Rams awaiting home, sweet home

Rancho's new football stadium stood as one huge tease Thursday morning.

As the Rams opened the first official day of football practice on the softball field, the stadium lights loomed just a few yards away, but the team still couldn't get on its new field.

"It's right there and we can't touch it," senior Jiries Totah said.

Thursday was supposed to mark a new era for Rancho football, one that finally included a home field. The Rams have been without a field for the past three seasons as the school's campus underwent a complete renovation.

For three seasons, the team played all of its games on the road and trekked to nearby Hartke Park for practice.

The field's completion originally was scheduled for before the end of May, but the date has been pushed back repeatedly this summer, frustrating coach Gary Maki and his players.

"This is four years of this," Maki said. "It's getting a little old.

"I'm anxious. The kids are anxious. We want to move on, get into a nice routine, step out our back door like all the other schools and be ready to go."

Maki said the best-case scenario has the field ready Monday, but he hears it might be Tuesday before it's completed. Until the field is ready, some of the team's equipment, including practice sleds, remains at Hartke.

Though the team still can't get on its football field, the players are happy to be rid of some of the headaches from past seasons: dogs barking at them during the daily walks to Hartke, vagrants stealing their shoes, and kids running off with the team's footballs.

"It's going to be nice not leaving 20 minutes early (for practice)," Totah said.

"And not having to walk that extra mile to practice," said senior Arnold Avila, finishing his teammate's thought.

Alex Lauriano's hopes are very simple.

"I just want to kick some field goals," said Lauriano, a senior who serves as the team's kicker.

With practices at Hartke, the team sometimes used a makeshift goalpost made of PVC pipe, but there was no way to know for sure how accurate the kicks were.

Lauriano said he finally did kick on a field earlier this summer.

"I did it once the week before, and it was great," Lauriano said. "It was more fun than I thought it would be."

The Rams have struggled the past three seasons, posting a 3-27 mark, including an 0-10 record last season.

But with a true home field, and a solid group of hardworking seniors, Maki is hoping for improvement this year.

"When we get everybody going, get on our field, I think we're going to be just fine," Maki said. "Can we compete with the upper echelon in the valley? No, I'm a realist. But we definitely won't be as bad as we were last year. I think we can be .500 and maybe make it to the playoffs."

The players say dealing with being a homeless team for the last three seasons has brought them closer.

"We're basically always together," Lauriano said. "When you've got a 15-minute walk (to practice), you might as well talk."

Totah said: "We always still have fun. Even though we have to do a lot of stuff that other teams don't, we have a good time doing it."