Rising Above It All

This was supposed to be a season of glory for the Goleta Dos Pueblos High football team.

Having won a playoff game last year, a big step for a rather unremarkable program, and with several key players returning, the Chargers were primed and poised to challenge for a league championship, something the school hasn’t won since 1979.

And, of course, it seemed a safe assumption that Dos Pueblos would be under the veteran leadership of Jeff Hesselmeyer, a campus fixture for over 20 years.

But those hopes dimmed two weeks before the Chargers were to open practice. On July 31, Hesselmeyer, 49, a coach and teacher at Dos Pueblos, was arrested at his home. He was later charged with two felonies: cultivation of marijuana and possession of methamphetamine.

The following day, players, stunned by the reality of their coach as the lead story on local newscasts, gathered at the steps in front of the school gym. Teenage boys forced to tackle adult issues, they faced the daunting question of what to do.

The consensus: They would push on.

“We couldn’t let all the work go down the tubes,” junior quarterback Shane Lopes said. “We all decided we were going to have to handle this maturely and not let it offset our season.”

And so they have. The Chargers’ 28-14 victory Friday over Santa Maria Righetti was their fourth in a row. They have outscored opponents, 139-41, and are bonafide contenders for the league title and in Southern Section Division IV.

Hesselmeyer, who is on paid administrative leave, has been replaced by Jeff Uyesaka, a 1989 Dos Pueblos graduate who played for Hesselmeyer and was an assistant the last six seasons.

“To have [Hesselmeyer] here one day and then gone the next is going to be difficult for any student-athlete,” Uyesaka said. “He was a familiar face, kind of a school icon. He was here for all these years and all of a sudden he’s not.

“They’ve done a good job of dealing with it, sealing it and moving on.”

Hesselmeyer has watched two of the Chargers’ games from the stands. He last talked to the team after appearing at a practice on Aug. 27, the day before he pleaded not guilty in Santa Barbara Superior Court. Players said Hesselmeyer broke down as he addressed them.

“He felt like he let everybody down,” said Jay Staggs, a receiver and defensive back who felt “heartbroken” when he saw Hesselmeyer’s photo on TV the night of the arrest. “He’s very emotional about the situation.”

Hesselmeyer did not return phone calls and declined an interview request through his attorney, Bill Duval.

Hesselmeyer and his wife, Jennie, 45, were arrested by Santa Barbara Police Dept. detectives who were acting on a tip. Detectives found 13 marijuana plants and less than a gram of methamphetamine, according to police reports. Hesselmeyer and his wife, who posted $10,000 bail each, waived their right to a preliminary hearing Thursday and are next scheduled to appear in court Oct. 17 before Judge Thomas Adams.

Dos Pueblos Principal David Cash said he did not receive “one single call or e-mail from parents who were angry or upset” after Hesselmeyer’s arrest, though some parents of football players privately expressed concern.

“I was shocked and disappointed in the fact that he does work with kids,” said Lisa Lopes, the quarterback’s mother. “After the initial shock, I wondered just how long this had been going on in the sense that he’s been with [Dos Pueblos] for all these years.

“But at the same time, I understand the problems of addiction and have seen some friends go through it, so I actually felt sad for him and hope he can get some help. He seemed to be a good coach and the guys kind of liked him.”

Cash believed that Uyesaka could patch the ripped hull of a program on the brink of a successful season.

“I think the issue that’s of most concern is the continuity,” Cash said. “The benefit of hiring Jeff Uyesaka is having that continuity.

“The reservoir of knowledge [Hesselmeyer] had is difficult, if not impossible, to replace. But [Uyesaka] is one of the most respectful, inspiring young men I’ve had the pleasure to work with. He’s the type of guy that when he comes into this office, he’ll take his hat off. He’s a role model in many ways.”

Uyesaka, who also coached the boys’ soccer team the last four years, was unofficially slated to replace Hesselmeyer in a few years when the former coach was expected to retire. A father of three sons ages 6, 4 and seven months, Uyesaka pondered the job when Cash offered it to him. Uyesaka accepted it when he heard how he became the prime candidate: Six players approached Cash in his office and recommended Uyesaka.

The on-field heart of the team, senior Kyle Shotwell, was one of those players.

“He connects with us,” said Shotwell, a running back and linebacker. “He was an athlete, like all of us.”

Dos Pueblos has faced adversity before.

The school was almost closed in 1990 by the Santa Barbara School Districts because of enrollment that had gradually shrunk to 1,200, less than half its enrollment 10 years earlier. Some teachers and students were transferred to nearby San Marcos High, only to have the decision reversed by the district because of vociferous protests from faculty members and students’ parents.

But the damage had been done, at least athletically: The Chargers went 1-9 on the football field each of the next three seasons. The departure of talented student-athletes was too much to bear.

“We had 22, sometimes 23 kids on the team,” said Athletic Director Scott O’Leary, who was head football coach before Hesselmeyer took over in 1989. “It was difficult to compete.”

Enrollment is now up to 2,100, and the football team has rebounded accordingly.

The Chargers are up to 58 players. The stars are Lopes, a scrambling type who runs and throws with equal aplomb, and Shotwell, an impact player on both sides of the ball.”Our goal every week is to score 40 points on offense,” Shotwell said. “On defense, our goal is to shut people out. We haven’t done that once. We’re not satisfied.

“The one thing we can control, above all, is how hard we work.”