Bulldogs spend summer preparing for season

Ramona High School Bulldogs are spending the summer preparing for football season.

The five-week program began June 13, with players meeting their coaches and teammates on the football field Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 to 9:45 a.m., with some 7 on 7 tournaments held during the weekends.

The mandatory varsity California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Dead Period began Sunday and lasts until the end of July, with practice starting again on Aug. 3.

Each week of practice, the coaches focus on their game plan, installing different situations that can come up during a game.

For offense, this includes prepping for third-down periods, goal line periods, 7 on 7 periods, down periods, blitz periods, and the fundamentals of blocking and tackling.

When working on defense, the coaches focus on stopping the opponent’s offensive system using tackle and pursuit techniques.

Head coach Damon Baldwin said this is the youngest team he has had at Ramona High since he started at the school in 2005, with only a handful of students having previously played in a varsity football game.

“The kids have been fantastic and have worked so hard and are a joy to coach,” he said. “The kids we have on our team have met our standards of attitude and character along with scholastic expectations that you must meet in order to play CIF high school sports. I am very proud of our boys at this point (and I) love to see and coach them each day.”

Right guard Travis Johnson, a senior, is also confident in the younger players’ skills and their ability to work with the team.

“There’s still some seniors left over from last year,” he said. “We’ve been really working hard, and a lot of these new young guys are looking really good. I feel like they know what they’re doing.”

The upcoming season will be quick tackle Wyatt Stevens’ third year on varsity, and the senior noted how beneficial the practices have been.

“It’s definitely been helpful knowing all the plays, just be dependable that way,” he said.

Running back Kaleb Berman, a junior, said he feels good about the upcoming season. The coaches created a more rigorous practice regimen than usual to prepare players for the season, he said.

“Since I got here, the coaching staff has been a lot more challenging,” he said. “(They’re) a lot more strict on you and want you to be the best that you can be, and it will eventually help you in life.”

Baldwin said he wants his players to build character as well as skill.

“Each Monday since January we had character lessons,” he said. “Kids these days do not get this enough in schools. We all want great kids, but most schools do not teach or set plans to teach kids how to be great. Teaching them to respect and be accountable for their actions and how to treat peers and adults is a big part of growing up.”

Right tackle Brendan Johnson, a senior transfer from Stanwood High School in Stanwood, Wash., is new to the team, but is already impressed with the staff’s investment in the players.

“They’re definitely more interested in the team as a whole rather than focusing on one person,” he said. “They’re also very smart in football. They know where people need to be no matter how you feel about it.”

Even though the season hasn’t started yet, many players are already looking forward to facing-off and hopefully beating the Poway Titans.

“I look forward to each game,” Baldwin said. “It is a chance for our kids to have fun and come together and show what they have learned and do. Poway is our rival from our eyes.”

Varsity’s first match will be an away game Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. against the St. Augustine Saints.

“They’re a tough team to get down but I think we can do it,” said Stevens.