Tyler Arciaga has come home to his alma mater as Bonita Vista High School’s new head football coach after playing for the Barons from 1998 to 2000.
Arciaga spent three years playing quarterback at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He got his feet wet as a head coach at San Yisdro High School in 2011-12 before embarking on a seven-year assignment at Mar Vista High School from 2013-19 during which he also assumed duties as the Imperial Beach school’s athletic director.
Arciaga transferred to Bonita Vista High School in January 2020 to become the Barons’ new athletic director. But becoming the Barons football coach wasn’t on his agenda.
It just worked out that way when then incumbent coach Sam Kirkland III unexpectedly tendered his resignation after coaching the team for two seasons.
“This was not part of the plan when I came over,” Arciaga said. “I came over to BV to be the athletic director and support coach Kirkland. His resignation from both his program facilitator position on campus and head football coach blindsided all of us at the school. I decided to apply for the position after speaking with my wife and some other folks regarding multiple factors. I thought it would also be great to be able to give back to a program that gave me so much.”
Arciaga played under coaches Carl Parrick and Greg Raby while at BVHS. Arciaga has brought back both mentors on his staff as assistant coaches.
The new Barons head coach said he is starting to like the vibes he is feeling.
“I feel some nostalgia taking over and bringing (back) some familiar faces,” he said. “We have several other coaches who are work on campus and are alumni or coached while I was in the program.
“As I said, this wasn’t the plan in coming over. But sometimes life throws you a curveball and you have to go with the pitch.”
Arciaga said talking to his wife Heidi, who is the physical education department chair at BVHS, helped him make a final decision.
“What pushed me over the edge in deciding to apply was talking to my wife, and she was fully supportive and encouraged me to apply,” Arciaga explained. “In addition, we live less than two miles away, my kids will end up going to BVHS and it’s a very welcoming faculty/staff. Some worked there when I was a student and most others have had interactions with my wife, who has been teaching there for 13 years. I feel truly honored and privileged to take over a program that gave so much to me.”
Arciaga said the biggest thing to hurdle in taking over a program is to implement a “buy-in.”
“Ultimately, I told the team, but directed to the seniors, when we first met (on March 13 of last year) that we can’t change the past and I can’t help that I am your third head coach during your career,” he explained. “I told them if you want a chance at success this season, they will need to ‘buy-in’ to what we, as a coaching staff, are doing. We, as a coaching staff, know that we will have to do our part by being organized, fair, working to create a bond with the kid.”
With the suspension of all school activities due to COVID-19 pandemic, that schedule has been thrown off. But the new BVHS head coach isn’t letting it deviate from his end goal.
“It creates some unprecedented times that will force us to adapt,” he said.
Arciaga takes pride in that during his time at Mar Vista 11 student-athletes went on to play college football. He compiled a 41-35 record with the Mariners, winning the 2016 Metro-South Bay League championship.
“I feel I have learned a lot from coaching at San Ysidro and Mar Vista,” the new BVHS coach said. “Being my 10th year as a head coach, I feel I know the administrative workings of a program. I know being a head coach is far more work than game planning and calling plays. Surrounding yourself with great people who know how to coach within the framework of your philosophy is key.
“I have been blessed to be with a consistent coaching staff and they are essential to making the ship sail smoothly. Mike Albright (offensive line) has been with me for 10 years, coach Parrick has coached with for five seasons, coach Raby for five seasons, Darren Fortie (wide receivers) for eight seasons), Barry Zuniga (defensive backs) for four seasons, Dave Geasland for seven seasons, R.C. Arciaga (his father) for 10 seasons.
“This is also the third program I have taken over, so I feel I have experience working through change and getting buy-in with the players and parents.”
Getting to know the players has been another story altogether.
Arciaga had one meeting with the team before all activities were suspended because of the pandemic.
Conditioning drills finally were allowed late last fall and full-contact practices only began recently.
The Barons, who will move from the Metro-Mesa League to the Metro-South Bay League this season, return six starters, including highlight seniors Justin Locke (defensive end/linebacker/tight end), Anthony Antunez (offensive line/defensive line), Cody Woronicz (linebacker/fullback) and John-Michael Inzunza (wide receiver).
