SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: Escarcega on Preps: Villasenor plans on "disrupting"football in the SGV
A look at Nogales under first coach Matt Villasenor, a take on South Hills hiring Jesse Mendez and a prep notebook.
Nogales lineman working out on Thursday. (Escarcega)
LA PUENTE - Depending on the day you read this (the last day of June or the first day of July), the calendar gives everyone a little nudge to remind us that the high school sports season is around the corner.
Some programs decided to take their “dead” period in June while others decided that July was the appropriate time. No matter when a program decides what direction to go, the season is around the corner. The “Acclimatization Period” for football begins on July 29th (for those that play in week 0 games), with scrimmages taking place on August 17th and the season starting on August 23rd.
And believe me, it will be here before you know it.
There will be many storylines that will be played out that will capture our attention.
They always do.
And for programs that will have new coaches on their sidelines, the anticipation for a successful season is palpable. There is a word that binds these programs tonight.
Hope.
In the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the word “Hope” is defined as “to desire with expectation of obtainment,” and “to expect with confidence.”
This is the perfect definition of the two teams that we are going to profile today, one in football and the other in softball.
When you spend any quality time with Matt Villasenor and his staff and players at Nogales High School, hope is mixed in with another ingredient.
Confidence.
You see it by the way they practice, the intent with which they perform their conditioning drills, and the manner of the interactions. In the minds of those inside the program, a winning record is not the goal this year.
They don’t say it – but you can feel it – it’s CIF Championship or bust this year.
You can say that with some of the other programs in the area – St. Paul is the first that comes to mind.
But in the age of competitive equity, it’s not hard to project the Nobles as a team that will not only make the playoffs but will make a deep run in the postseason. The reason for the optimism is not only because they have a quality quarterback, but they have one of the biggest offensive and defensive lines you will see for their league and their division.
And that is the key distinction compared to other programs. Nogales plays in the Montview League, which no one would mistake for one of the “Power” leagues in the area. Those leagues are usually reserved for the Baseline, Sierra, and the Valle Vista League.
In his first season as a head coach, Villasenor is beginning to build his team much like a CEO of a new company would - from the ground up. “I’m having fun,” Villasenor said. “I’m overseeing everything and letting my coordinators do their work. The progress has been impressive to watch.”
On this day, he was overseeing his players pushing the sleds with weights on them and other agility drills. With coaches supervising each station, there was no place to hide for the players on a day when the temperatures reached 90 degrees.
Ask any football insider and they’ll tell you that it’s all about the lineman at the line of scrimmage and if first appearances mean anything, the Nobles should be just fine. With a mix of young and returning talent, Nogales should have no problems running the football.
(Escarcega)
Newly hired assistant coach Brian Ybarra, who comes from West Covina, has high praise for his new project, junior Erik Cortez (“He has a lot of potential – he could be my next Erik Ramos” says Ybarra.
Nogales quarterback Tyler Lewis. (Escarcega)
The key narrative this offseason for the program is the arrival of Tyler Lewis from Castaic High School. The senior is listed as 6-2, 200 and he looks every bit of that when you see him in person. He does have a bit of a sidearm delivery, but the ball pops out of the hand very quickly and he does present an issue for defenses because of the way that he can run with the football.
First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Encinas (who led San Gabriel to a CIF championship several years ago), could not have walked in a better situation. It’s tough enough for defenses to stop a running attack led by a big lineman, but when you add a dual-threat QB that can run the ball and hit the scales at 200 pounds? That’s an issue.
Throw in talented skill players such as Jordan Cook and Asa Rivers (both seniors) and you can see why Villasenor sports a big smile these days behind the ever-popular LA Dodgers hat that he always wears. Villasenor knows that his chess pieces are legitimate players – and in the Montview League, this is news you don’t want to hear.
That’s because Villasenor is a valley’s version of Elon Musk. He has an opinion on everything and doesn’t care what you think. For instance, his goal in two years is for the Nogales to be in the Valle Vista League – and he doesn’t care if you like it or not. This is what disruptors do – shake up the apple cart and touch people the wrong way.
This means we must go back to the dictionary to define the word “disruptor.” The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation.” In a nutshell, this is what Villasenor is trying to do. He is trying to bring radical change to the area, and he has the complete support of the school administration.
And you can be sure that Villasenor has interrupted the usual normal course of football in the Montview and the area, for sure. He has already looked at the schedule and knows that he could be coaching a team that could go 10-0 on the season. The combined record of his opponents in 2023 was 48-64.
The biggest test could be on September 27th when they host a Los Osos team that is coached by Rudy Berumen who carved his niche as a coach at South Hills and Damien. And then there is the rivalry game against Rowland, where there is no love lost between the programs.
Those inside the program feel that even if they go 9-1, the Nobles should win the Montview League and be a projected top seed in Division 13 or 14, where the talent shouldn’t be as tough. But it’s a dangerous thing to be projecting divisions this early in the summer, as the CalPreps algorithms make sure that you are properly aligned from a talent point of view, especially if you bring in a high number of transfers.
Villasenor has done his homework, which shows when you talk to him in person. He has developed the “chip on the shoulder” mentality that has been the lightning rod for anyone who is a football fan in the area. But don’t expect him to be the same coach as he was at Sierra Vista, where the word flamboyant was associated with his name.
“He has a woman in his life, so that has calmed him down in a way that has been healthy,” his dad Sergio (who serves as the defensive line coach) said during practice recently. “Everything was done with intention at Sierra Vista and the purpose was to keep the local kids home and going to Sierra Vista. We had a good thing going.”
