2013 PREVIEW: JOHANSEN, MAKING BOLD DECISION IN BID TO REBUILD PROGRAM, WILL NOT FIELD JV TEAM THIS FALL Grant Genasci’s got a big rebuilding job ahead of him at Johansen High of Modesto, which has struggled for wins and players the last few years. The Vikings were 1-9 a year ago – though the win was in OT vs. Modesto in the season finale. Genasci was the athletic director and JV coach in 2011, and last year coached a variety of sports – but not football – when vacancies occurred in the coaching ranks. Even though he’s got two young kids, Genasci committed to this project. His first decision: Johansen will not field a JV team this fall. Instead, he has committed to varsity and freshmen team, with an eye toward future success. “I think we’ll have 35, 38 freshman, but we only had eight sophomores who were eligible,” said Genasci, who comes from a prominent dairy family on the edge of Modesto. “I talked with the parents, and they were concerned about injuries.” It was a bold decision by Genasci, but 100 percent correct given the priority: Keeping his new kids healthy and building their confidence. Shoving his freshman to JV would mean facing experience players who are bigger, faster and simply better. Johansen hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record since 2008, when Devin Cannon took it to an 8-4 record and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 quarterfinals. Black Hat Football spent an afternoon with Genasci and his staff, and it was impressive to see how they went about their task. The emphasis was on instruction, recognizing the successes and working to improve the shortcomings. youtube/watch?v=ooVaJEAch0o The school has struggled to field freshman and JV teams for years, and this latest situation coincides – not coincidentally – with the opening of Enochs High. The schools are less than four miles apart, and Johansen lost many of its prime athletic neighborhoods to the new school named after the longtime superintendent. The decision to focus on freshman and varsity was not made lightly. “This is not a one-year rebuild, but one that’s going to take some time, and these freshman are the foundation for our future teams,” said Genasci, who has assembled a staff that shares his vision and work ethic. “We want to keep these kids involved, and that means letting them play on their level against kids their age.” Genasci’s varsity staff includes Gary Olsen, Scott Sacuskie, Larry McCullough and Rod Smith: It’s their job to train this year’s group, short on experience but eager to learn. The freshmen coaches – Dave Pallamino, Joe Vera and Bryce Duden – are also focusing on teaching the fundamentals and adding as the season goes along. The Vikings didn’t catch any breaks with the schedule: They host Patterson, Black Hat’s 11th-ranked large school, and two weeks later they face No. 12 Central Valley of Ceres. The other non-conference games are on the road against Livingston and Ceres.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 04:28:10 +0000
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