably the hardest coaching job in Orange County,” Rob Thompson is embracing the daunting task of restoring respectability to a Saddleback High School football program fresh off a winless season.
Mr. Thompson certainly knows of what he speaks, having previously coached the Roadrunners from 2011–16. He served the past seven years as athletic director at the school in Santa Ana, California, where soccer is the first sports love for many youngsters.
“None of our kids have played football before they get here,” Mr. Thompson told The Epoch Times. “A lot of times, coaches are successful in South Orange County or other places, and it’s not even close. You’re not coaching the same kids at all. What I tell people, when they come to coach here is, this is real coaching. You’re starting with the basics here.”
Not since 2015, the penultimate season of Mr. Thompson’s initial coaching stint, has Saddleback enjoyed a winning campaign. That was also the year the school made a second consecutive CIF Southern Section playoff appearance.
Including Mike Nobles, who stepped down after finishing 0–10 in his only season, the Roadrunners have gone through four head coaches with nothing to show for it. They haven’t won a league game in any of the past four seasons.
“We’ve been not good,” Mr. Thompson said. “We’ve had losing records every year. They have all been good coaches. There was just sort of a missing connection or something. I don’t know what it was. Last year was a disaster.”
The challenges at Saddleback are many.
“We don’t have a booster club,” Mr. Thompson said. “Kids don’t have any experience. We don’t have a lot of great athletes. So, you have to develop a culture, a family culture where they all want to be here, and it means a lot to them to represent their school and their families and their community. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re starting with culture.”
Already, clear messages have been delivered to returning players.
“I told them this is the last time I’m going to talk about last year,” Mr. Thompson said. “I told them that you learn more from adversity in your life than you do from success, so I’m assuming you guys learned a lot last year. Whatever you were doing last year, we’re going to do the exact opposite, because it didn’t work.”
Players also heard that there will be no carry-over roles or starting positions. With all new coaches, including several who have previously worked under Mr. Thompson, what happens from this point forward will determine their future roles.
Workouts and weightlifting sessions are priority No. 1.
“We’re not even touching footballs until April,” Mr. Thompson said. “Obviously, the team was terrible, so we’re starting from scratch. We’ve had good practices so far. The kids are really excited. They’ve been showing up. So, that’s a positive.”
The Roadrunners have some other things going for them as well, including a sparkling new $15 million-plus, on-campus football facility and a new twice-a-week workout program for prospective freshmen players. Saddleback also should benefit from the impending realignment of Orange County leagues based on competitive equity.
“There is potential here. It just has to be tapped into the right way,” Mr. Thompson said. “Our theme is hard work, discipline, toughness, and then belief. Believe in yourself, believe in the program, and good things will happen.”
A 40-man varsity roster is the goal, something that would provide protection against a repeat of last year’s scenario where the Roadrunners forfeited their Orange Coast League opener when a series of injuries left the team short of available players.
Mr. Thompson has seen that movie before, too.
“My first year, 2011, we had 28 kids,” he said. “We were terrible that year. The second year, we won a couple games. The third year, we won three games, and after that we just took off. By the fourth year, I had those freshmen that had come in, and they knew exactly what we expected, and they had bought in. We had more success at that time than we’ve had here since the ’90s.”
With the help of familiar faces on an experienced coaching staff that is already nearly set, a repeat could be in store.
“We have the same vision, the same focus,” Mr. Thompson said. “They’re excited to get this going. We have to turn this thing around. We don’t have a choice. Like I told the kids, I’m coming out of retirement. I’m taking time away from my own son, who plays at Carlsbad, my grandkids, and my wife, so I’m going to be here. I’m totally committed to this.”
