Santa Fe report: This year's for the ol' ball coach
Santa Fe High School's football team began practice this week in what it hopes translates into a Del Rio League championship and a CIF- Southern Section Southeast Division title.
The Chiefs, though, are motivated for another reason - coach Jack Mahlstede, who's retiring at the end of this season after 34 years.
"I think it is big for (coach Mahlstede)," senior receiver Joey Davis said. "He's changed a lot in how he acts around us (this year). He's more laid back.
"I think it will be really good in his last year. We want to play well for him. He's been here 40-50 years, I don't even know, but we want to send him out on top."
Mahlstede, who's 228-134-5, is treating it like another of his previous seasons, but he also recognizes that it will be special as well.
"It will be interesting," he said. "I've put a lot of time in.
"I don't know what I will do next year. I have a grandson at Sonora (and one at Santa Fe). I'm sure Christian (Mahlstede, the Chiefs' quarterback) will play college ball somewhere. It's going to be different this year, but it will be fun."
It could be a special year for the Chiefs, who begin the season as the consensus favorite in the Del Rio League.
Santa Fe features Christian Mahlstede, expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the area; Davis, who might be the quickest receiver in the league; and a solid defense led by lineman Mario Bonilla.
"If everything comes together, and our offensive line comes around, we'll be very, very good," Jack Mahlstede said.
"Our key is our intensity. The kids are already working hard."
WRESTLER OR FOOTBALL PLAYER?
Davis, one of the top wrestlers in the state after winning a CIF state title last season, said Monday that his prep work in football also helps for his training in the winter.
"I do this to get bigger," he said. "When the wrestling season gets here, I'll be a lot bigger and stronger. There's not a lot of wrestlers who lift weights, so I do it to get bigger and get faster.
"But I love football. It's my dream since I was 5 years old. I play football because I love it. It's in my heart, and I want to continue the Santa Fe tradition."
SCHEDULING UP
Santa Fe features one of the tougher nonleague schedules in the area; it includes home games against Esperanza and Charter Oak and a road encounter at St. John Bosco.
The toughest game may be in the opener Sept. 3, when the Chiefs travel to Chandler, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, to face Hamilton.
The Huskies are ranked No. 22 in the country and No. 2 in Arizona by Maxpreps.com. They've won the Arizona state title four out of the past six years.
"That first game is the key," Mahlstede said. "We have a connection with them through (assistant and son Jeff Mahlstede) - he played at Arizona State and met one of their coaches there. We felt it would be a good game to play. It will be a good experience for kids to travel (to Arizona)."
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About this blog
Steve Ramirez is the prep sports editor for the Whittier Daily News.
Great job Steve, Can't wait to see were you will be next.