There’s a good vibe on the football practice field at Santa Barbara High.
Players are fitter, stronger and more in tune to what the coaches want from them; there’s leadership and accountability. And, there’s experience.
“The kids are starting to understand the program and what we want to get out of this program,” said coach Jaime Melgoza. “We had a great spring and a great summer, now, hopefully, we have a great fall.”
Melgoza has the luxury of having a lot of experienced players. Last year, he carried 12 sophomores on the squad and 11 of them started.
“It gives us the experience, which is good,” he said of playing so many young players last year. “That’s what I created and that’s what I wanted to happen this year. We’re going to have experience. We’re not going out there with only three guys that played (varsity) football, we’re going to have at least 20.”
The Dons will have 32 junior players on the squad.
Quarterback Shawn Ramos is one of 11 junior players who started as a sophomore last year. (Photos by Vince Agapito)
Quarterback Shawn Ramos and receiver Emilio Gonzalez are two key members of the experienced junior class. Ramos completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,029 yards last year as a sophomore starter. But his inexperience showed as he threw 16 interceptions.
“He learned a lot,” Melgoza said of that tough first year.
Melgoza brought in Preston Maloney, a former Dons quarterback who played at the University of Hawaii, to help improve Ramos’ game.
The head coach already notices the difference in his quarterback’s play and decision making.
“He’s completely turned around because he understands what it takes to read a defense. He’s picking it up really fast.”
Ramos is looking forward to a good season.
“I’ve waded through all the bad things,” he said about last season. “It’s only time for good things now. It’s time to go up.”
Ramos said there’s been a great commitment from the players.
“We’re more hard working than last year. All the players are ready to go this year.”
Junior Emilio Gonzalez is a physical receiver.He led the team in receptions last season.
Gonzalez again will be Ramos primary passing target. The powerful 6-4, 226-pound receiver caught 31 balls for 406 yards last year.
But Ramos has a lot of options. Matt Gonzales and Jason Jimenez return at wide receivers. Gonzalez had 25 catches last year.
At running back, Bradford Jellison returns for this third season at the varsity. “He’s like our super senior,” said Melgoza.
Jellison said this is most experienced team he’s played on.
“Everyone is coming back that played last year; we have a lot more starters. It’s going to be a lot better,” he said.
A player to watch for the Dons is sophomore running back Cheroke Cunningham. He is the son of former SBHS standout A.C. Cunningham, whose brothers are Dons greats and former NFL players Sam and Randall Cunningham.
“He’s going to be good,” Melgoza said of the young Cunningham. “Moving to the varsity, it’s going to take him a couple of games to get used to the hitting.”
Santa Barbara has a rich history of producing good kickers. Junior Matt Medina will handle the kicking chores for the second straight year. During the summer, he won a state challenge competition for kickoffs and field goals, Melgoza said. His winning field goal was 55 yards.
Colton Chard is the leader on the offensive line.
The Dons are experienced on defense, too. Linebacker Chris Martinez spearheads the unit. Other key players include lineman Carlos Orozco, linebackers Chard and Emilio Gonzalez and defensive backs Jellison, Fernando Arrellano and James Stevens.
Melgoza hopes the dues the young players paid during last year’s 2-8 campaign will make them a better team this season.
“We have a lot of returnees,” he said. “If these guys can play their game, be mentally tough and not make mistakes, and not give up the big play, we’ll be okay this year.”
