Brown excites young Sobrato squad in second year of varsity
football
Morgan Hill – Year Two for the Sobrato High varsity football program is around the corner and first-year coach Dan Brown is encouraged with what he’s seen so far.
After a week of two-a-day practices and with the first game just two weeks away, Brown said the team is showing a good attitude and energy level.
“I’ve been impressed with the enthusiasm and the desire,” said Brown, who takes over for Jeff Patterson and comes to Sobrato after serving as the defensive coordinator at Wilcox High for the past five seasons.
“We are putting in a lot of stuff, but the kids are retaining it and reviewing it,” Brown said. “So there are some bumps in the road as we go. We’re definitely out of the gate and have a certain aroma about us that things are going in the right direction.”
While it’s still early, Brown said the team has shown signs that it can excel.
“We have some ups and downs as we go, but we have flashes of brilliance,” Brown said. “We look like we can be pretty good as times. But it’s two steps forward, two steps back.”
This will be the first year Sobrato will field senior athletes and Brown commended their leadership.
“I’m really proud of their senior leadership,” Brown said. “They’ve accepted our coaching staff and coaching style.”
While the seniors will be a big part of this year’s team, Brown is particularly excited about a strong crop of sophomores. He said he could have as many as six in starting lineup when the Bulldogs open the season and that has him encouraged about the team’s potential over the next few seasons.
But the biggest focus right now is learning to practice at a proper tempo, which Brown dubs “thud tempo.”
“They’re trying to learn what thud tempo is,” said Brown, explaining that he wants the players to use proper technique but use some caution to prevent injuries. “These guys want to go live.”
The Bulldogs will have to wait until Aug. 31 before they can let it all loose when they face Leigh and Del Mar in a three-team scrimmage.
With classes starting Tuesday, Brown is happy that the team will have time to adjust to the school routine before the season opener against Cupertino on Sept. 8.
“From a student-athlete’s perspective, I think it’s really good,” Brown said. “There’s a little bit quicker structure to their educational setting. They are student-athletes first, so it’s nice to get the student thing going ahead of time.”
Jimmy Durkin is the Morgan Hill Times sports editor. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 203 or jd*****@mo*************.com.
