Legacy of Simonsons Alive at Arroyo Grande

Driving north along Highway 101 from downtown Los Angeles, it takes 170 miles and close to three hours to reach Nipomo, a community of 19,300 on the Central Coast between Arroyo Grande and Santa Maria.

Known for its large avocado and lemon orchards and rows of eucalyptus trees, Nipomo is home to the Simonson family, which has sent four boys to Arroyo Grande High.

Jake, 21, and Jason, 20, played on two Southern Section championship football teams. Sam, 23, played on one.

The youngest of the brothers, Chad, 17, has been a four-year starter at free safety. He hasn’t won a ring.

“They always have that over my head,” Chad said. “I’m hoping to settle the score.”

Arroyo Grande is 6-0, ranked No. 1 in the section’s Division IV poll and No. 11 in the Southland by The Times.

Chad, 6 feet 1, 200 pounds, is considered the best football player in the family and should be the first to receive a college scholarship.

“He’s a stud,” said Valencia Coach Brian Stiman, whose team lost to Arroyo Grande, 28-21. “He’s so physical and so imposing and plays with such confidence.”

Since elementary school, when he was serving as a team ball boy, Chad has prepared to follow his brothers as an Eagle standout.

“I just remember those guys being so big and thinking, ‘Man, I’ll never be that big,’ ” he said. “It was a rush, a natural high you can’t resist. I was always in the middle of it. I always paid attention on the sideline or around my brothers.”

Coach Jon Huss, who moved from Glendale Hoover to take over the Arroyo Grande program 21 years ago, is grateful for having the Simonson brothers come through.

“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “Their family has tremendous values. Every one of them has innate leadership qualities as part of their personalities. They’re kind of a throwback group of kids.”

Whether playing touch football or basketball in the backyard, the Simonson brothers always provided neighborhood entertainment growing up.

“Whenever we had our family basketball games, it was usually blood, sweat and cramps before they were over,” father Dave said. “It was not OK to lose.”

Dave and his wife, Cathy, have been married for 23 years. Dave is a construction superintendent who has stressed a blue-collar work ethic to his sons. He coached them in youth football. Cathy was a team mom and booster president. Both have emphasized being part of their children’s lives.

“I always wanted rough, tough boys,” Dave said. “They’re very well disciplined. We believe kids should have respect not just for their elders but themselves. They picked up on it. They didn’t have a choice.”

Dave insists he never needed a curfew for his teenage sons. Sam, who’s married and has a 3-month-old daughter, disagrees.

“Let me put it this way,” Sam said. “He was a little different when I was Chad’s age. Those extra years have mellowed him.”

Sometimes more than a dozen family members come to Arroyo Grande games just to watch Chad play.

“It’s a thrill,” Chad said. “The adrenaline rush is overwhelming.”

The older brothers are still adjusting to being spectators. Sam was a quarterback, Jake played center and Jason was a linebacker. By watching Chad, they’re recreating the excitement and energy of their high school days.

“It’s a little bit living vicariously through his actions,” Sam said.

Being the youngest, Chad has tried to take something from each of his brothers’ strengths and experiences.

“They all had great hearts,” Chad said. “Sam was really dedicated to school, a real leader. He had a passion for football. Jake was real tough. He held the bench press record. He led more by example and brute force. Jason was more a technician. He had great speed. He was a real big hitter.”

Some might consider it a burden to follow three high-profiled brothers in a small community. Chad, though, welcomed the pressure and expectations.

“It put me in a kind of leadership position, not just in school but in life,” he said. “It forces you to set a good example and be the standard everyone looks up to. It makes you work hard lifting weights, doing well in the classroom. It’s made me happy to be where I’m at.”

No matter how much recognition Chad receives in football, he understands his pecking order among the brothers isn’t going to change.

“They’re still pretty big,” he said. “No matter how physical I get, they’re still my big brothers.”

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.