Los Altos High: Chomping at the bit Los Altos High: Chomping at the bit (August 19, 2005)

New coach Erik Rutgers says this is the year to watch for Eagles football

By Scott Campbell

Erik Rutgers stops to pinch himself at least once a day. He can hardly believe his good fortune. At age 25, he has been handed the keys to the Los Altos High School football program.

With his players having assembled on Aug. 15, the new Eagles head coach is just now starting the team's engine and beginning the drive of his lifetime.

"Every morning when I get up, I'm excited," said Rutgers, who was a Los Altos assistant coach under Bob Sykes from 2003-04. "I can't wait to get to the school."

This past week, he didn't even have to drive. The entire Los Altos squad began pre-season training with consecutive overnights on campus, a team-building experience that also featured three-a-day practices.

With their season beginning in a home contest against Evergreen Valley on Sept. 10, the Eagles have only a few weeks remaining to cement the bond that Rutgers covets.

"We're trying to emphasize the family atmosphere when you're on the field and off the field, always understanding ... that you're representing something that you take a lot of pride in," said Rutgers, whose playing experience includes two seasons as a strong safety and inside linebacker in the semi-professional Golden State Amateur Football League.

Los Altos supporters, whose patience has been tested as the team ran through two coaches in the past three seasons, are anxious to see what direction the program will take with Rutgers at the helm. The first-time head coach has an answer for them.

"The reason I wanted this job is I believe I can be the person to turn this program around," said Rutgers, who takes over a program that remains mired in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's lower El Camino Division. "I saw, after the past two years here, the potential: the athletes, the family support, the community around them ... I believe that there isn't anything we can't do with his program."

Rutgers lists communication and organization as the two most important improvements he wants to make from the previous regime. Already amazed at the support network he has at his doorstep, he hopes to continue to foster winning relationships with the parents, other coaches and members of the school's Athletic Department.

Rutgers' boss, Los Altos Athletic Director Monica Lodge, is confident she hired the right man for the job.

"I really think it will work this time, I really do," said Lodge. "He's a good role model. He definitely has the respect of the players. He was their first choice."

Assisting Rutgers on the reshaped Los Altos coaching staff are Steve Cox, 25, Todd Bickel and Ryan Damm, both 26, and Jay Heeb, 45.

Heeb, a longtime assistant coach at St. Francis who knows a thing or two about building a winning program, thinks Rutgers is beginning to do just that.

"I really like the tone he's set," said Heeb. "I think he has very good vision for the program. He wants to pay the price and make the commitment. I really think the kids are buying into it."

Count Eagles quarterback Richard Rullo, a senior, among those who already see the difference.

"You can see things moving in the right direction," said Rullo as he got ready to take the field for an afternoon practice. "Before, things would be done and you wouldn't know why. But with Coach Rutgers, everything has a purpose; everything's organized. You can tell his mind is just overflowing with ideas for the program."

So what can we expect from the Eagles on the field this season?

Rutgers became animated in describing the offense he learned playing at Saratoga and later coaching the school's junior varsity team from 2001-02.

"We're a ground game, that's what we're based off of," said Rutgers, whose blueprint will be bolstered by four returning starters on the offensive line. "Basically, our goal is [to get] four yards a play. Hold that ball. Keep coming at 'em. Wear 'em out."

As for the other side of the ball, Rutgers continued, "It's a very physical defense. We come right at teams. Let's get the ball, score. If not score, no rushing yards allowed, at all."

Do the 2005 Eagles have the horses to employ these schemes?

"All over the field and that's the best part about it," said Rutgers, who noted free safety Evan Nelson as a playmaker to watch for.

Stepping back to look at his long-term aspirations for the Los Altos program, Rutgers said, "We want to be that team that everybody highlights on their schedule.

"We know it takes a lot of work, a lot of hard work. We're ready for that as a coaching staff. And the players, they understand what's trying to be built here, too, and they're taking pride in that."

With a fresh face running the show, optimism abounds at the Eagles' training camp.

"You can feel it in the air," said Rutgers. "Everybody's just anticipating the season. We're just all chomping at the bit. We can't wait for Week 1."
@email:E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

E-mail a friend a link to this story.