The 2019-2020 school year is shaping up to be one of many changes for Morro Bay High School. The introduction of the crews, lots of progress on the Measure D construction, new teachers, new divisions, and a new coaching staff for three different teams are some of these exciting changes. Girls water polo, girls golf, and football all have new head coaches for this fall season.
Following their first ever league victory in 2018, girls water polo was moved from the ocean league to the mountain league, where they are expected to see much higher levels of competition. New coach, Lukas Lastra, thinks that it will be a great opportunity for the water polo team to improve and grow. Even though the girls water polo team will be facing a lot of great teams, Lastra says his athletes are “one of those great teams!”
Coming in part way through their summer training season, Lastra knew he was dealing with a close group of girls, who wanted to succeed not only for themselves but for their teammates as well. He also notes the water polo girls were very open to having a new coach and a new league.
The 2018 season also ended on a high note for the girls golf team, who were able to bring home the league title and got 2018 embroidered onto their banner. Long time coach Roger Pelletir retired after the victory and 10 years of coaching. Daren Pitcher took his spot for the 2019 season.
Pitcher felt connected with the team right off the bat, recognizing the players potential and hoping to help them develop in order to play competitively this year. He aims for each athlete to grow as an individual this year. He feels golf is one of the few sports that truly reveals and builds character. “It’s one thing to have good character when things go your way, it’s another to have good character when things don’t go your way.” Pitcher really hopes his team learns to have a love and appreciation for the sport. He thinks the players desire to improve their own game will really be a key aspect of moving forward.
This season Pitcher aims not for overall victories, but instead for each player to improve along the season. He does think that the golfers have the ability to be competitive depending on how many strokes they are able to drop before finals.
The football team met their new coach part way through the 2018-2019 school year. Jake Goossen-Brown was excited to come to MBHS and coach the boys. He saw a lot of potential in them, mentioning their great enthusiasm and work ethic, along with some very good athletic ability.
He doesn’t plan on changing the culture of the football team very much. However, he does want to make sure that the team is always there to compete. He mentions improving the players “football IQ”- doing things the right way, working on the mechanics of the sport, and trying to eliminate mistakes. He wants them to just be able to play football and have fun while they’re out there.
When asked about the team’s potential success this year, he brings up that success isn’t only measured in wins and loses. As long as the team is out there competing for every game, and the athletes are improving, the team will have succeeded. “Just get a little better every day, that’s all we can hope to do.” The next football game will be this Friday, August 30th.
