ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The resignation of Pleasant Grove High School head football coach Josh Crabtree left the team looking for someone to take his place. The school had looked within its coaching staff and hired assistant coach Sam Cole to be the new head coach.
Before being an assistant coach for Crabtree, Cole had previous coaching experience at Folsom High School as well as California State University, Sacramento. Winning state championships with Folsom and Big Sky Championships with Sacramento State, Cole is not a stranger to success on the football field.
“I just want to keep that tradition and carry on the legacy of winning football games and putting our mark on Elk Grove,” stated Cole.
Coming off a 6-5 season the previous year, Cole is not focused on the wins and losses when the season does come. He is more focused on the process that leads to games, knowing that the wins and losses take care of themselves.
Coles has surrounded himself with coaches that have years of coaching experience with the same mindset as him. Assistant coach Evan Boylan had mentioned “the importance of preparing the right way, and getting the kids to a point where they’re playing and not thinking.”
Assistant Coach Evan Boylan works with Pleasant Grove running backs.
Boylan had learned the importance of preparing for the game from his experiences with previous schools. This upcoming season is Boylan’s 15th year of coaching, with him previously at Franklin High School and most recently Monterey Trail High School.
The process is the most important thing to Cole and his coaching staff. They want their players to buy in not only to the team but the entire process that leads to the season.
“We aren’t concerned about what’s to come in the future and what’s in the past. We’re here now and we’re going to make the best of it,” Cole stated.
The team started camp July 28, and this is where Cole and his coaching staff started to make the process the most important thing. At the end of their two-week camp, Pleasant Grove will host its first annual Clash at The Nest inner-squad scrimmage.
Eagles Head Coach Sam Cole, left, oversees defensive lineman drills.
This scrimmage will take place at 7 p.m. Aug. 8 along with a 5 p.m. tailgate before that. Both events are open to the public.
Cole acknowledged that Pleasant Grove has “a great community involvement, great kids, great parents and just people who care about football.”
This inner-squad scrimmage is a chance to show the community the grind and dedication that the team has: where they put in everything they have and leave it all on the field.