Jaime Melgoza will have to do something for the first time when he meets with his Santa Barbara High football team at practice this week.
Melgoza and his staff will try to bring the Dons back down to earth after they celebrated their first win since 2008 on Friday night, blanking Channel Islands 17-0 in the season opener at Peabody Stadium.
It also was Melgoza’s first win as a head coach.
“Let’s get ready for Beverly Hills,” said the second-year coach on what he’ll say to the players. “Now that Channel Islands is over, we still have many goals to accomplish.”
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The Dons travel to Beverly Hills on Friday night. It’s the season opener for the Normans, who return several players from last year’s team that rallied to beat Santa Barbara, 17-15. One of those returnees is defensive standout Greg Townsend, Jr., the son of the former Oakland Raiders star.
The Dons played well against Channel Islands. Sophomore quarterback Shawn Ramos — one of 10 starting sophomores — completed 13 of 17 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Running back Bradford Jellison rushed for 60 yards on nine carries and played solid defense. Rudy Corrales and Robert Palmer also delivered some big hits on defense.
So, after all the congratulatory phone calls and pats on the back over the weekend, how did Melgoza feel about his team’s season-opening performance?
“Good,” he said. “We still have a long way to go. We’re young but we’re starting to have the passion for the game.”
The win not only ended a long losing streak, it boosted the confidence of the players.
“That was very important because they’ve been working hard,” Melgoza said.
Did he expect the team to play so well in what was the first varsity game for many of the players?
“Yes and no. It is good that they understand that working hard can pay off at whatever age you are,” said Melgoza.
