Wolverine Football

Aliso Niguel's football program has been challenging for years.  It has endured a turnover of coaches, leadership at odds with parents, and other problems that have stood in the way of success.

A past head coach cited the lack of freshman players with prior football experience.  Other high schools in the district and surrounding area have more robust feeder programs.  Parents point to a lack of quality coaching as a problem as well.

No doubt the Wolverine's record is the result of a combination of factors.  The best football coaches gravitate to the stronger football programs.  Aliso Viejo is home to students who do not come from families with the  ability to pay for the additional coaching that some other players may receive in other parts of the district.

Feeder programs like Pop Warner are expensive and time consuming.  Participation by Aliso Viejo families, according to a past head football coach, is not as strong as it is in other communities.  Aliso Niguel has more condominiums and apartments making its population more transient.  These and other factors appear to contribute to the weaker participation.

It would be great to see the district make an effort to improve the program. But to do so might weaken one of the other stronger programs.  So don't hold your breath on that one. Aliso Niguel High School is not the darling of the district.  Yes, it has it favorites. 

Ideally, an effort on the part of the district to improve the program would emerge.  But I have never seen any real concern to come out of the mother ship to create a winning Wolverine football program. 

I would like to commend the players who toil on the field at Aliso Niguel High School and the coaches who work with them day in and out for virtually no compensation.  The Wolverines have demonstrated they have heart game after game.  In doing so, they have shown they are winners in the game of life if not on the field.