O.C. All-Star Game: Q&A with South coach Jason Negro, part 2

After nearly three weeks of workouts, after running hundreds of plays, South coach Jason Negro has done all he can to get his team ready for the Brea Lion’s All-Star Game on Friday night at Orange Coast College.

Practice at Trabuco Hills High is over. So on Thursday night, he was going to take his players to dinner.

But before he walked off the field after one of his squad’s final tune-ups, he took some time to reflect on what this experience has meant to him, how it has made him a better coach, and what worries him most about the North All-Stars. Here’s what he had to say.

Q: Who on the South team has surprised you the most and why?

A:  You know a lot of the kids have been doing a really good job for us, the whole collective group have been fantastic to work with, so to try and single any one kid out is extremely difficult. Some of the kids we have really been surprised about. Kyle Caldwell, an offensive lineman from Capo Valley, has done a really good job for us. Another individual would be Sean Gordon, a tight end from Laguna Hills, and Bryce Blake (defensive back from Fountain Valley). The kid has tremendous athletic ability. And it’s really been a joy to work with him.

Q: I know you are probably busy getting your team (Trabuco Hills) ready for the next high school football season, but if this opportunity came along again, would you take it?

A: You are asking me at the wrong time. This has been the end of three weeks of three practices a day for us. We start with our freshmen at 11 a.m. Then the JV kids come in at 2 p.m. And then the All-Star kids follow at 6 p.m. It’s been hard. It’s been taxing on myself, my family and my coaches. But it has been a great experience. You can not put into words what it is like to work with these kids and the cause that we are playing for. If given the opportunity a second time I would definitely consider it.

Q: How much would winning the all-star game mean to you and your coaches?

A:It would be a rewarding experience. It would be something that you know ... we are looking at this as the last time we played in a competitive football game it was against El Dorado at Orange Coast College and we were on the home side and we lost by one. This seems like kind of giving us another opportunity to coach in a big game on a big stage. And, for all the hard work that we have put in and for what the kids have done over the three weeks, it would give us a tremendous sense of accomplishment. But no matter what happens, obviously both teams are working hard, it is for a good cause. It’s a charity game and we are going to keep that in perspective. But our goal is to go out and win the thing.

Q: How has this made you a better coach?

A: I know for myself and he rest of my coaching staff we have never had a chance to work with this many talented athletes all at one time. The different types of dynamics that come from working kids form different programs ... you know I would just like to say that all of the coaches that coached these kids and have given us the opportunity to coach their players, it’s just amazing how many good coaches that are out there across the county, producing quality players that can come into our system, learn it in eight or nine practices and hopefully be successful on Friday night. Just the character and the type of kids they are, the excitement and the fun that we have had working with them, it’s a good experience.

Q: Is there anything about the North that concerns you?

A: Yeah. They are pretty athletic. They have two pretty good quarterbacks in (Blake) Hyepock and (Chris) Morales. I know Wes Fletcher (Valencia) is a good, talented running back. And they are really good on the defensive line with Anthony Laurenzi. We played against him. And their receivers are a pretty good size. I think that as we start to get closer to the game we are going to start to pick matchups between their receivers and our defensive backs. It’s going to be exciting. I am happy to have the opportunity to coach against them. It’s going to be fun. But as far as their team ... we are just trying to do what we can do ... it is hard to put an offense, defense and special teams into just a few weeks of practice. But, hopefully, we will be able to go out there and give everyone a good show.

Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com