Fall coaches in place, facilities still need work
With a blueprint in hand for its fledgling athletics program and school set to begin, Sobrato High officially enters its first fall sports season next week.
And, while the school has hired the bulk of its coaches heading into the first week of school, according to Athletic Director Dennis Martin, most of the school’s athletic facilities are not yet complete. Most were scheduled for completion after the start of school, in December and January.
Martin said coaches are in place for all Sobrato’s fall sports teams, which are in preparation for the upcoming season – with a few exceptions. There will be no boys and girls water polo, and the girls golf team has yet to sign up any players, though Martin said Sobrato will offer water polo eventually and he’s hoping to sign up a few golfers once school starts.
But football, girls and boys cross-country, field hockey, girls volleyball and girls tennis are all ready to go, Martin said.
Sobrato will field all frosh-soph and junior varsity teams this school year. Though the school has already been accepted by the Central Coast Section and Tri-County Athletic League, it won’t officially compete in the TCAL until 2005-06, and some sports will compete in the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
In addition to Patterson, an on-campus coach, and his coaching staff, the rest of the fall coaches include:
- Football coach Jeff Patterson, an on-campus coach who lives in Hollister, coached at Gilroy and led Gonzales into the CCS playoffs last season.
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Girls volleyball coach Marni Katuk, who hails from New York where she gained coaching experience with age group traveling volleyball squads. She will be an off-campus coach.
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Boys and girls cross-country coach Jim Feldman, a veteran P.E. teacher and coach at Britton, who will be an on-campus coach.
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Field hockey coach Carmen Villegas, another veteran area coach who will work on campus.
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Girls tennis coach Terry Bernard, a longtime Live Oak teacher and coach who will be on campus.
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And, girls golf coach Dick Adams, who will coach from off campus once he gets players.
For now, those teams will be hitting the road for their games and matches, even those they host. That’s because most of the athletic facilities are at least months off from completion.
Sobrato’s campus will eventually feature full athletic facilities – everything from a full-sized gymnasium to a football field and track to tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, and a competition pool, among other amenities.
According to MHSD Director of Construction and Modernization Al Solis, Sobrato’s baseball and softball fields, soccer fields, outdoor basketball courts and practice fields – all finished and ready for use – were all part of Phase I occupancy, which was scheduled for the start of school. The only part of Phase I which was not ready by its due date was the tennis courts, which were delayed by state requirements. Solis said temporary portable buildings are filling in as changing rooms until the lockerrooms are ready in December.
Solis said Phase II, which is expected to be complete by December and January, will include the gymnasium, the football stadium and track, the lockerrooms, weight rooms and the pool.
The gym, which is being built by Turner Construction, will be the same size as Live Oak’s but will have the added ability to be divided in half by a curtain to allow for simultaneous events.
The football field, like Live Oak’s field being done by beals sport, will include bleachers and a small scoreboard.
For now, most of the larger events and athletic contests, including football games, will be held at Live Oak.
But Sobrato Principal Rich Knapp said there is room for a full football field and stadium to be built in the future.
Solis said district officials learned their lesson from the debacle involving the Live Oak football field and will seed all sports fields differently (using hydro-seeding), and will allow the root system to take hold. He said the Sobrato sports fields will not be used before they’re ready and will not be overused.
Live Oak’s football field was allegedly used before it was ready and was used by the Acorn football teams, Pop Warner teams and for band practice.
