Spring Insider: Q&A with Coach Ray Fenton

Going one-on-one with Cypress coach Ray Fenton:

Q: Talk about the outlook for the 2008 season.
Ray Fenton: This is our fourth year here, so when they (the senior class) came in as freshmen, that’s when we took over the program. We had a four-year plan. ... Obviously, you wanted to win games right away. That first year we were 2-8 but we established some structure and expectations and we’ve been able to improve every year since then. We’ve groomed this group of seniors for four years and this is the year that we thought was important to make our move.

Q: You guys sort of got ahead of the curve by winning a CIF title last year in your third year.
RF: We’ll take that. A little bit of luck involved, for sure, but the kids played their hearts out and things worked out well for us.

Q: How do you replace guys like (Mike) Vanderipe and (Ryan) Saumur from last year’s team?
RF: You can’t replace those guys, you just try to build upon what they’ve started and success they created. What they have been able to do creates expectations for other kids in our program to do those same things.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced since taking over the program?
RF: The hardest part of changing a program around is getting people to believe that they can actually do those (special) things. There are guys that lined up next to guys that actually did some special things last year and now it is their turn.

Q: What are your thoughts on Max Reza stepping in at quarterback?
RF: He’s a great leader. He’s a part of our student government here (at Cypress). He does the right things. He’s a guy that we can hang our hat on and say "let’s go.” The kids will rally behind him. Everything you want as a coach from your quarterback is Max Reza. He’s not a guy who wrote down plays on the sideline last year, he was in the fight (as tight end) and that’s only going to help.

Q: What do you think about joining the Southwest Division, otherwise known as the "home of the finalists"?
RF: We're excited. There are six teams in that division that were in (their respective) finals last year. We talk about those expectations. We all have the same expectations. That’s kind of a good deal. We want to play them. It is important for us to continue to get better and better until we’re one of the best teams around. Hopefully, some day we can get there. I don’t think we’re there yet, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction and by moving into that division, that just solidifies where we think we’re going.

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com