Glendale football making progress during summer
GLENDALE — Since he was hired as the new football coach at Glendale High in February, Cary Harris has been getting things organized.
It’s included bringing in assistants to meeting and greeting the new players.
On the field, Harris has been busy throughout the summer observing what skills the athletes can offer.
“Things have been going well so far,” said Harris, a former standout at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High who played at USC. “It’s about building strength and becoming more disciplined.
“I’ve always found the summer sessions to be the most important. You see what the players are capable of doing. You just want to see them giving it their all in terms of effort and being competitive. If some things need to be fixed, then we have time to do that.”
Harris, who took over the program from George Maiale, will look to turn around Glendale. Glendale finished 2-8, 0-7 in the Pacific League last season. The Nitros lost their final seven games last season and haven’t had a winning campaign since 2008.
Glendale will kick off its season Aug. 17 with a nonleague matchup against Maranatha.
The summer session began June 11 and will finish July 9. It will give Harris, who played corner back at USC before being drafted in the sixth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2009, an opportunity to assess the talent across the field.
“I’m seeing a lot of things,” Harris said. “I see improvements being made in the weight room with their conditioning. I see them paying attention during the team meetings and they are doing their best during the practices with the repetitions. We’ll have a much better idea of where we stand once summer ball is finished.”
The Nitros will likely have 35-40 players on the team this season.
Chris Ibara, a senior running back/linebacker, said the Nitros have been motivated throughout the summer.
“I think we are all excited about going out there and doing different kinds of drills,” said Ibarra, who was bestowed with All-Area and all-league recognition after finishing with 83 tackles and three sacks last season. “We’ve been improving and it’s great to learn from somebody like coach Harris.
“He’s been sharing his knowledge about the game and you hear the stories from him about what he did as a player. He understands that having a foundation is a key and you just try to keep building it up.”
Andrew Issagholian, a senior receiver/defensive end, said Harris has set an example for the players to follow.
“He wants us to be very successful,” Issagholian said. “He wants us to keep working hard and good things will come.
“We have a chance to get more experience doing all of the repetitions and we just want to keep making progress.”
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
