Photos: First year coach Jimmy Nolan begins the rebuilding process at Costa Mesa

First year Costa Mesa Coach Jimmy Nolan leads his team. (Photos courtesy Harrison Zhang, For OC Sports Zone).

Costa Mesa High’s new head football coach Jimmy Nolan wants his players to think big.

“Our goal is to win CIF or state and the kids laugh when I say that,” Nolan said Tuesday as his team continued to wrap up its final week of summer session.”Why are we out here if that’s not the goal? If that’s not the goal, I’m not here to teach kids to settle for mediocrity.”

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“It’s tough because we’re kind of the butt of everyone’s joke around here. They’ve had success in sports. Cheerleading is national champions, baseball (reached) CIF championship, they didn’t win it, but they were amazing. Basketball won league and I imagine that water sports are good too.

“You look at our losing margin last year, that was a record. I think Estancia was up by 70 plus points in the third quarter and got down to our 2-yard line and took a knee to give it back…. awesome sportsmanship.”

Nolan said his players are aware of what he wants to help the Mustangs turn it around.

“For me as a teacher, my thing is hustle,” he said. “If they never give up, never quit then sooner or later they’re going to learn how to be better young men and be more productive. I take my hat off to them that they’re still out here because after going through what they went through last year, it’s hard to keep coming out.”

Nolan is well aware of what happened last year at Costa Mesa. The Mustangs were winless in 10 games and were on the short end of many lopsided scores, especially in Orange Coast League play. Costa Mesa has won just four games in three seasons.

Costa Mesa officials brought in Nolan, who has a reputation of building up struggling programs, to help make the Mustangs competitive. Nolan’s latest project was at Fountain Valley where he coached for three seasons before resigning at the end of the season. Fountain Valley won one game in Nolan’s first year, then went 7-5 and 5-6 in the next two seasons, advancing to the CIF playoffs each year.

“I always look for that underdog because there is nothing more fulfilling for me than to make kids believe in themselves,” Nolan said.

Nolan said the players need to have a “belief in themselves, but that only comes from preparation, so the key is preparation. The problem I see is that we’ve done a lot more than they’re used to doing so they think, ‘wow we’re going to be good because we’ve worked really hard this year.'”

But Nolan said it will take more effort when the team begins practice next week.

“Are you willing to pay the price, and the price is discipline,” he has told his players.

Nolan is expecting big seasons from linemen Christian Anderson, Angel Mendoza, Evin Douglas, Andrew Camargo, Vianelafu Faiga, wide receiver-linebacker Cory Richards, running back-defensive back Bryan Hernandez, linebacker-wide receiver Ryan Bourbeau, wide receiver-linebacker Bengie Mendez and running back-linebacker Emanual Ortega.

Linemen Mark Blanco and Devin Douglas, wide receiver-defensive back Leo Cristobal and junior quarterback Nick Burton are also expected to contribute, Nolan said.

About 50 players showed up inititally, but Nolan said he expects about 35 players to be suited up for the Mustangs when they open the season Friday, Aug. 30 against Santiago at Garden Grove High.

“I think they’ve really bought in,” Nolan said. “I was always an underdog (as a player) so I speak their language. It’s hard because they don’t know my product and they won’t know it until they’re flying around and things are happening in a positive manner. I think after the first game they will believe. Win or lose, they will see why we do what we do.

“Most coaches have hell weeks. For me, we have a hell year, we’re never going to slow down.”

Nolan believes hard work at practice pays off on Friday nights.

Costa Mesa’s first home game is Friday, Sept. 6, against Loara at Costa Mesa’s on-campus stadium.

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