Longtime assistant brings stability to Coronado after promotion

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Coronado High football coach Lance Cooper has only been on the job since the middle of the summer, but he’s already found several positives with the program.

His optimism can be credited to enthusiasm the players have displayed.

“You couldn’t ask for a better group of kids,” Cooper said. “Hopefully we can give this program direction and get it going the right way.”

Cooper, who has been an assistant at Coronado since the school opened in 2001 and the defensive coordinator last fall, is the third head coach in three years. He replaced Todd Stratton, who coached the Cougars to a 3-6 record last year before leaving for a junior college position in California.

Compensating for the lack of stability will be easier said than done. Cooper said the offseason training didn’t go as smooth as he would have liked during the transition.

“We have to establish some work ethic and tradition. That’s the No. 1 thing,” Cooper said. “The success of your program is determined with what you do in the offseason. You can’t have someone who lays down the rules but isn’t there to follow through. You can’t put that on the kids. You have to put that on the stability of the program.”

Coronado’s last playoff appearance was in 2007 and it didn’t win any league games last year. But its pass-first offense picked up steam at the end of last year, scoring 108 in the final three games.

Cooper plans to continue airing the ball out, but will strive for more balance. Kentavius Hudson, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior running back, is one of the league’s best-kept secrets, the coach said.

“He is coming into his own,” Cooper said. “He’s just built like a back. He has great vision. He’s going to make some things happen.”

Coronado is still undecided at quarterback. Whoever wins the job will have two established receivers — senior Devon Riley and sophomore Cody Mucino — at their disposal. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Riley had 24 catches for 464 yards in 2009, and Mucino showed promise after being promoted from the junior varsity team late in the season.

Defensively, returning linebackers Christian Chavez and Daniel Wolfe (5-foot-10, 200-pounds) will be counted on to lead the way. The duo will also double on the offensive line.

Coronado’s first two opponents — Sept. 3 against Eldorado and Sept. 11 against Sunrise Mountain— combined to win one varsity game last year. It will give the Cougars plenty of chances to start the season on a positive note.