Firing forces Mesa to call off final scrimmage

Rick Devereux

The Costa Mesa High football team canceled a passing league scrimmage

game against Mater Dei Tuesday due to the recent firing of Dave

Perkins as head coach. The Mustangs, though, did get together for a

weightlifting session, attempting to rebuild without a head coach.

“It’s just been really weird around school,” said Jeff Waldron, a

senior-to-be and starting tight end and linebacker. “No one knows

what to do. The whole team is bummed with what’s happened.”

The search for a new coach will begin Monday when the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District is allowed to post an opening for the job.

From Monday, the Mustangs will have 30 days before they open up Sept.

2 against Brea Olinda.

The thought of adjusting to a new coach, along with the emotions

tied to Perkins’ exit, will be like a test for the Cost Mesa football

players, Costa Mesa Principal Fred Navarro said .

“It’s definitely a challenge,” Navarro said Monday. “I think that

it’s easy to have things go well and it’s easy to enjoy things when

they are going as planned. However, the measure of who we are as

individuals comes about when there are these challenges. We all have

to work together and move forward and provide the students with the

best possible program we can. The students are the ultimate concern.”

Members of the community will be involved in the hiring process.

“We will be working with the booster club and the parents to find

the best possible candidate,” assistant principal Kirk Bauermiester

said.

Tuesday was the last day the Mustangs could have a team practice

until Aug. 17, when conditioning sessions begin for Costa Mesa. CIF

rules limit the amount of practices teams can have in the off-season.

“Summer practice is over,” assistant coach Tom Baldwin said.

“Other than lift weights, we can’t have organized meetings until Aug.

17 when we start our conditioning.”

Baldwin added there is “no doubt that they will have the head

coaching position filled then.”

Players just as Waldron are concerned that the coach who is

selected will implement a new style, strategy and terminology the

team is not familiar with, which could cause confusion when the

season begins.

“I’m worried that they’re going to hire someone from the outside,”

Waldron said. “I don’t want to learn a whole new scheme. I think the

best thing for the school is to get someone who is already here.”

Baldwin said he has talked with Navarro about filling the head

coaching position, but he is also willing to work with a new coach if

that is whom the school hires.

“I’m interested [in the job] if the parents want me, but I don’t

really want it,” Baldwin said. “But I do think I’m the best one

qualified. That would be the move with the least amount of turmoil on

the kids. But if they hire someone else, I’ll do whatever they need.”

Baldwin said he would not apply for the job when it is posted.

In addition to the hiring of a new football coach, Costa Mesa is

also in the process of hiring a new baseball, as well as a boys and

girls track and field coach.

For Waldron, all three of his varsity coaches have left Costa

Mesa. Perkins was fired as football coach last week, Bob Serven

stepped down as basketball coach in April and Doug Deats resigned as

baseball coach in late June.

“I’m not going to give up,” Waldron said. “I’m going to keep

working hard. No matter who coaches, I’ll work hard. But it did bum

me out because I was looking forward to having the same coaches my

senior year and having even better seasons than before. It’s just

tough.”

* Staff writer Steve Virgen contributed to this story.