Football coach spills his heart in a blog

The good high school football coaches listen and learn from their players while also trying to influence them in a positive way. Doug DuBois, the coach at Perris Citrus Hill, let down his guard recently when remembering one of his former players, Drean Rucker.

Rucker was an All-American linebacker at Moreno Valley Canyon Springs. In July 2003, just days before he was scheduled to arrive at USC as part of the Reggie Bush-LenDale White recruiting class, Rucker drowned in the surf off Huntington Beach.

DuBois coached Rucker at Canyon Springs. Now he has Citrus Hill (13-0) on the verge of a second consecutive Southern Section championship, and he refuses to forget Rucker.

He wrote a blog comment last month that’s emotional, heartwarming and speaks about the special relationship between player and coach:

“I know this article is a year old and my spell check is not working but what the heck. . . . Every day I coach football I remember you so much Ruck. I will never forget you. I always talk about you, and every year since I have been at Citrus Hill, I dedicate game No. 2 to you. I have a kid that is a RB named Cooper. He works so hard like you did. He has life figured out like you did, and he plays the game like you did.

“I told the team yesterday when one of my kids was complaining about his finger was hurt, I said I had this LB that was in a passing league game and had his front tooth knocked out, picked it up, handed it to me and kept playing football. He then knocked the other tooth out in a CIF playoff game and did not say anything until after the game.

“I coach football because I hope to find kids like you that are special and help them achieve the goals they pursue. I know you are looking down from up above, and I just wanted to say hi and I really love you and miss you. You would be proud of us.

“We won CIF last year for just a three-year-old school. We are trying to get another one as we moved up in divisions. I hate to say it, but this team is the best I have ever coached, but you were the best linebacker I ever coached. . . . I still remember your service at the beach with the entire USC team and Canyon Springs family. That was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do when speaking about one of my players passing away, but for some reason, it was easy talking about you. It always is. Drean, you are and always will be the best.

“P.S.: I still break every meeting with make sure you go home and tell someone you love them. I just thought I would tell you that. I love you, Ruck.”

Public notice

It’s time to hit the mute button on the private-public school bickering. Saturday night proved again that public schools can triumph over private schools with good coaching and dedicated players. That helps explain Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro’s defeating Orange Lutheran and Quartz Hill’s knocking off Mission Hills Alemany in football playoff games.

What a great Pac-5 Division matchup Saturday night at Angel Stadium, Tesoro (13-0) taking on Long Beach Poly (13-0). The magic number for Tesoro is three touchdowns. That’s what it takes to beat the Jackrabbits. No opponent has scored more than two touchdowns in a game this season.

I have to admire Coach Raul Lara of Poly because he has dared any team to try to beat the Jackrabbits passing the ball, and no one has been able to do it. And he has stuck with his smash-mouth philosophy on offense, and the Jackrabbits keep winning.

The best part of the game will be watching Tesoro’s big offensive line take on Poly’s terrific defensive line. What a battle that will be.

Checking it out

Marie Ishida, executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation, said she is investigating a complaint by a parent who alleged he was treated with a lack of respect during a hardship waiver request hearing before the Southern Section and later before a state appeal panel.

The CIF set up new hearing procedures specifically to help parents, and for a parent to lodge a complaint about their treatment is “absolutely a concern,” Ishida said.

“This is the first complaint we’ve had, and I’m taking it seriously,” she said.

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com