Impact newcomers include juniors Malosi Iuli (defensive back), Julio Cervantes (defensive back/receiver) and sophomores Dante Herrero (running back/defensive back) and Dante Scott (receiver/defensive back).
Woronicz had 48 tackles last season.
As for a general overview, Arciaga said, “We are most experienced on both lines anchored by Locke and Antunez along with Woronicz at middle linebacker. We have some young talented defensive backs and wide receivers who need to get experience. Our biggest question marks are at running back and at quarterback. We are sorting out that competition (through practices).”
The Barons will be playing all their games away from school this spring. Bonita Vista will kick off play March 26 with a non-league game at Eastlake High School in the teams’ annual Battle for the Boot game, then play a “home” league game against Montgomery at Hilltop High School on April 2. The Barons will return to Hilltop a week later for a league game against the Lancers, then close out league play April 16 at Chula Vista High School.
METRO-SOUTH BAY LEAGUE PREVIEW
Hilltop Lancers begin new football era
The new-look Hilltop Lancers will get a bead on where they stand this season when they engage host Olympian Eagles in a scrimmage Friday, March 19. Kick-off is 6:30 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live on the Hilltop Athletics YouTube channel.
The Lancers are debuting a new head coach in alumnus Bryan Wagner (a participant in the Super Bowl with the San Diego Chargers) as well as a new offensive and defensive scheme.
Wagner, a 1980 Hilltop grad, admits it’s been “a crazy time to do so much in so little time.”
That appears to be part of the so-called “new normal” amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Wagner hasn’t had too much time to assess talent on this year’s team, as he had just one team meeting after being named head coach last spring before the pandemic canceled the rest of the 2019-20 interscholastic season.
However, several players have stood out.
Top players this year include senior offensive linemen Michael Rodriguez and Esteban Collins, senior linebacker Rudy Lucero, senior tight end Jacob Zimmermann and quarterback Diego Castro.
Lucero recorded 56 tackles, including 18 tackles for a loss, and seven sacks in 10 games last season on defense to rank third on the team in sacks and sixth on the team in tackles.
Zimmermann was credited with seven catches for 38 yards and one two-point conversion in five game appearances on offense last season.
Castro got his feet wet last season with six completions in 10 passing attempts for 70 yards and one touchdown.
The Lancers will compete in the realigned Metro-South Bay League this season. Hilltop kicks off regular season play with a non-league home game against the Otay Ranch Mustangs from the Metro-Mesa League on March 26, then closes the short season with league games against the Chula Vista Spartans on April 2 (Chula Vista Kiwanis Bowl at CVHS), a home game against the Bonita Vista Barons on April 9 and a road game at Montgomery on April 16.
The Lancers finished 9-2 last season, 3-0 in league play, with a 34-33 upset loss in the Division III quarterfinals to the seventh-seeded Brawley Wildcats.
But this is a new season, far removed from the sour ending of 2019. It will be a new beginning for the entire Hilltop program.
“I think we will be very competitive this year,” Wagner said. “It’s been a huge process for the players to learn a new defense and offense, but everything is coming together well. Our expectations are to be solid on defense and play more physical. Offensively, we are going to continue to be fast-paced and have a good balance of run and pass. We have a solid offensive line and some good talent at the skill positions. We will also be relatively young.”
CIF notepad
Hilltop ranks ninth among the section’s Division III teams while Bonita Vista is ranked 14th, though playoffs are not scheduled.
Top Division III teams include Mater Dei Catholic (0-0), Serra (0-0), Santa Fe Christian (1-0), Mt. Carmel (0-0), Westview (0-0), Brawley (0-0), Ramona (0-0) and Escondido (0-0). Ranking arrears of the Lancers are Santana (0-0), Imperial (0-0), Orange Glen (0-1), El Capitan (0-1), Bonita Vista (0-0), Monte Vista (0-0), West Hills (0-0) and Kearny (0-0)
SFC’s 81-54 blowout win over Orange Glen to kick off the season last Friday set a section record for most points scored in one game.
CV Spartans kick off season with rivalry game for the ages
The Chula Vista Spartans kicked off last season with an eight-game losing streak before winning their last two Metro-South Bay League games, defeating Mar Vista, 12-7, and longtime west side rival Sweetwater 28-7.
The Spartans hope to take that momentum into this year’s shortened season.
