It’s Memorial Day weekend and that means high school football is just around the corner.
Murrieta is home to three very tough, successful programs that are looking to get even better this season.
Coach Coley Candaele’s Vista Murrieta Broncos are looking to avenge last year’s CIF Southern Section Championship defeat at the hands of Corona Centennial.
The 2011 CIF Champs have won the Southwestern League title four years in a row. They have finished in first place in six of the past eight years and have been in the CIF Southern Section Championships four consecutive years.
Candaele’s strict discipline and coaching techniques has created a nationally-ranked football program that is a magnet for talented athletes from around the area. Look for the Broncos to finish first again and be right back in the CIF Championship game to reclaim their title.
Coach Greg Ireland’s Murrieta Valley Nighthawks had an amazing season in 2012 and finished with a 10-2 record. MVHS finished second in the tough Southwestern league. They went on to beat Eisenhower in the CIF playoffs.
Their only losses were to Vista Murrieta and Centennial who played in the CIF Southern Section Championship game.
Ireland has retired as the head football coach for health reasons and Murrieta Valley is in the process of selecting a replacement. The position coaches have done an excellent job keeping the team together, motivated and moving forward.
MV Athletic Director Darin Mott indicated that the selection of a new coach is imminent.
The Murrieta Mesa Rams and their Head Coach Justin Schaeffer are looking for a break-out season in 2013. The youngest football program in Southwestern League has blossomed into a team to be reckoned with.
Schaeffer’s team went 6-4 last year and posted its first winning season of the program’s four-year history
In league play, the Rams dropped a 33-30 thrilling heartbreaker to Murrieta Valley as the Nighthawks intercepted and stopped Mesa on their final drive of the game.
A week later, Murrieta Mesa overcame the huge hurdle as they traveled to Temecula Valley and won their first Southwestern league game in the team’s history, beating the Bears 34-17.
Spring football is full of optimism and renewal. All three Murrieta teams are looking forward to a great 2013 season.
 So am I.
