Another new coach leading Cabrillo football

George Richardson is the fourth Cabrillo High football coach in as many years, so he knows that continuity is the most important thing for the Jaguars this season.

“I’m a players coach with a disciplinarian approach,” Richardson said. “We’re trying to change the culture. That starts with the adults to solidify a community and family atmosphere that retains student-athletes.”

A handful of starters from last year transferred out of Cabrillo over the summer, but the Jaguars still have a strong group of senior leaders. The rebuilt defense will be led by retuing senior starters Deleoun Arthur, Shailoeh Kaowili and Rodney Ford.

“As soon as we stepped on the field, it changed,” Arthur said of practice with Richardson at the helm. “It’s more physical and more disciplined with fewer mistakes and more effort. It was hard to get used to it. It’s up to the seniors.”

Kaowili will also play some quarterback along with sophomore Brandon Vasquez. Senior receivers Ford and Nate Walker will be the targets on the outside while running back Matthew McMillan retus for his senior season. In order to help with consistency and a fast start to the offseason, Richardson retained some of the assistant coaches at Cabrillo and the Jaguars will run the same offense this season.

“They’re real good disciplinarians,” Richardson said. “The kids respect them and they’re very knowledgable”

After five years at Cabrillo, running backs coach Anthony Johnson is back as the assistant head coach. Wide receivers coach Levar Castillo and line coach Mike Ulafale will be co-offense coordinators. Richardson, who grew up in Southe Califoia and coached at Millikan in 2013, will call the defense. He has coached for 14 years and won three Mississippi state titles with Noxubee County High. This will be Richardson’s first football head coaching job, but he’s been around the game long enough to know his program needs to maintain tempered expectations.

“We want to make sure we don’t worry about winning at all,” Richardson said. “We want to worry about all of the little things that lead up to winning. We can’t worry about last year or the last play. We have to focus on right now.”

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