Top returners include senior quarterback Omar Perez, senior receiver/safety Karlos Jimenez, junior offensive guard/defensive tackle George Abbott and junior middle linebacker Raymond Cruz — all of whom earned all-league recognition.
Perez finished nine yards from breaking the school record last season, finishing with 1,951 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed 42 times for 121 yards.
“He is a big quarterback with a big arm,” CV head coach Howard Bannister III said.
Expect Perez to hook up with Jimenez throughout the season as Bannister expects the latter to be the team’s top receiver this season.
Jimenez caught 19 aerials for 269 yards last season behind top receivers Alex Guzman (1,109 yards, nine touchdowns) and Dylan Sallee (717 yards, nine touchdowns).
Cruz paced the defense with 61 tackles while tacking on two sacks and one interception.
Bannister lists the following as new players to watch: offensive tackle/defensive tackle Saul Garcia-Contreras, middle linebacker Alexis Garcia-Contreras, running back/linebacker Anthony Venegas and running back/defensive end Key’Mari Davis.
After renewing their longstanding rivalry with Sweetwater in the teams’ 74-year Legacy of Pride series this Friday, Chula Vista will play a non-league game at Olympian on March 26, then close out the season with league games against Hilltop (April 2), Montgomery (April 9) and Bonita Vista (April 16).
Despite the Spartans’ win in the teams’ last game, the Red Devils continue to lead the series 39-31-4.
Montgomery Aztecs move up to next level
The Montgomery Aztecs had a banner year in 2019 by winning the Metro-Pacific League championship, the school’s second league title in three years after also claiming the banner in 2017.
The 2017 title was the school’s first league championship since sharing the 1986 banner.
The Aztecs finished 2019 league play 3-0 with commanding victories against San Ysidro (48-0), Southwest (56-0) and Castle Park (34-10) to earn the No. 3 seed in the Division IV playoffs.
However, Montgomery could not get past sixth-seeded La Jolla Country Day in its opening quarterfinal matchup, ending the season with a 48-29 setback.
The Aztecs finished an otherwise stellar season with a 9-2 overall record. Montgomery outscored opponents 387-130.
The Aztecs, led on the sideline by former SDSU Aztecs Freddy Dunkle and Demarco Sampson, recorded five shutout victories in 2019. The lone regular season loss for Montgomery was 35-6 to visiting Santana, which would earn the top seed in the Division IV playoffs en route to a runner-up finish to second-seeded Serra in the CIF championship game.
The Aztecs will play five games this spring — three home and two away — as they move up from the Metro-Pacific League to the Metro-South Bay League. The team will kick off its season in the annual Warrior Bowl against neighborhood rival Castle Park.
The move will pit two defending league champions in this year’s Metro-South Bay League lineup along with the defending Metro-South Bay League champion Hilltop Lancers.
Hilltop will play at Montgomery in the final regular season game on April 16, possibly with a league title on the line.
Alexander Dixie capped a superlative junior season in 2019 with a team-leading 1,790 yards in total offense – 1,061 passing yards, 681 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards. He averaged 162.7 yards per game as the team’s danger man. He passed for 12 touchdowns (with six interceptions) while scoring nine touchdowns — eight rushing and one on an interception return.
Other juniors to excel last season included Jaheem Williams (630 rushing yards, 10 total touchdowns), Zach Pearson (578 receiving yards, five touchdowns), Isiah King (387 receiving yards, eight touchdowns) and Daniel Ortiz (359 rushing yards, three touchdowns).
Williams scored a team co-leading 10 touchdowns, including seven rushing touchdowns and three on punt returns.
Christian Venegas rushed for 288 yards as a sophomore in 2019 and scored a team co-leading 10 touchdowns — nine rushing and one on a fumble return.
Overall, 11 players scored at least one touchdown last season. As a team, Montgomery scored 51 touchdowns, including 30 rushing scores and 17 receiving scores.
Benjamin Larsen led the team defensively with 83 tackles, three interceptions and 6.5 sacks as a junior while Venegas chipped in with 63 sacks and 3.5 sacks. King and classmate Alex Flores also recorded three picks as the Montgomery secondary was very active with 14 interceptions on the year. The Aztec defense also recorded 16 fumble recoveries.
