Fit's right, but shoes still hard to fill

Ed Eaton, a Rocklin resident, firmly believes junior college is all about second chances.Sierra College's new head football coach knows firsthand the value of an opportunity. It's the main reason he's fired up about taking the reins of one of Northern California's top JC football programs.Eaton saw his own football career at San Jose State University cut short because of what he termed, "childhood academic issues.""That's why I really believe that this is where I'm supposed to be," Eaton said of his interim position as head coach for the Wolverines. "I see kids that are on the same path that I was on and I have a chance to help them."The 34-year-old Eaton was the Wolverines' defensive coordinator for the past four seasons under head coach Jeff Tisdel. Over that time, Sierra made a remarkable rise to prominence. Tisdel's teams posted a 43-11 record from 2000 to 2005 and won 37 games in a row between 2002 and last fall.The Wolverines went 9-2 last season, including a 35-24 victory over Butte College in the U.S. Bank Holiday Bowl. Just prior to that game, Eaton found out Tisdel was stepping down as head coach, at least temporarily, and that he had been pegged as his successor."For me, it was a bittersweet situation," Eaton said of the transition. "It was bitter to see my mentor leave, but it was a sweet opportunity, at 34 years old, to take over a program that we brought back and resurrected from the dead."Tisdel is still a full-time Sierra staff member and could return to the sidelines following the 2006 season. Sierra athletic director John Volek said he would re-access the coaching situation after the upcoming season."It's a great opportunity for him to learn and grow as a coach," Volek said. "In December, we'll see where we're going with the program." In the meantime, Eaton not only has big shoes to fill, but his team will face a beefed up schedule this fall. Sierra is moving into the new Valley Conference where it will face Fresno, College of the Sequoias, Reedley, Delta and West Hills. The Wolverines could also have an opportunity to compete for the Community College Commission on Athletics State Championship. Sierra did not get a shot at the state title despite undefeated seasons in 2003 and 2004 because the school competed in a Division II conference. The Valley Conference is Division I."Now I feel there's a new energy, a new urgency with our coaching staff and our kids," Eaton said. "We will now be playing at the highest level of community college football in Northern California. We've got a lot of work cut out for us over the coming years."These days, Eaton is enjoying a relative catnap before the dog days of summer training camp begin next month. As the coordinator of the adaptive physical education program, Eaton is overseeing the activity at the Sierra swimming pool this month.On July 10, Eaton will welcome roughly 105 football players to the Rocklin campus for a three-week training session. Sierra will begin its official preseason camp on Aug. 10 and there figures to be stiff competition just to make the Wolverines' 80-man roster.Colfax High graduate Kevin Kleppe is one of the Sierra staff's prized recruits. He will enter what Eaton said is a wide-open battle for the starting quarterback position in the fall."Coach Eaton is really passionate," Kleppe said. "Just talking to him, he sounds like he's ready to go right now. I'm looking forward to it."Eaton's coaching staff includes four holdovers from Tisdel's group of assistants. Offensive coordinator Mark Esquival returns along with running backs coach Kenny Moore and linebackers coach Randy Malmgren. Harold Maher is returning to coach linebackers after not coaching at the school last year.New to the Sierra campus are offensive line coach Mike Black, wide receivers coach Darren Villanueva and defensive backs coach Craig Luciani.Eaton, who lives in Rocklin with his wife Gina and two sons Nicholas, 6, and Christian 4, is confident he and his staff can continue the legacy Tisdel helped start six years ago."Most of us were a part of that success, so we know what it takes to win," he said. "Things aren't going to change all that much as far as building toughness and being accountable - the things that are going to make us win."Eaton played linebacker in high school and developed a passion for the defensive side of the game. He moved over to the offensive line in college, playing center at DeAnza College and then at San Jose State. But said he's always had a knack for defense. He will continue to serve as defensive coordinator along with his head coaching duties.Eaton feels his biggest responsibility at Sierra is passing along the lessons he learned through his college experience. Academic troubles cost him his senior season with the Spartans, but the coach said he does not regret the experience, as it taught him about college athletics."It made me understand that I needed to put "student" first in the student-athlete equation," Eaton said. "I voluntarily threw away the opportunity I had, but I learned a great lesson."After two years away from school working odd jobs, Eaton returned to San Jose State and earned his degree in physical education in 1997, graduating with a GPA over 3.0. He picked up his master's in two years and quickly ascended through the coaching ranks after stops at Del Mar High, Foothill College and San Jose State.Along the way, he's been taught by some coaching greats, including Marshall Sperbeck (Foothill) and Dave Baldwin (now the offensive coordinator at Michigan State). Eaton has learned a great deal from Tisdel and continues to be mentored by the former University of Nevada head coach."He's been mentored by one of the best, probably the best, junior college coach in California," Volek said of Eaton. "He's going to make mistakes, but he's going to do some things really well. Until you go through it, you're not going to understand it. He's in a situation where he's got a lot of good, local kids, the foundation is built and he's got a great new stadium to play in."Sierra has risen to the top and we're going to stay there."Eaton welcomes the challenge. He's on a mission to make sure his athletes are fundamentally sound and hard working on the football field and just as determined and focused in the classroom."At this level, I think it's real special that we can make an impact on kids, especially academically," Eaton said. "That's where I feel like we'll give kids an opportunity to be passionate about earning a degree and give them some success in the classroom as well as have a chance to be great football players and maximize their potential."