Players excited to begin new season
By DANIEL ARCHULETA Managing Editor
ST. MONICA It’s hard not to talk about the Mariners without mentioning the streak.
The squad enters the season in the midst of a 29-game losing streak, one that St. Monica’s head football coach Sean Ritter knows will be hard to overcome without a positive outlook from both his staff and players.
“You would think that it would be hard to motivate then, but they seem pretty motivated,” Ritter said. “We’re pretty excited about the upcoming season.”
His optimism is mirrored by his players, who hope to bounce back from poor seasons to finally begin the process of becoming winners.
“I want to leave with good memories and leave something for the underclassmen to look forward to,” senior center/defensive tackle Edwin Mejia said. “I want to improve team chemistry and be able to have confidence in each other that we’re doing our best and our confidence level will be much greater than past years.”
Coach Ritter has been stressing the fundamentals to his team in preparation for their season opener tonight at Mary Star High School in San Pedro. He said that if his team is going to be successful it will have to be on the legs of his ball carriers. For that to happen, a newly revamped offensive line that includes a pair of beefy transfers from Daniel Murphy High School will have to open holes to spring running backs to big gains.
“We’re a run oriented team,” he said. “We’re pretty big up front, that’s the strength of our offense.”
Comprising a large part of that strength are offensive linemen Chris Evans and Petor Fabian. Both players came to the Mariners after Daniel Murphy closed its doors. Ritter expects his newcomers to anchor the line and set the tone for his offensive ball club.
Leading the running attack will be senior fullback/linebacker Rafeal Padilla, a player Ritter considers “hard-nosed.”
“I expect to get better as a team, setting better standards for ourselves,” Padilla said, “playing our game and doing what we need to do.”
Padilla is impressed by what he’s seen during summer practices. He said the team appears more focused than last year and looks stronger as a unit.
“I’m stoked,” he said of the season. “I want to go out with a bang.”
If this season’s seniors are going leave on a high note, Ritter said his defense will have to give the team a boost. He intends to put pressure on opposing team’s running attacks, forcing them to air the ball out.
He said the key on defense will be responsibility. He expects his players to heed their assignments and exhibit the discipline he’s spent the entire summer instilling in them.
“He knows how to drive this team,” Padilla said of his coach.
Aside from an improved team chemistry, another factor has the team looking forward to the new season.
The Mariners are slated to play three home games at Santa Monica College’s revamped Corsair Field. The college is currently replacing the lackluster natural grass field with artificial turf. Both St. Monica’s and Santa Monica High School will play home games there once the construction is completed. The team has played its home games at St. Bernard Catholic High School in Playa del Rey.
He looks at it as an opportunity to get the community back involved in a program that has had to call the road its home for the past few seasons.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Ritter said. “I like the idea of a Santa Monica team playing in Santa Monica.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.