SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Football

2005 Mesa League Preview:

Spartans kick off new era under Rachow

By Phillip Brents

Posted Aug. 26, 2005

Hit hard, play smart and walk off the field with the respect of the opposing team. The principles that have embodied Chula Vista High football for the past decade (and then some) are still alive and well under new head coach Judd Rachow.

“We want to be competitive and play what we call ‘Spartan football.’ We’ve become known as a team that plays hard but plays within the rules of the game. When the game is over we want the other team to think of us as a well-coached team that plays physical but also a team that earns the respect of its opponent,” Rachow said.

Rachow, who had served as an assistant coach at Chula Vista for 13 years, expects to bring a lot of continuity to the 2005 squad. “It’s been a smooth transition. The biggest challenge was getting a staff together — getting people who would fit into our system and what we’ve done in the past,” he said.

In other words, the same high standards remain in effect established under the previous leadership of former head coaches Rex Johnson and George Ohnesorgen.

Rachow’s coaching staff includes three Spartan graduates: Adrian Rascon (Mesa College, Abilene Christian), Beau Coleman (Iowa State) and Aaron Turner (Mesa College).

Rachow, who stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall, played tight end and offensive line at SDSU, graduating in 1992. The Aztecs played in the Freedom Bowl his senior year. He subsequently played two seasons of Arena League football with the Arizona Rattlers. He called the talent spread through this year’s Spartan squad a “mixed bag” of proven returners and promising newcomers.

The 2005 Spartans will be led by seniors Freddy Catolico (quarterback/free safety), Nicholas Fehoko (offensive/defensive lineman), Ben Salas (defensive back), Mike Zarate (fullback/linebacker), Chris Mann (offensive lineman/linebacker), Ramido Andrade (running back), Fahu Soane (defensive/offensive lineman) and Anthony Lattin (wide receiver). Only Mann and Lattin were starters last season.

The team will be bolstered by newcomer Tommy Lopez (fullback) as well as a host of juniors up from last year’s junior varsity team: Avan Ariy (linebacker), Josh Camargo (strong safety), Brandon Taylor (wide receiver), Josh Goldilla (quarterback), Austin Childress (offensive lineman) and Javier Morales (offensive lineman).

Rachow said several positions are still up for grabs. He said the coaching staff will get a better idea of the depth at various positions following Saturday’s scrimmage at Otay Ranch High School as part of the third annual San Diego Section Kick Off Classic. The Spartans will tackle the host Mustangs at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ve been beating up on ourselves for the past two weeks. Now we get to go up against another team. It will also be nice in terms of varsity experience for many of our players,” Rachow said. “Saturday will clear up a lot of the fog.”