September 4, 2007

Sports

New coach, new faces for Willow Glen football in 2007

Twenty seniors gone from 2006 team, but young and talented group emerges for new head coach Ron Capurso

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

For new Willow Glen head coach Ron Capurso, the 2007 version of Rams football will feature one key thing--youth.

Members of the 2007 Willow Glen football team go through tackling drills on Aug. 29 at Bob Berry Field. The Rams return 10 seniors to the squad this season, losing 20 seniors to graduation from the 2006 team. Photo by Diego Abeloos

To that end, Capurso, who took over for former head coach Andy Penwarden following a 7-0 season in the West Valley Division, is both excited about the prospects of his new team and also just a little nervous. Gone are the likes of 2006 West Valley Division MVP Marcos Garces, who compiled 1,922 yards rushing and scored 30 touchdowns at running back, as well as quarterback Juan Baron, who completed 60 percent of his passes and threw for 12 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2006. All told, the Rams lost 11 All-League seniors from the 2006 team.

“I think, generally speaking, you’re looking at a team last year that had 20 seniors out of 30 kids, so two-thirds of the kids graduated,” Capurso said. “The 10 seniors we have back make a good group. …I think it’s the kind of team where there’s not a lot of room for error. We better stay healthy, we think we have enough talent, but there are some question marks.”

Still, Capurso said he’s not ready to call the 2007 season a rebuilding year. While the team has lost several key players, Capurso said the Rams will be just fine, provided that the players commit to getting better.

“I don’t want to say it’s a start-over,” Capurso said of the 2007 Rams. “We just don’t have as many seniors, don’t have as many players and don’t have as many All-League returners. Does that mean we’re not going to be as good? No, I don’t think it means that. What it means is that we have to develop our own identity. Our senior leadership has been good, but it has to be impressive though. …We have to be impressive with our commitment level.”

Among those in the fold for the Rams in 2007 is senior defensive end/tight end Charlie Findeisen, who led the team in 2006 with 16 sacks. Capurso said Findeisen, as one of a handful of seniors returning on defense, will be the anchor of the defensive unit.

“Charlie’s going to do a really good job for us,” said Capurso. “He’s a hardworking kid, he’s very committed, and he’s looking forward to a successful senior season. …He gives us a senior leader by example. He’s somebody who we sort of try to build our team around.”

Others returning on defense include Jose Gutierrez, Bobby Lopez and Isaiah Torres.

Offensively, the Rams will replace Garces with junior running back Mike Gibilisco, a speedy, elusive back who as a sophomore last season racked up 556 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

“Mike is a special player,” Capurso said of Gibilisco, who will also play safety on defense for the Rams this season. “…He’s definitely going to get his touches. As a sophomore on the varsity level, you have big expectations for a kid like that. So far, he’s done everything we’ve asked of him, and we’re excited to see him have a real good year.”

The quarterback position, however, is something that will be decided as the season progresses, Capurso said. To date, junior Marcus Findeisen, Charlie Findeisen’s younger brother, and junior Daniel Castillo, a transfer student from Valley Christian, are in competition for the position and will continue to be until further notice, Capurso noted. Capurso called Marcus Findeisen a “sound” player, while adding that Castillo can add “a viable threat to our passing game.”

“They’re both good kids, very coachable,” Capurso said. “I guess in the next couple of weeks or in a month’s time, we’ll see who develops and takes that job away.”

Prior to his current position at Willow Glen, Capurso served as head coach at San Jose High Academy in 2006, compiling a 2-5 league record in the West Valley Division.

Capurso, who began his coaching career in 1986 as a 20-year-old assistant coach at his alma mater, Gunderson, has also served as an assistant coach at Oak Grove (1990), before landing his first head-coaching job at Lincoln (1991-1992). Since then, Capurso has spent time as a head coach at Santa Teresa (1993-2000), taking the Saints to the CCS Playoffs five times during that span, and Yerba Buena (2001-2003), winning a league title with the Warriors in 2002.

Capurso noted that the Willow Glen head coaching position was an intriguing opportunity for two reasons--numbers and location.

“I think the biggest thing was that I thought it was a good opportunity,” Capurso said. “The last three years I’ve coached--the two years at Yerba Buena and one year at San Jose--we had less than 20 players. They were tough, great kids with no complaints, but it’s just tough to build a program when you don’t have a respectable number (of players). To me, a respectable number is high 20s or above. I thought Willow Glen was a little better fit to possibly be that school, to give you that particular number (of players) every year. Also, it’s the fact that I’m a Willow Glen resident. I’ve lived here the last 15 years of my life.”

As far as predictions for the 2007 season, Capurso said he has none, in terms of numbers at least. Instead, Capurso said he looks for hard work and commitment out of his players, noting that the rest will be determined on the field.

“I’ve always been a process-oriented type of coach, and I try to sell that to our players,” Capurso said. “Let’s just make sure that we show up to practice every day, that we work our butts off every day and see how good we can be. Let’s not think about how many games we’re going to win or how many yards we’re going to gain. Let’s really focus on the process of trying to become better every day, and that’s going to be our best chance to have success.”

In the long term, Capurso said a goal for the team is to advance beyond the West Valley Division--and not just to the Santa Teresa Division.

“A league (Mt. Hamilton Division) is the top and I think it’s just a common thing you have to have as a competitor, that you want to get to the top,” Capurso said. “We want to have goals to jump up, and we don’t want to put ceilings on us either.”

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