La Cañada High football program looks for spring intensity

LA CAÑADA — As beads of perspiration turned into streams of sweat on the field of La Cañada High, two truths became obvious for members of the Spartans football team during spring practice.

The first was that the 90-degree temperature forecast for Thursday afternoon wasn’t as bad as the heat radiating up from the turf surface.

Yet, while the dog days have come to be expected, perhaps no one from the football team was quite prepared for the second truth: the impact of new coach Ramsey Lambert.

“Oh yeah, this summer has been completely different,” Spartans senior linebacker/running back Cal McFadden said. “There has been a different energy level this year and intensity out here. It’s not that we weren’t intense last year, but we weren’t like this in the spring.”

McFadden spent the last two springs working under former coach James Sims and expended his energy during the early part of his latest practice running 20-yard wind sprints under the watchful eye of Lambert, who alternated the speed of the runs between “Mustang” for fast and “NASCAR” for an all-out effort.

Yet, Lambert wasn’t just a spectator, as the 31-year-old Hesperia resident ran a few of the sprints with his players.

“He wants us to give our best all the time,” said senior tackle Steve Naldzhyan. “I think that’s the biggest message. There’s no goofing around, there’s only work.”

There’s also respect and encouragement as Lambert, who was hired in February, patted the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Naldzhyan on the back after the senior completed one of the more grueling sprints.

“In my first few practices, I noticed that the guys didn’t hustle all the time,” Lambert said. “Right after finishing a drill or a sprint, most of them would jog back or even walk back into line. I had to let them know that that was unacceptable and that if we wanted to win in October and November, we needed these little victories in May and June.”

Discipline also translated into better time management, as Lambert sat a giant digital clock on the sideline bench, as players and coaches often stole a view to see how much time remained in each drill.

“If you’re constantly falling behind schedule, you’re really only cheating yourself,” Lambert said. “I know it seems trivial, but little things like timing and hustle and intensity go a long way.”

Like most area coaches, Lambert also found himself balancing a roster missing players due to finals and other school activities.

“That just goes with the territory,” said Lambert, who had about 40 players at practice. “We have to work with who we have and get ready for the summer.”

If there’s a positive for Lambert in regards to his roster, it’s that the coach finalized his staff, consisting of Bob Connell (running backs/inside linebackers), La Cañada alumnus Chris Ray (quarterbacks/outside linebackers), Jason Sarceda (defensive coordinator/defensive line coach), Andres Mendez (offensive/defensive line) and Ernie Rafael (wide receivers/defensive backs).

Assistant coaches Rob Peterson, Steve Zimmerman, Torey Cisneros and Dave Olson will work with the frosh-soph team.

“I wasn’t able to convince any coaches from my area to come with me and so having a full staff was a concern,” Lambert said. “But it’s great to have help from Jason, who knows the area well and to get some returning coaches and [an alumnus] in Chris. That’s a big boast.”

While strategy was talked about at spring practice, Lambert was still more interested in team building and conditioning.

After the players broke huddle at the conclusion of a timed drilled and headed for water, Lambert clapped and yelled words of encouragement to his players as they took a moment to relax.

“He’s even intense in water breaks,” McFadden said. “That’s not something you see everyday.”

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Follow Andrew J. Campa on Twitter: @campadresports.