The Dodd Squad

As hot seats go, Mike Dodd’s is feeling a lot like a throne, one fit for the newest king of the Vikings.

Given the tough job of replacing Mark Rehling after the football coach guided Marina to the playoffs last season--the Vikings’ first postseason appearance since 1993--Dodd’s squad is undefeated, upbeat and ready to take on the world which, in this case, is the rest of the Sunset League.

“There is no pressure to win immediately,” Dodd said, referring to the expectations of Marina Principal Carol Osbrink and Athletic Director Paul Renfrow, who dismissed Rehling. “They said they want to compete in the Sunset League, and they want to do it year in and year out. There are some good athletes at Marina, and they want to keep those athletes here.”

If the Vikings keep winning--Friday they play a nonleague game against El Toro--migration won’t be a problem. But after Rehling was let go--he is now a line coach at Los Alamitos, though he continues teaching English at Marina--the program did have its brush fires.

“There were some tough moments when I first got the job,” said Dodd, a teammate of Rehling’s at Golden West College who also teaches English at Marina. “Kids were thinking about going elsewhere. You had to go in there with open arms and sell them on what you had to offer.”

Dodd’s only previous experience as a head football coach was on an interim basis in 1996 at Huntington Beach, where he was defensive coordinator for 12 years. After going 3-7, he was passed over in favor of Tony Ciarelli, who had been defensive coordinator at Newport Harbor. Dodd, who was also the Oiler varsity baseball coach, took a year off from football, then came back as defensive coordinator at Pacifica in 1998 and at Orange Coast College in 1999.

What did he have to offer?

“Coach Rehling was a great coach and one of the nicest men I ever met,” Viking quarterback Beau Brown said. “But maybe the guys didn’t have the respect for him like a head coach needs. That’s why Coach Dodd’s a good coach. Everyone has respect for him, and the discipline is there.”

Ah, discipline. Dodd brought it in spades. Mouth off to a coach this year “and you’re gone,” safety/fullback Kenny Weber said.

“He told us he was going to bring discipline to the team, let his coaches do their jobs, let the players play and do their jobs. And he would do his job.”

That discipline has extended to the field.

“We’ve already got compliments from three officiating crews,” Dodd said. “We’ve only had one game where we’ve had any personal fouls, and we’ve been penalized less than our opponents in three games.”

Marina’s current success is owed in part to Rehling’s foundation. Dodd, who remains friends with Rehling, retained four of his coaches, including defensive coordinator Jeff Anger, whose unit has allowed only 8.5 points per game.

Dodd also retained the option offense to take advantage of Brown, and added a noticeable wrinkle, the fly offense--a run-oriented formation based on misdirection. “Defenses can’t take away the fly and the option at the same time,” Dodd said.

A steady rotation of backs--Bernard Mitchell, Aaron Williams, Adam Hayward and Kevin Rodriguez--have yielded results but not star power. No one has yet rushed 100 yards in a game, and only in a 41-0 victory over Westminster has Brown passed for that many. In their toughest battles, the Vikings have taken care of business with big plays:

* In its 12-3 victory over Paramount, Marina scored on a safety and a fourth-quarter fumble recovery by center Chris Hanvey.

* In a 26-18 victory at Newport Harbor, Hayward blocked a field goal attempt, Sean Sanchez kicked field goals of 46 and 36 yards, Brown broke off a 76-yard run, and Aaron Peck scored on a 19-yard interception return.

* Marina defeated Mayfair, 21-13, holding off last year’s top-seeded team in Division VI when Peck made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 18 after a 62-yard gain.

“Championship teams make big plays,” Brown said. “You have to come up big if you want to be a contender. We have championship players on our team, and they’ll keep playing hard. That’s one thing about our team, we play hard.”

And it has produced at least one significant moment so far, against the defending Division VI champs.

“When we beat Newport, the kids actually beat a great program,” Dodd said. “You should have seen their faces on the way home. That was the proudest moment so far--the bus ride home. I think the coaches and players knew at that time we could be a good football team and compete in the Sunset League.”