El Capitan High School football team looks to build on success with new coach
Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part of a series as we follow the El Capitan football program during the season.
El Capitan High School football players and coaches can see the progress each day as heavy machines prep the ground for the future football stadium on campus.
The $10 million stadium, which will have a seating capacity of 3,200, is scheduled to be completed by September of next year.
A true home stadium will be a big boost to the evolution of the Gauchos football program.
“Every game we’ve had has always felt like a road game because we’re always getting on a bus,” said El Capitan head coach Xavier Ramirez. “We’re always traveling, whether it’s Merced College or Golden Valley. Just to know that, hey, this is our stadium, this is our locker room. It’s a true protect this home environment. We must protect our home and that’s exciting.”
Ramirez just concluded his first season as the Gauchos’ head coach, finishing with a 5-5 record. Its the most wins in a season since the school opened in 2013, eclipsing the record of four wins in 2023.
Finally stability at the top?
After a revolving door that included four head coaches in the past four years and seven head coaches since 2013, the Gauchos may finally have stability at the top.
Ramirez just completed his seventh season as a coach in the program and spent his first year leading the program laying a foundation by establishing a culture and setting expectations for players on and off the field.
Ramirez said that culture is built on integrity, holding each other accountable and doing well in the classroom.
“I can’t say we’re a winning program yet, because we didn’t get over that hump, but we’re not a losing program anymore,” Ramirez said. “So I think we’re right where we need to be. I think we learned a lot this year, and there’s definitely so much more that we could do moving forward, which we’re already planning on. We’re getting after it already.”
A .500 season might not seem like much to celebrate, but considering what this program has been for over a decade, a 5-5 season is a big step forward.
The Gauchos football program has floundered since the school opened in 2013. The team has compiled an all-time record of 19-85, with nine of those victories coming in the last two years.
So yes, a five-win season can be seen as an accomplishment.
However, it’s not lost on Ramirez that just a few miles up G Street, Merced High was celebrating 200 career wins for Bears head coach Rob Scheidt.
“That’s a big gap that we’re trying to close in a fast amount of time,” Ramirez said. “But I really feel we’re on the rise. I feel like we’re headed in the right direction. We have the pieces to do it. We have the coaches to do it.”
With the success this season there have been some big-time performances by the players.
Senior Diego Utreras had two three-interception games from his safety position and his eight interceptions are tied for the sixth most in the state.
Quarterback Gio Mendoza threw five touchdowns in a win over Waterford and running back Lorenzo Peters set a school record with 304 rushing yards to go along with this three touchdowns in a 33-28 win over Los Banos.
For the first time in school history, the Gauchos were playing meaningful games late in the season as they tried to reach the playoffs for the first time.
What’s next for the program?
“I think we let everyone know we’re not the same El Cap anymore,” Mendoza said, “We kind of moved on from that, and we carry a new identity and a new program.”
So where does the program go from here?
Mendoza said the players have fully bought-in and already working to get better for next year.
The Gauchos had 123 players combined on all three levels this fall, which was the most in the history of the program.
“Everybody’s excited, everybody’s is juiced,” Mendoza said. “Even all the young players, we’re all ready just to get back into it, because we saw that if we put in the work and we establish that brotherhood like we did, we know what the outcome could be.”
The Gauchos have a strong nucleus of players coming back in Mendoza, who threw for 1,095 yards and 14 touchdowns and Peters, who rushed for 993 yards and nine touchdowns.
Most of the offensive line will return, along with some key players on defense in Tyson Espinoza, Craig Rowan, Alex Dunn.
Knowledge is key
Ramirez says he’d like to add more coaches to his staff. He wants to continue to improve as a head coach and hopes to pick the brains of longtime successful coaches lsuch as former Buhach Colony head coach Kevin Swartwood and former El Capitan athletic director Lou Souza.
Ramirez says he plans to attend more football camps and clinics.
“Maybe we get more creative on offense, Ramirez said. “Maybe we’re not afraid to pull out a trick play here or there or open up the playbook.”
Ramirez said he’s already working on upgrading the schedule to include tougher competition. El Capitan’s five wins this year came against teams that finished with a combined 9-41 record.
Ramirez feels if they can add a couple tougher teams to the schedule for next year it will help prepare the Gauchos for Central California Conference play and a better strength of schedule could help them earn a playoff spot.
“That’s part of the next phase right now is beefing up that schedule,” Ramirez said.
While Ramirez is excited for the future of the program, he’s going to miss his group of seniors. He desperately wanted them to experience playing in the playoffs, but they fell short of that goal.
He said he hopes they are better off for being part of the Gauchos program.
“Hopefully they took away some life lessons, not just in football, but life in general,” Ramirez said. “I think the biggest game you play is life, so I hope they take away all the structure, all the mentorship, all the hard work, the dedication, everything, and they just go out and take it into the real world and utilize it.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
