Father and son team up to lead Crean Lutheran football team through first year in Empire League

Crean Lutheran’s Randall Reynoso (right) is enjoying coaching with his father Randy. Photos Fernando M. Donado, for OC Sports Zone.

Crean Lutheran’s head football coach Randall Reynoso has an assistant coach on his staff who he knows very well.

Reynoso’s father, Randy, has joined him on the staff for his first year with the Saints, who had success early in the season winning their first three games.

“It’s great, it’s something we’ve kind of talked about and when it got here, I made him put his money where his mouth is,” the head coach said. “I worked for him in the past and now he’s returning the favor. He does a great job getting the line guys prepared. It’s hard when you coach five guys. Every week we have five guys prepared, it’s a different five every week.

“It’s challenging at times too because there is the relationship. At the end of the day, coaching is our passion. We’re a sports family and it’s a blessing to have him out here every game. He hasn’t coached in many years and he had to step away from it obviously because of family and (having to) make money. It wasn’t a super lucrative profession in the seventies and eighties so he did what he had to and I’m glad I get this opportunity and I’m where I’m at to be able to be a head coach and he can help us out.”

Randy Reynoso, who focuses much of his attention on the offensive line, said he has been enjoying coaching with his son, who he coached in flag football and basketball.

“It’s been very interesting,” Randy Reynoso said. “I never really thought of it as a dream, but when he got the head coaching job, he said, ‘dad, you’re going to join me.’ I’ve been following him mostly as a player, but as a coach too and he would always come to me at halftime and say, ‘what do you think?’ and I would give him my two cents. I coached at St. Paul (as assistant line coach) in the seventies and late eighties and enjoyed it and had a lot of success but (his family) started having kids.

“But coaching with Randall has been a dream. It just happened and I’m having a really, really good time. We see things together. I believe strongly in fundamental play and he does too so we work really hard with our offensive line because we have limited bodies (22 players suited up for Thursday for Crean Lutheran, which is 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the Empire League) and I think so far this year we’ve done a good job in terms of trying to accelerate their learning and their ability to perform.

“Coaching with Randall has been a great experience and I’ve enjoyed it,” said Randy Reynoso who is an engineer and owns an company.

He also coached his daughters in soccer.

“I’ve been pretty active with the coaching and we’ve had a lot  of success,” he said.  “We love sports.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone