Making History on the Football Field

OHS Football discusses their journey in making history

This season has been a remarkable journey for Oxnard High School’s football team, regardless of the outcome. Coach Mack said,  “We had a good group returning, with great leaders, a really great senior class, some special players, but also some good hard workers … so we were optimistic and excited.” Although OHS fell short in the CIF-SS Division 6 Championship game against South Hills, 13-24, there is still a lot of pride for our hometown team and how far they came this season.

OHS football finished the season with an 11-3 record and were undefeated Pacific View League champs (5-0). With the succession of winning league, football had a long road ahead before they even made it to CIF playoffs. They began back in January 2018. There was no time to slack off. Senior varsity football kicker Rafa Vargas said, “The thing that helped us get better and become a stronger team was our long and exhausting practices.”

 

Vargas was not the only one who thought practices were the thing that helped the team become stronger. Varsity football junior free safety R.J. Aranda also thought that practices and studying film helped. “We watched a lot of film, worked hard every week at practice, challenged each other, took the weight room seriously when we lifted, listened to the coaches, and we did what we had to do,” Aranda said.

Yet with any journey, there are obstacles to overcome – like remembering it comes down to a team effort. “At the end of the day we overcame all the ups and downs and succeeded in getting as far as we could,” Vargas said.

It has been 90 years since an OHS football team has reached a CIF Championship game. The dedication and time that this year’s team put into its season showed as the players broke this long-held record. OHS varsity senior cheerleader Briana Muñoz discussed her view on the season: “I have been cheering for most of them for all four years and just seeing them improve made me really proud of how far they’ve come.”

Vargas believed that this varsity football team was the best in Ventura County and he, as well as his teammates, were proud of what they accomplished. “Not every person is lucky to have the opportunity to play with the team that I played with and I have been fortunate enough to be able to make a difference on that score board,” Vargas said.

 

As Coach Mack now reflects back on the season, what he has to say for the players is, “Now two weeks later, I can say that we had a tremendous season. I’m really proud of the seniors and what they have accomplished and the message they sent. I challenge the underclassmen to reach for higher goals.”