Can and will: Jake Messina says Golden Valley has the talent, numbers to compete

Scanning the weight room, taking inventory of his football field, Jake Messina doesn't see any reason why Golden Valley can't compete right away in the Central California Conference.

There are bodies everywhere, both big and small, strong and swift. So many, in fact, Messina had to pare down his roster to a more manageable size.

The first-year varsity head coach also hand-picked his staff, reaching into Golden Valley and Merced's decorated pasts for coordinators and position coaches.

So why not?

If it looks like a competitor and sounds like a competitor, well...

"I've seen a lot of scenarios like this play out before. The new guy walks into a coaching job and almost immediately starts laying out the excuses. We're too small. Too young. Don't know the system," Messina said.

"I've been here since January. They've been lifting. They've been running. We got big guys. We got athletes. We got the numbers. We got the coaches. There's no reason why we can't play right away. I think we're leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last year."

At least early on, Year 1 of the Messina Experience has offered a downtrodden football program hope.

The buzz is palpable.

When asked about Messina's arrival, junior Tyler Arnsberg, Golden Valley's Mr. Offense a season ago, tripped on his tongue; seizing from excitement.

Messina took over in January, replacing Jon Betschart.

Betschart's tenure was well-intentioned. He developed a rigorous offseason workout program, squeezing max effort from a small roster, but the victories on fall Friday nights were minimal.

He went 9-21 in three seasons.

Now it's Messina's turn.

A longtime coordinator at Merced High, this will be Messina's first head coaching job.

Merced was 34-5 during his three years as defensive coordinator.

"I think I've taken the long road to head coaching," Messina said. "I've taken the stuff we did over there (Merced) and the stuff I picked up in the Bay Area and put it all together.

"They're doing a good job with weight-training and accountability. We had to cut our roster down. We were in the 70s at one point. The 53 we have right now are going to stick. They're the guys who decided they're going to do what I ask of them."

Arnsberg and Jerry Martinez are prime examples of Messina's early shakeup.

Fast and elusive as the triggerman in Betschart's option offense, Arnsberg was also prone to mistakes and turnovers.

He produced 21 touchdowns -- 16 rushing, five passing -- but had six interceptions and 13 fumbles, eight of which were lost.

Messina watched five of Golden Valley's games live last fall. His diagnosis: Too often, Arnsberg was pigeon-holed under center.

That, he hopes, will change this fall.

Arnsberg will shift to tailback in GV's Pro Style offense, replaced by Martinez at quarterback.

"I was excited for the change," Arnsberg said. "I didn't want to be the quarterback in this offense. I wanted to use my legs more. Messina came at me the same way. I jumped at the opportunity."

Martinez is a more suitable fit at quarterback, Messina said, but still rusty and unproven.

The 5-foot-9 senior appeared in three games last season, going 7 for 20 with one touchdown and one interception.

"He's a good contributor," Messina said of Martinez, the program's website coverboy. "In 7-on-7s, he's thrown some incredible balls, but he's also thrown some interceptions."

Still, Messina insists his football team will be ready to turn heads. Golden Valley opens the season at Clovis on Sept. 3.

"Betschart pushed us. We were pushed really hard," Arnsberg said. "A lot of guys came in not expecting much, but Messina is pushing us even harder.

"He's doing his part and we're following him. He's as good a leader as we've ever had. He's pushing us and he's pushing the coaching staff."

James Burns is managing editor/sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.