This summer, the Boys Varsity Football Team faced a number of challenges while preparing for their season, including adjusting to a new Head Coach Rob Castaneda, who is looking to turn the program around and make the Rams successful again.
After the former Head Coach Mike McFarland announced his resignation, Coach R. Castaneda brought in a brand new staff in order to give the program a fresh start. His coaching staff consists of his two sons Matt and Tim Castaneda, the offensive coordinator and offensive/defensive line coach, respectively. A number of Coach R. Castaneda’s former players have returned to coach under him as well.
Coach R. Castaneda served as head coach at Ribet Academy in Glassell Park before coming to Temple City. Castaneda has also coached at Western Christian, La Verne Lutheran and St. Paul High School.
After meeting the team, he wasted no time and began spring practices after school. These early practices helped set the rhythm for summer practices.
Players spent the majority of summer weekdays and Saturdays setting this new plan to motion. Practice usually ran from 2-7 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays. The team is practicing with a higher intensity every day to prepare for a successful season.
“Our goal for the summer is to keep it as simple as possible,” Coach R. Castaneda said. “We are going to make it as fast-paced as the players are capable of.”
When Castaneda first arrived, over seventy players were at the first practice. Now, the official roster has a total of thirty varsity and junior varsity players.
“It’s been way harder so far,” Senior Eric Garcia said. “I think it’s really helped us grow as a team. I have a really good feeling for this season.”
In addition to practices, the team participated in a number passing league tournaments. The Rams placed first after beating out Baldwin Park and La Puente at the La Puente Tournament.
“I thought the summer was promising,” Coach R. Castaneda said. “I was pleased with the performance and effort of all the kids, from freshman to seniors.”
In the wake of recent struggles, one of the team’s major problems has been a weak front line. Coach T. Castaneda believes he has resolved this issue.
“When we got here people told me there weren’t enough athletes to make a good line. We are trying to prove that wrong,” Coach T. Castaneda said. “Our greatest asset is speed, not size or strength, but speed.”
The Rams will face the Alhambra Moors on Sept. 12 at Alhambra at 7:00 p.m.