Mount Miguel's Karlo leads resurgence

Matadors hope to become perennial football power under coach Karlo; SDS preseason football favorites.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Bill Dickens
By
Aug 30, 2010, 3:06pm
When Tom Karlo accepted the football coaching job at Mount Miguel (Spring Valley) in 2005, he discovered that the Friday night lights were dim, to say the least.

At the time, it had nothing to do with electrical power.

To be certain, the negatives outweighed the positives:
-- Short-handed player rosters.
-- Small crowds, even at home games
-- Players missing practice with regularity.
-- No weight lifting.
-- A dirt home playing surface.
-- Generally no pride in the program.

Small wonder the revolving door of football coaches at the east San Diego high school referred to Mount Miguel as Mount McGhetto. The fact that Karlo has remained on board five years – only Brian Smith (1976-84) and Gary Cooper (1985-90) have remained on the Matadors sidelines longer – make the present skipper somewhat special.

The stability of the 31-year-old Karlo has created a turn-around at Mount Miguel, one that he claims will be long-lasting.

"The first thing I heard when I got the job is 'you can't win with these kids,'" Karlo recalled. "That was daunting. But once I got here I didn't blame the kids. I knew we as a staff needed to let the kids know that we wanted to be here."

Karlo was a quarterback in a rush-oriented offense at Grossmont (El Cajon) and then, after a brief stint at Humboldt State, returned to Grossmont Community College where he learned the passing game at the school that produced the late Joe Roth (Cal) and NFL first round draft pick Akili Smith (Oregon-Cincinnati Bengals).

"In my first year of spring ball we probably had eight guys a day miss practice," Karlo said. "So I knew that had to be our first fix – to get kids to buy in to football and what we as coaches had to offer."

Chalk that up as a success for Karlo. In last summer's workouts the Matadors had 97 percent turnout among his 56 varsity players.

"In my first three years here we had a dirt field that we called the 'Matador Desert,'" he said. "Our kids complained about it but we told them it was 'our desert – and we're gonna defend it.' I told them all we need is a ball and a field."

During Karlo's tenure 37 players have advanced to four-year colleges. That includes quarterback-safety Jeff Freeman (class of 2005), who will graduate from UC Davis, and offensive tackle Chidozie Ekweozor (2007), who was a starter for Villanova University's 2009 FCS national championship team.

"We don't just push football, we preach academics as well," Karlo said. "Everybody knows that Davis and Villanova are good academic schools, but recruiters from all schools know we're here. That's something that my staff and I are so proud of."

Twenty-six of his scholarship players have had a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

"We want our kids to realize that football can be the means to their future," he said.

Karlo's range of scholarships and tickets to the next level include numerous Division II schools as well as community colleges. Athletes who are not ready for the four-year level can find their way through the junior college system, and more than a dozen Matadors have taken that path.

"Guys that are Division I quality are no-brainers when it comes to recruiting. All the big schools know about them. The trick is getting kids to realize that a football scholarship at the Division II level is just as good when it comes to playing ball and getting an education."

Karlo calls Division II the "hidden" scholarships.

"Those are the hard ones – the ones with the hidden value," he said. "Too often kids overlook this level, not realizing the benefits. It's our job to show them what they can be worth.

"That's why I never big-time the Division II coaches. I want them to look at our kids. Everybody is not a Division I player, and nobody knows that more than I do," said Karlo, who concluded his college career at Alabama-Birmingham.

Another of the differences Karlo has achieved that other coaches at Mount Miguel have missed is working to become part of the community eye.

"I want my staff to be part of the community – not just on Friday nights, but every day," he said.

Thus Karlo and his assistants sport Matadors hats and shirts on a daily basis.

"As a staff we have to fight stereotypes," Karlo said. "We need to stay together, show our bonding as coaches. Wearing our team colors is one way we can do that. We want our kids to know we're proud of being here."

Northern Colorado University freshman linebacker Khaalid Abdullah is among those to credit Karlo for helping him land his scholarship.

"He's made a difference in my life," Abdullah said of Karlo. "He gave me the edge and pushed me to be the player that I think I can be."

Karlo's goal is to not only develop the varsity but to strengthen the junior varsity and freshman programs.

"We want to recognize the lower levels and make ourselves a three-tier program," he said. "We know that's what it takes to be a perennial power – and that's what we want to be."

Incoming freshmen have a choice of attending Mount Miguel, Monte Vista (Spring Valley) or Steele Canyon (Spring Valley). In the case of charter school Steele Canyon, students can only enroll via a lottery.

"We want parents to send their kids to Mount Miguel because they like what we're doing," Karlo said. "That's what the hard part is – convincing the parents."

When Karlo arrived in 2005 the Mount Miguel football lineup consisted of 42 varsity players, 32 junior varsity, and 42 freshman players. That was not by choice. It was by whoever showed up.

A year ago the Matadors' varsity consisted of 55 varsity players, 48 JV and 50 freshmen – all by choice.

"Our area is saturated with schools, which makes it even tougher for us as coaches," Karlo said. "We have to convince the kids that Mount Miguel is the best place for them to be if they want to play football."

Mount Miguel principal Steve Coover lauds Karlo's work.

"He's the modern example of what it takes to turn a program around," Coover said. "He's doing a great job of stabilizing the program and helping kids make it to the next level. You can't ask for any more than that."

PREDICTED SAN DIEGO SECTION FRONT-RUNNERS
For better or worse, the CIF-SDS has made several shifts among its 97 teams in 18 leagues this season. Of this group only the Eastern League remains intact.

Bottom line is two more league champions will receive automatic berths into the playoffs.

Division I: Some believe Vista will not only be the best team in its new Avocado East League, but the top team in the county. The Panthers figure to be challenged by Torrey Pines (San Diego), Eastlake (Chula Vista) and Mira Mesa (San Diego).

Division II: In spite of its youthful alignment, four returning starters, defending CIF State Championship Bowl winner Oceanside will be hard-pressed to extend its unbeaten streak past 39 games. The Pirates, who open the season on Thursday at Servite (Anaheim), may find the winner's circle in the end but will have to fend off La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) and Helix (La Mesa) to do so.

Division III: Perennial power Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) once again has the size up front — anchored by 6-foot-4, 300-pound Mustafa Jali — and energy in the skill positions to dominate. Ramona could give the Dons a run for the crown and Point Loma (San Diego) can’t be counted out, either.

Division IV: Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) should control this division. Olympian (Chula Vista) and Mission Bay (San Diego) sans USC’s Dillon Baxter are the primary challengers to the Eagles. Madison (San Diego) and Coronado rate as longshots.

Division V: This could well be the tightest battle of the bunch with Parker (San Diego) and Christian (El Cajon) running neck-and-neck. Parker absorbed some deep losses to graduation, which could allow one of the other two to nudge their way to the top.

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