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Competing in the Orange County Football Conference isn’t for the timid. From the frequent one-point margins to tight races for playoff spots, advancement takes a healthy amount of courage.
Rancho Alamitos coach Mike Enright charts his course with a blend of grit and experience.
As the second longest tenured football coach active in Orange County, Enright enters Week 9 with the realities of the conference staring him down.
The Vaqueros are off to their best start since 1997 with an 8-0 record, including 3-0 in the Sigma League. Yet, they can hardly relax with Anaheim (5-3, 1-2) on their Sigma League schedule for Thursday.
And don’t even bring up Week 10 and a trip to Ocean View (7-1, 3-0).
“We haven’t even guaranteed ourselves a playoff spot yet. We have a lot of work to do still,” Enright said Monday. “It’s crazy but it’s the truth.”
“But you’re supposed to win games to get in the playoffs so that’s what we got to do still,” the coach added.
Yes, that’s the challenge of playing in a conference that groups teams in leagues based on computer-generated power ratings. There are often no easy games.
Last week, Rancho Alamitos edged Costa Mesa 14-13 to remain among the dwindling number of undefeated teams in Orange County.
Costa Mesa (3-5, 1-2) squeezed past Anaheim 32-29 on Oct. 9.
“They got talent all over the place,” Enright said of the Colonists, who lost to Ocean View 54-42 last week.
Rancho Alamitos plays host to Anaheim at Bolsa Grande High. The game will stream live on Garden Grove Unified School District’s YouTube channel for athletics.
In his 27th season at Rancho Alamitos, Enright believes consistent work habits remain the antidote for the trials.
That’s one of the lessons he learned from his great uncle Dick Enright, the former coach at Capistrano Valley, and mentors such as Eric Patton (Capistrano Valley), Buddy Bland (Orange), Pat Mahoney (Villa Park) and Gary Meek (Esperanza).
“I never prepare differently for any team,” Enright said. “We practiced the same. We prepare the same.”
“In league, we do more (opponent)-specific game plans than in the preseason,” the coach added. “You win with discipline.”
Enright is quick to admit his formula this fall includes plenty of talent.
Dual threat quarterback Osvaldo Ramos leads an offense that averages a league-high 35.8 points per game.
The senior has passed for 899 yards and 12 touchdowns with no interceptions. He has rushed for 362 yards and a high-leading 13 touchdowns.
The Vaqueros excel running the ball from their spread attack. Beside Ramos, they feature Erick Garcia, Ethan Garcia and Isaac Felipe.
Enright said Erick Garcia, a junior, has been a “pleasant surprise” with 430 yards rushing and seven TDs.
Ethan Garcia, another junior, ranks third on the team with 312 rushing yards after switching to running back from wide receiver.
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“He has been phenomenal,” Enright said. “He has track speed.”
Felipe, a two-way player, has 179 yards on limited carries designed to keep him fresh.
“He’s very shifty,” Enright said of the senior. “We’re lucky at the running back position.”
The productive has been critical with the absence of Jacob Vazquez, the team’s leading rusher in 2025 who has been slowed by an ankle injury. The senior made his season debut last week.
Joe Vazquez has been Ramos’ top target. The senior wide receiver has 32 receptions for 495 yards and seven touchdowns.
Meek’s influence on Enright shows on defense. Enright said one thing he learned from the late Hall of Fame coach was to give assistant coaches their opportunities to excel.
Rancho Alamitos’ defense is coordinated by the father-son duo of Rob and Levi Stillman.
“My defensive coordinators are really good,” Enright said. “We’re a multiple-front defense.
Linebacker/defensive end Andrew Gonzalez leads Rancho Alamitos in tackles with 65, including 17 for loss.
Jorge Ayala has emerged at safety, and also plays wide receiver.
Yet for all the progress, Rancho Alamitos knows the obstacles ahead.
First, there is Anaheim this week. In Week 10, it’s Ocean View and county leading rusher Trevor Vaivao (1,210 yards).
“We got to be ready to go,” Enright said. “You don’t want to put yourself in a position (in league) where you’re getting coin-flipped (in a tie-breaker) and you never know where the at-large (playoff berth) is going to fall.”
“It’s important to prepare in life and it’s important to prepare for these games every week,” he added.
GAME OF THE WEEK
The CIF-SS Ford Game of the Week is San Clemente (7-0, 2-0) at San Juan Hills (7-1, 3-0) on Friday. The game will air live on the Spectrum networks and NFHS Network.
San Clemente’s game last week against Mission Viejo (6-1, 2-0) was canceled after the Norte fire and ruled a no-contest.
A no-contest does not affect a team’s power rating on HSratings.com, Ned Freeman of the website confirmed.
SHORT ROUTES
The Kappa League game between Sunny Hills (3-4, 1-1) and St. Margaret’s (5-2, 1-1) also was ruled a no-contest after the Norte fire. …
Santa Margarita (8-0, 3-0) climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings by MaxPreps and High School Football America after defeating St. John Bosco 21-7. St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida is ranked first. …
Mater Dei cornerback and USC commit Danny Lang will miss the rest of the season due to injury, the senior confirmed. …
Orange Lutheran offensive lineman Austin Attalah has re-enrolled at Cajon, Cowboys coach Nick Rogers confirmed. The junior transferred to Orange Lutheran late in the summer but wasn’t ruled eligible by the CIF-SS to play varsity.
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