A Conversation with Colton's Football Coach Harold Strauss
Harold Strauss is one of the good guys. He fosters a sense of family in his Colton High School football team, and he can coach more than a little, and he's done it this year after suffering a heart attack back in February.
Colton swamped Rancho Verde 39-22 on Friday to advance to the CIF-SS semifinals for the first time since 1981, when the Yellowjackets reached the large-schools title game.
Colton was winless in the second round under Strauss, going 0-4. But the Jackets finally got over the quarterfinal hump and now travel to meet Moreno Valley in the Central Division semis at 7 p.m. Friday at a site (perhaps Citrus Hill HS) to be determined today.
Said Strauss: "It's going real well. We've worked harder this year than we ever have. This time of year it's good just to be playing. We made the second round five out of six years, and we're real pleased to be playing.
"It was a long drought, and this team is jelling at the right time. A good chemistry going. Before, we seemed to be tired or worn out or injured when we got to this part of the season."
This isn't Colton's most talented team. That would be the 2005 squad, which boasted future D1 college players Allen Bradford and Shareece Wright, who are at USC, and Jimmy Smith, who started at cornerback for Colorado last Saturday and had a 34-yard interception return for TD that put the Buffaloes ahead of Nebraska in what eventually became a blowout victory.
"This team, the chemistry, it's as good or better than ever," Strauss said. "They've overachieved. I said some things would have to happen for us to be where we are, and they have."
One of those things was the growth of quarterback Nick Vasquez, who was 7-for-8 passing Friday, with a touchdown. For a time, Colton coaches thought they might have to move Dan Sorensen to QB, but Vasquez has established himself, allowing the burlier Sorensen to concentrate on playing tight end and safety.
The Jackets also have a nice collection of skill people, including wingbacks Travell Washington (who scored six touchdowns Friday) and Nick Reyes and fullback D.J. Stallion.
Colton looked a bit battered by halftime last Friday, but Strauss tonight said his key guys should be ready for Canyon Springs.
Stallion suffered a shoulder bruise in a frightening, head-first landing on a two-point conversion try. "The kid hit him right on the knee and broke his face mask. (Stallion) was lucky. His whole body was as straight as an arrow when he came down and landed on his chin. When he came down, we don't know how he didn't hurt his neck. But he should be OK."
Nick Reyes strained a hamstring but is expected to play, and UCLA-bound defensive end Damien Holmes played on a bad ankle. "He didn't practice all week and was maybe 60 percent," Strauss said. "He's working on it, and we hope he will be better by Friday."
Strauss said some alumni -- including Bradford and Wright and linemen Mario Perez and John Villalba (from D2 Minnesota Christian) helped buck up his current players on the sideline. Bradford, in particular, was "all over the kids with injuries," Strauss said. "He was in their ear, not letting them sit down. You could hear the SC attitude coming out of him. It was kinda fun."
Asked whether this will be his final season, Strauss said he hasn't decided ... but conceded some of his players think it will be. "We'll see," he said. "A couple of kids have maintained that's one of the things they're playing for. `We gotta get a ring, to send you out right.' And I said I'm not going anywhere.
"It's going real well," he said of his health issues. "We've worked harder this year than we ever have. End of October, I checked in and everything is going good. I'm a little tired, but this time of year it's good just to be playing."
Canyon Springs was blasted by Rancho Verde earlier this season, but Strauss said his team won't underestimate the Cougars because they were the team that eliminated Colton in the quarters last year.
"Our kids are excited about playing them," he said. "We didn't play a good game last year. We feel like we played the strongest team in the league (last Friday), but Canyon Springs was missing some people (when it played Rancho Verde). It's now a matter of making sure we don't have a let-up, and keeping it going."
If Colton reaches the Central title game, Strauss expects a reunion on the sidelines.
"Allen and Shareece said if we get to the final, they'll be there, no matter what."