Fountain Valley Barons Fall 2021 Football Season Preview
Head Coach: David Gutierrez
David Gutierrez is entering his first season as head coach of the Fountain Valley Barons after being hired just days before the start of 2021 fall camp. Gutierrez came from the great Orange County football tradition at Servite High School where he was a linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Gutierrez was Costa Mesa High School’s head coach in 2018 but started his coaching career at Fountain Valley in 2010 where he did a little bit of everything;
coaching running backs, strength, and conditioning, and was the JV head coach before departing in 2013.
To Coach Gutierrez, who also is a PE teacher at Fountain Valley High School, this return to the Barons is a return home. He understands that Fountain Valley has a historic winning tradition and he hopes to establish a blue-collar work ethic for a team that comes from one of the more blue collar areas in the Sunset League.
Coaching Staff:
Garrett Govaars – Offensive Coordinator
Walter Fletcher – Offensive Line
Trevor Martin – Wide Receivers
Latrell Flowers – Running Backs
Emerson Alava – Offensive Line Assistant
Myron Alava – Defensive Line
Evan Huahulu – Defensive Line
Ryan Delucia – Assistant Linebackers/Special Teams
Coordinator
Michael Frieson – Defensive Backs
Ringo McKiven – Defensive Backs
Key Departures:
- Bryan Yoon (FS)
- Evan Fink (LB)
- Derek Kubota (CB)
- Jimmy Russell (QB)
Key Returners:
- Nicolas Mendez Senior (LB/WR)
- Ben Pham Junior (RB)
- Drew Reyes Senior (WR)
- Owen Tomko Junior (QB)
- Caine Elroy Junior (LB)
Under The Radar Players To Watch:
- Matthew Mena Junior (OL/DE)
- Tyler Nowicki Senior (WR/DB)
- Homsi, Wasseem Senior (OL/DL)
- Jacob Stinnett Senior (RB/LB) trans. from Ft. Scott, Kansas
Can’t Miss Game:
Battle for the Bell 10/22/21 Fountain Valley vs. Edison (LeBard Stadium at Orange Coast College)
The Barons lost 40-0 to the Chargers last year and haven’t won since 2004 but Coach Gutierrez will have his guys fired up for this rivalry game. Even though this rivalry game has been lopsided as of late, expect a raucous crowd from the Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley communities. Coach Gutierrez understands the importance of keeping local fami lies engaged in Baron Football and this game is a part of that.
Outlook:
More than any team in the Sunset League, the Barons suffered from the lack of preseason in the shortened COVID spring season. While they will still struggle with the gauntlet that is the Sunset League, first-year head coach David Gutierrez is putting his team through a hard offseason so that “when things get difficult later, [they] have that experience,” Gutierrez said. Gutierrez took over the program in late July and has instilled his four cornerstones of Fountain Valley Barons football: Blue Pride, Courage, Faith, and Physical Football. Expect the Barons to be a team that does the little things well and fights hard in every game.
