Always a fun day when you’re out on the field for the first day of fall camp. I headed south this morning to San Clemente, one of my favorite football places in America with the Pacific Ocean serving as a backdrop…or as head coach Jaime Ortiz says, “where the turf meets the surf”.
About 90 kids greeted Coach Ortiz and his staff this morning as the Tritons look to rebound from a 2-8 season in 2013. This year, San Clemente moves from the rugged South Coast League to the Sea View League, which should help with a squad that is still relatively young. Ortiz pointed out during his chat with me today that he started nine sophomores in Game 10 last year, which should help the experience level this year.
A lot is expected of senior quarterback Sam Darnold, who has given his verbal commitment to USC after an incredible spring that saw him qualify for the Elite 11 competition. Darnold only played two-and-a-half games last year before spraining his ankle in the first half of the Dana Hills game that you can watch his highlights from here.
The team only wore helmets today, but the players were put through the paces early with the Tritons’ traditional 10 110’s that you can watch and hear about in the video above.
