Hardworking Ocean View has tough schedule

It’s the dawn of a new football season and new look in 2016 for the Ocean View Seahawks.

While the Seahawks have been working on their game during the summer session and now fall camp, they have been doing so on school grounds outside the football stadium which is undergoing a field transformation. Luis Nuñez, who begins his fifth year as head coach of the program, said a new field turf was being installed this week.

He said he hopes the field will be ready to go for his team’s Aug. 26 season opener against Brethren Christian which also uses Ocean View Stadium as its home field. If the field isn’t ready, Nuñez said the game will be played at Westminster High.

In addition to a new turf field, Ocean View also has added an additional look (white pants) to its uniform set.

Ocean View Seahawks

League: Golden West

CIF Division: 13

Head Coach: Luis Nuñez (5th year)

Coaching Staff: Steven Burke (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks); Chris Estrada (defensive coordinator/safeties); Peter Kim (linebackers/tight ends); Andrew Reyes (running backs/defensive backs); Lee Afusia (defensive line); Javier Rodriguez (wide receivers); Steve Escobar (wide receivers/tight ends).

2015 Record: 5-5 overall; 2-3 league (finish)

Offensive Scheme: Spread

Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5

Returning starters: 6 offense/6 defense

Returning with Honors: Xavier Salgado (quarterback/wide receiver, first-team all-league, Sr.); Chase Foreman (defensive back, first-team all-league, Sr.); Tony Castillo (linebacker, second-team all-league, Sr.); Juan (offensive tackle, second-team all-league, Sr.); Andrew Helmer (offensive guard, second-team all-league, Jr.).

Key Newcomers: Nathan Washington (wide receiver, Jr.); Noah DeLoera (running back, Jr.); Alex Nieves (linebacker, Soph.); Rodrigo Adame (running back/linebacker, Soph.).

Coach’s Take: “This OV team will not win games with flash so it will be important they bring their blue hats weekly,” said Nuñez who also coaches the offensive linemen. “We’ve got some talented players returning but we will need a lot of inexperienced players to grow up fast. We probably have the toughest preseason so it will be interesting how our kids take on the new challenges. We feel as a staff that having a weak schedule last year cost us an opportunity to make the playoffs. We are excited to take on some of the better teams in the old [CIF] Southern Division.”

CIF Division: The Seahawks are part of CIF-SS Division 13 (84 schools) for the playoff season.

“It gives our program a better opportunity to win games in the playoffs if we get in,” Nuñez said. “It’s more difficult to win our league than CIF, but we need to get in first.”

The Schedule: The Seahawks will face several challenges in nonleague play. First, they’ll open against a Brethren Christian team — which uses Ocean View as its home field, that went 12-2 and reached the CIF East Valley Division semifinals last year. The following two weeks, they face city rival Marina before meeting a Rancho Alamitos team that last year was second in the Garden Grove League a playoff participant. Before heading into league play to face the likes of a “really good” Santa Ana, Segerstrom and Westminster — all playoff teams a year ago, they close out nonleague play hosting Katella which won its first 11 games last year before being knocked out of CIF play after a second-round defeat.

Season Opener: Aug. 26 vs. Brethren Christian

Seahawks Schedule

Aug. 26: vs. Brethren Christian, 7 p.m. (site TBD)

Sept. 2: at Marina (Westminster High, 7 p.m.)

Sept. 9: Rancho Alamitos, 7 p.m.

Sept. 16: Garden Grove Santiago, 7 p.m.

Sept. 22: Katella, 7 p.m.

Oct. 8: at *Loara (Western High, 7 p.m.)

Oct. 14: *Westminster, 7 p.m.

Oct. 21: at *Santa Ana (Santa Ana Bowl, 7 p.m.)

Oct. 28: at *Orange (Fred Kelly Stadium, 7 p.m.)

Nov. 4: *Segerstrom, 7 p.m.

(*denotes league game)