The plan now is to keep those kids in the La Puente area to stay at Nogales, which is tough when you consider the behemoth that’s Bishop Amat High School is only 6.2 miles away. The thing that Villasenor has going for him is that everyone loves to be a part of a winner these days. As the common saying goes, “If you are winning, they will come.”
Which brings us back to Villasenor and the word disruptor. You can be sure that he if turns Nogales into a winner, the talent will start trickling in. That’s because Villasenor can present a compelling case for parents saying that their kids will be in a winning program and he has contacts to help their son play at the next level.
Throw in the fact that the school is well underway in building a new athletics facility with brand-new locker rooms and coaches offices and you can see why hopes are high at Nogales. In a sign of another change, the program is planning to hold a kickoff dinner for parents and fans the night after their scrimmage.
It all adds up to a season unlike any other at Nogales.
A new coach, a new attitude, and the building of a new athletic facility.
Hope has sprung eternal at Nogales. And there is plenty of that in abundance at this time of year through the valley.
Get ready, training camp is less than 30 days away.
Photo: Facebook
MENDEZ TABBED AT SOUTH HILLS
Softball coach Jesse Mendez is old-school in every sense of the word. He knows that success comes from how you practice on a day-to-day basis. Or as the late Ben Hogan loved to say, “It’s in the dirt.”
It’s why many in the softball world in the San Gabriel Valley took a huge sigh of relief when he was named the new softball coach at South Hills. He is taking over a program from Ralph Navarro, who was dismissed at the end of the season. And while the Navarro era could be considered a success, 2024 was more than a bit disappointing.
The Huskies finished second in the Hacienda League standings (behind Los Altos – which swept them in a 2-game series) and for those insiders in the area, it was more than troubling. And it was the same insiders who were shocked to hear that South Hills reportedly didn’t practice during the spring break period, which led to a sweep by Los Altos.
When you have a roster that was littered with players with Division 1 prospects, it only adds to the ever-growing sound of bewilderment from those in the area. One parent came up to me during the all-star baseball game and told me, “I’m so glad that (Navarro) is gone. He ruined my daughter's career and I’ll never forgive him for that.”
Remember, this was a team that lost to Garden Grove Pacifica 4-3 (leading 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning before the Mariners scored two runs to pull out the win). If South Hills wins that game and makes a run in the playoffs, maybe Navarro would still be with the program. But the loss only drove home the point that this team “underachieved.”
The word “underachieving” should never be associated with Mendez. In a nutshell, he is a winner. A graduate of El Rancho HS, Mendez was an assistant for legendary coach Jim Bastion at South Hills, helped turn Bishop Amat softball into a winner, and won league championships at the helm of Pomona HS baseball.
As you can imagine, when a school like South Hills comes calling, there was no chance that he would turn it down. “When you have an opportunity like this, I wasn’t going to say no,” Mendez said. “We’re going to be about fundamentals and putting it all together.”
Mendez was also impressed with the way that Athletic Directors Darren Murphy and Jacob Calderon communicated during the interview process. “They were great throughout the process,” Mendez said. “Having been a coach at this school, it's come full circle for me.”
Although Mendez has not coached in the past couple of years, he has overseen the extremely popular area softball game. The great news is that the game could land at South Hills HS and don’t be surprised if the game is played on the same weekend as the baseball all-star game.
As for the roster he inherits, “I like what I see,” Mendez said. Cristina Lopez, a senior, is considered one of the top catchers in the area and had the second-best batting average (.486). Mikayla Sta. Ana is one of the top hitters for the class of 2026 and Parker Milton, another junior, should bring a steady presence to the pitching circle.
You can understand why the word hope is being used around the program. With a proven winner as a coach and a team that brings back quality talent across the board, drama should not be associated with this team in 2025.
QUICK HITS
- Congratulations to former California High School softball coach Jason Ramirez on being named Cal-Hi Sports Softball State Coach of the Year.
- La Serna has hired Jaime Ornelas as its new girls’ volleyball coach. He comes from Los Altos where he won 8 league titles and was named area coach of the year
- Schurr High School announced the hiring of Brandon Gonzalez as its new softball coach. He has coached previously at Azusa, Baldwin Park, and South Hills.
- Congratulations to former Northview star Dean Curley for being a part of the Tennessee baseball team that won the College World Series on Monday over Texas A&M. Curley was named to the all-tournament team.
- High school baseball players will be able to use “resin, pine tar or another drying agent” on their bats starting in 2025 via a new rule from the NFHS.
- Congrats to the SG Elite girls volleyball U12 team for taking second place at USA Volleyball nationals in Dallas. The head coach of the team was La Canada HS coach Laura Browder.
- CIF-SS and CIF-LA City Section officials have indicated that they are still looking for a venue for their D-1 Championship or Open Division football championship games
- Saturday will be one of the busiest days of the year on the summer passing league calendar. The big local tournament is the Baldwin Park tournament which includes Muir, Nogales, Covina, La Salle, Arcadia, Keppel, and Temple City. Mission Viejo tournament includes Damien, and La Mirada, and the Simi Valley Tournament features St. Francis.
- A number of the top boys basketball teams are participating in the Cali Live’24 recruiting event in Roseville this weekend.
- Chris Lopez is the new girls' wrestling coach at South Hills HS.
- La Salle is looking for a new boys and girls track and field coach. St. Paul is looking for a new golf coach and South Pasadena is looking for a new girls tennis coach.