SUMMER FOOTBALL UPDATE: Santa Ana Valley’s young players making progress

Alfredo Macias will be leading the Falcons in August. (File photo courtesy Mark Bausman For OC Sports Zone)

Santa Ana Valley High School’s football team is making progress at it prepares for the season opener on Friday, Aug. 20 against Ocean View.

The Falcons are led by Alfredo Macias, who will be in his first full season as head coach. Macias guided the Falcons during the abbreviated spring season.

“This summer has been a real positive period of growth for our program,” Macias said Wednesday. “We are a young team this year so having an opportunity to focus on development in fundamental ways: lifting and conditioning and teaching the values that make the culture of our program. 

“Our attitude, work ethic and coachability has been great all summer. The hard work that we have been putting in has been showing up in the weight room and every time we hit the field.”

A number of players are expected to lead the team. 

“When we begin camp, we will lean on several returning starters like Erick Cervantes who will be under center again for this senior year and also our running back Moses Robert and linebacker Giovanni Ascencion. Some of our other key returning starters like wide receiver Mario Trujillo, Luis Salgado at middle linebacker and Luis Villanueva at corner are looking good, but also mentoring a lot or our younger players which is paying off. 

“We have several young players: Enrique Banda, Joshua Robles, Angel Juarez, Doming Roldan and Angel Diaz who will make an impact on our team.

“Overall, I’m excited and feel very blessed to be part of this team and looking forward to coming together and competing every snap this season.”

2021 SANTA ANA VALLEY SCHEDULE

Friday, Aug. 20 at Ocean View

Friday, Aug. 27, at Sacred Heart

Friday Sept. 3 at Santiago (4 p.m.)

Friday Sept. 10, vs. Godinez, home

Friday, Sept. 17, vs. Calvary Chapel, home

Friday, Oct. 1, at Century

Friday, Oct. 8, at Magnola

Friday, Oct. 15, vs. Western, home

Friday, Oct 22, vs. Anaheim, home

Friday, Oct. 29, vs. Savanna, home

(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

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