Orange County high school coaches facing life without Friday night football for awhile

Segerstrom players take the field for a season opener in August 2019 vs. Bell Gardens. (File photo courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone)

About a year ago, Segerstrom High School football coach Joseph Tagaloa was leading his team into a season opener against Bell Gardens, which the Jaguars won 42-0.

Friday, Tagaloa and other football coaches in Orange County weren’t doing what they love, coaching football because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, they are looking to the future and holding out hope that football will start in January 2021. The openers were originally scheduled for Friday, Aug. 21.

“Not playing this week is frustrating, but I understand the decision to push the season back,” Tagaloa said Friday. “I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t out on the field coaching on Friday night during this time. I am looking forward to the opportunity to get back out there because the energy from our players during pregame and the excitement that comes with the anticipation of that opening kickoff.

“We are a family and watching our players compete makes me proud because I know they are going to compete every single snap.” 

Many coaches in Orange County will undoubtedly feel the same way.

“When I come into the field and feel the excitement from the crowd, I get a sense of accomplishment knowing how hard these young men worked to prepare for this moment,” said Western Coach Dan Davidson. “At Western we feel like we are one big family. As a football team, we are playing for our community, administration, student body and all the alumni that came before us. We owe it to them to perform at a level that makes all the current and former Pioneers to be proud.”

About a year ago, Dan Selway was the offensive coordinator for Northwood High’s football team and about to direct the offense for Coach Paige Nobles team in the season opener against Saddleback Valley Christian.

Selway, who is now the offensive coordinator at Capistrano Valley High School under Coach Sean Curtis, has also experienced football from a player’s perspective. He was a star quarterback at Northwood High School, so he knows the value of high school football. He graduated from Northwood in 2005.

“High school football is something special,” Selway said. “It’s what brought me back as a coach. The passion from the players is my favorite thing, makes me want to put in all the extra work to help them and be prepared from watching film. The desire from them to win and get better, I love it. I get the feeling this upcoming season will be extra special. I’m fired up, I can’t wait.”

Selway, who played college football at Redlands University, said he had fond memories of high school football. 

“As a player the school spirit is very different than college and pro ball,” he said. “Going to school on game day, it’s fun.  And in my case playing all three phases in high school was fun.

“I definitely didn’t play any defense in college. In college sometimes after a big win my jersey would be pretty clean, but in high school after playing all three phases (offense, defense and special teams) I would be exhausted and it’s a great feeling.”

After college, Selway played three seasons professionally in Europe. (Finland, Germany and Sweden). 

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com