Aguilar set to go

But why?
"Coaching at Los Altos is a dream," said Aguilar, who is just the fourth coach in school history, following school legends Dwayne DeSpain (1967-96) and Greg Gano (1997-2007), who combined to win a Valley-best 11 CIF-SS divisional titles. "I'm lucky enough to have this opportunity.

"Coaching at a big-time program, there's always going to be pressure. But I have the staff, I have the players to definitely (be successful). It's definitely tough to fill those shoes of Coach DeSpain, who was (this newspaper's) Coach of the Century, and Coach Gano, who should be coach of the decade. It's tough to fill shoes like that, but I'm hoping to do my best with the kids we have here."

DeSpain, 244-94-9 while winning seven divisional titles, and Gano, who was 110-30-1 while earning four CIF-SS titles, are considered two of the best coaches in the Valley's history. But instead of running from the success, Aguilar hopes to take the most from his former mentors.

"I was able to play for Coach DeSpain my freshman year, and then Coach Gano my last three years," Aguilar said.

"I've been able to take a lot of things from them. They (always) mentioned me as the `coach on the field.' But now I'm in their shoes, and my experience as a player and now as a coach will definitely lead our team to success.

"The kids know what they have to do. They know we had a pretty rough season last year and know we have to get back to Los Altos' standards. At Los Altos, we don't go 5-5. That's not part of our program."

Aguilar, who graduated from Pomona-Pitzer College, showed that as a quarterback. He ranked among the best in Valley history, throwing for nearly 6,000 yards and 75 TDs in three seasons as a starter. He also shares the area's single-season record for TD passes with Bishop Amat's Pat Haden, throwing 42 in 2000.

His predecessor believes he's the perfect fit for the Conquerors.

"I think Felipe's one of the best human beings that ever played here and certainly one of the best athletes," Gano said. "There will be a lot that comes his way fast, but if there's a person who can take this job and run with it, it's Felipe."

Aguilar's biggest asset was his ability as a quarterback, and he hopes to pass that knowledge on to future Los Altos quarterbacks and this year's starter, senior Dmitri Longoria.

"I'm just trying to get him prepared as much as I can," Aguilar said. "As a player, Coach Gano did the same for me. He would pull me aside, help me with my footwork, make sure I was good in the classroom by going over the different coverages we'd see.

"We're trying to do the same thing with Dimitri. We're trying to mold him, so when he comes up to the line of scrimmage, he knows exactly what the (defense) is going to do. As a player, that's what I wanted, and hopefully Dmitri can get to that spot."

Aguilar's first step comes Friday when the Conquerors open the season at San Dimas, which was 9-2 last season and comes into the season as the favorite in the Valle Vista League.

"That first game, there's definitely going to be those jitters," Aguilar said. "But as the season progresses, there's only going to be getting into that comfort zone. Playing quarterback, you can't let the pressure get to you.

"It's the same thing with coaching. I know this is my first year, and I haven't coached a varsity game yet. I was offensive coordinator the last couple of years, but being the head coach, it's a lot different position, making those decisions, those calls at the right time. I hope to do as great a job as Coach Gano, as Coach DeSpain."

steve.ramirez@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2296