Rick Curtis, former Northwood coach, leads Capo Valley Christian in summer tourney

Rick Curtis coaches his Capo Valley Christian players Thursday. (Photo courtesy Harrison Zhang, For OC Sports Zone)

Former Northwood High football coach Rick Curtis, now the head coach at Capo Valley Christian, had a homecoming on Thursday.

Curtis guided his squad in a four-team passing league tournament at Northwood which also included Northwood, Laguna Hills and Laguna Beach.

“It was great being back at Northwood and seeing so many friends. I even got to spend time speaking with Rob Stuart, the baseball coach that I hired when I was the AD back in 1999,” Curtis said.

“I stay in contact with most all of the coaches at NHS (Tim O’Brien, Dean Toohey, Michael Stewart, Dan Selway, JC Clarke) and of course my equipment man, Ernie Medina. The new field and track looks great and was a needed addition to the facility.

“NHS holds a special place in my heart; it feels like home when I go back there. New head coach Paige Nobleshas reached out to me, and I am excited to see how he takes the program to new heights.”

Curtis said he was pleased with the progress of his squad.

“I thought our kids competed very well after being a little jittery in our first game against Northwood,” Curtis said. “Our quarterback, Tyler Henry, has been suffering from back spasms, so he was a little tight in that first game but he performed really well against Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills.

“Our top receiver, Simeon Marton, continues to impress with his athleticism and ability to extend the play after his receptions. He projects to be one of the top receivers in Orange County this season. Our new tight end, Dylen Roberts, who is out from the basketball team continues to improve. Our running back/linebacker Rome Demongin and H-back/defensive back Kaden Manrique had solid performances at their positions.

“While I didn’t get to see the lineman competition, the reports were that we did very well with our one on one pass protections on offense and our defensive pass rush.”

Capo Valley Christian opens the season on Friday, Aug. 23, on the road against St. Monica.

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