LJ FB: NFL free agent joins coaching staff

A veteran official from the referees' association

trains new refs on sideline positioning during

the Vikings' practice Thurs., Aug. 7. This is the

third year the officials have used LJHS as

a preseason training site. This ref was teaching

recruits how to move with the progress of

the offense--using a side-step to keep

facing the action.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Patrick Nasiatka, a "3-way" kicker/punter from Ole Miss who is looking for sniffs from an NFL team as he lives near the LJHS campus, joined Head Coach Tyler Roach's coaching staff on the eve of the team's preseason scrimmage at Mt. Carmel Thurs., Aug. 14.

The solid-built, bearded athlete--"We're the two most handsome coaches out here," he and near-look-alike fellow new coach Nick Guerra joked--hails from Louisville, Colorado, where he played at Monarch High in his prep days. Louisville stands only 20 minutes outside Boulder, Colorado, the site of the University of Colorado. The Buffaloes are coached by Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, an NFL Hall-of-Famer.

Now the NFL free agent is "coming out here to do conditioning" and get ready for a potential call from a pro organization while he coaches up senior kicker Julian Zavala, who will be able to complete his high school career under the mentorship of a D1 veteran/NFL hopeful.

"I did all three areas in college," said Nasiatka, meaning kickoffs, punting, and field goals.

When asked if he knew his predecessor, Kevin Hurt, who moved to New Jersey this past year and who also kicked for Ole Miss, Nasiatka (pronounced "nuh-SHOCK-uh") said no, but, "They told me about him." The coincidence that the two coaches were from the D1 school without knowing of the other is remarkable, though Hurt (whose son Kyle pitches for the Dodgers but is recovering from Tommy John surgery) is quite a few years older.

The Vikings have welcomed another assistant into the ranks: Ben Gooding (no relation to actor Cuba Gooding, as he joked) will handle the offensive line and the run game.

*  *  *

Question to DC Randy Cowell: Are you going to show less (defensive schemes) at the preseason scrimmage at Mt. Carmel Thursday, Aug. 14, than normally?

Randy: "We're going to show what is installed." The Viking defense (and offense) is installing different schemes, or patterns, as practice continues. In other words, Randy is saying La Jolla is not going to intentionally hide some of its defensive ways, because season opponents may be scouting. The Viking defense is just going to go as far as it has been instructed so far.

*  *  *

Head Coach Tyler Roach has received another transfer to play as starting quarterback Hudson Smith's back-up and play on the novice team: Eian (pronounced "Ian") Romero, from Cathedral Catholic. The respectful Romero is a sophomore, and was wearing number 5 on his jersey Thursday, August 7 at practice.

Sophomore transfer Eian ("Ian") Romero (5) goes

through his paces at quarterback Thurs., Aug. 7,

along with starting QB Huddy Smith. Assistant

Jon Lemery (back to the camera) provides

distraction by waving the yellow sponge football

at him.