Remnants from the recent graduation ceremony still littered some of the turf on Bright Field, and football helmets — visibly outdated and faded — sat in a box outside the locker room.
While scattered signs of the past remained, May 29 marked the first summer football practice for Mingus Union High School under new head coach Robert Ortiz. Indications of everything new for the Marauders now and moving forward were abundant.
“It’s really just a fresh breath of air,” said rising senior quarterback Antoine Zabala. “Coach [Bob] Young and our old staff are definitely going to be missed and it was on their terms to leave, but it’s honestly giving new birth and it’s really good. Our whole team’s really electrified about it, everyone’s really excited for it.”
There was not much of anything atypical about the three-day week of practice. Ortiz said he spent much of his time organizing his office as well as other administrative work.
On the field, he got the players up to speed with everything, from how he wants them to warm up, to how they lift weights, and even how they take their water breaks.
“That was kind of the goal, is get them moving in the direction that I saw fit,” Ortiz said. “… I think it was pretty successful, they caught on quick. We’ve got a lot of seniors, which is good. I can tell they’re hungry, they’re motivated, they want to do things the right way. They’re working hard; they’re kind of setting that tone for the younger guys, which is nice.”
May 29, and Thursday, May 31, were spent installing the team’s offense, which is completely new compared to seasons past. It also takes full advantage of the personnel they have, powered by a senior-laden group.
“It’s just a lot more spread out and I think it fits what our team’s strong points are,” rising senior two-way player Kendrew Streck said.
Not everything is different. Ortiz is a product of the Marauders football program and still expects the same type of mentality. Despite the fact that Ortiz is much closer in age to the players than former coach Bob Young — he graduated from Mingus in 2009 — he is not any more laid back, but he is able to connect with the players.
“I guess for me it’s just getting used to everybody and getting used to how everyone acts now and stuff. I like it a lot, I think it’s a good change,” Streck said. “They have a lot more enthusiasm, I guess, and they’re a lot more pumped. I’m excited, we have fun.”
At the end of practice on Tuesday and Thursday, the players went through a drill Ortiz calls tempo. Without a defense to play against, the offense had to move the ball down field quickly without making mistakes, like in route execution or false starts.
There was improvement from one day to the other.
“I saw a big leap of progress between Tuesday and today,” Ortiz said. “I think the biggest downfall from Tuesday was just that was my first day here, so what I expect and how I operate and what they’re used to are two different things. So kind of just bridging that gap, putting it together. Now they know what to expect, so we’re able to do things.”
I'm at #Mingus Union HS football's first summer practice. Skill players are running through a few offensive plays while the linemen are working on blocking schemes. #MingusSports @sedonanews pic.twitter.com/YWgPsy5MML
— Daniel Hargis (@d_harg) May 30, 2018
The team traveled to a 7-on-7 and big man competition at Arizona State University on Monday, June 4, for its first action in a competitive environment. Although they had spent just two days on their new offense, it was an opportunity to see how things are falling into place during live action.
“I’m very stoked about it, I can’t wait,” Zabala said Thursday. “I’ve grown so much in a year and I can’t wait to show everybody what my team and myself can do this year, especially with this new offense.”
Mingus will host three 7-on-7 competitions this month, on June 13, 20 and 27, each starting at 6 p.m.
