Valley football will be relentless in rebuilding process

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 | 5:21 a.m.

George Baker is the third Valley High football coach in as many seasons. The Vikings didn’t win a game last season.

Rebuilding the program won’t happen overnight — something Baker knew when taking the job. But that doesn’t mean his players won’t compete.

Baker’s philosophies for the initial season are simple: respect, relevance and relentless. It’s printed on shirts and talked about daily. The Vikings play Rancho, who also didn’t win a game last season, at 7 p.m. today.

“We are going to compete with everyone. We are going to compete hard,” Baker said. “Respect is our first thing. Valley High School wants to be respected. Valley High School wants to return to relevance. We are going to return Valley High School to a program people talk about.

“And we are going to be relentless in our pursuit, regardless of who we are playing,” he continued. “Whether we are up or down, we will be relentless.”

Part of summer practices have been spent teaching the basics such as technique in blocking and tackling, or how to probably train properly in the weight room. You have to crawl before you can.

“The transition has been amazing,” Baker said.

The transition includes new uniforms and a remodeled weight room. Those little touches, if anything, are making the experience more enjoyable for veteran players. Those seniors might not be around win the Vikings again start competing for playoff wins, but Baker is making sure their contributions are rewarded.

“He is making us proud (in ourselves) and keeping all of the promises he made,” senior Jaesion Flores said.

Flores, a wide receiver and defensive back, combines with senior Daniel Deckard, a safety, linebacker Seth Miranda and quarterback Iyen Medlock are Valley’s most seasoned players. Last season, Medlock rushed five touchdowns and passed with two more scores, accounting for most of the Vikings’ offense.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21