Blazing a new trail

After only a month into his tenure as Lindhurst High athletic director, Jesse Burns is already making big changes for the Blazers.

Last week, Burns announced the hiring of two new coaches to the Lindhurst staff.

Former Gridley High offensive coordinator Dan Crabtree will take over for Scott Albertson as head coach of the Blazers' football program, while Rob Taylor will head the wrestling program after serving as an assistant for the past few years.

Crabtree intends to hold his current position of head baseball coach at Gridley High, where he led the Bulldogs to the playoffs this past spring.

His past football coaching experiences include head junior varsity football coach at Gridley and he also served as offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs varsity team in 2006 when Gridley won the Butte View League and made it to the section title game.

Crabtree said he didn't know what to expect when he interviewed for the job, but was drawn to the position because of the administration's dedication to making athletics hand-in-hand with academics.

"I'm excited for a good opportunity," Crabtree said. "When I got here it was open arms all around and the kids have been great. We've already been getting good numbers at workouts."

Crabtree is taking over a program that has played in three straight Sac-Joaquin Section title games, including championships in 2006 and 2007 under then-head coach Mike Mason.

The Blazers went 9-4 in 2008 with Albertson at the helm, but lost in the section championship game to Marysville.

Albertson left the team following last season to recover from back surgery.

Lindhurst's new coach may have some work to do this season though, as the Blazers lost several standouts including, quarterback Rick Davis, running back Lurrell Johnson, wide receivers Victor Arroyo and Kenny Teasley and lineman Josh Jackson, just to name a few.

The Blazers will be in rebuilding mode according to Burns and the fact that summer school was canceled may lead to some athletes hovering on the cusp of athletic eligibility.

Crabtree is trying not to concern himself with the uncontrollable and looking to form his own identity with the Blazers.

"I don't feel any pressure to get (to the championship) because any time you bring in a new coach there are going to be some ups and downs," Crabtree said. "I'm coming in to win right away and the players already understand that; I really like the kids I have out there right now."

Crabtree will implement the West Coast offense into the Blazers' playbook this season, which isn't too different from the spread look Lindhurst ran last year.

He admitted that most of his knowledge is on the offensive side of the ball, but that doesn't mean his team won't place special emphasis on playing physical defense.

"I'd try to score 100 points a game if I could," Crabtree jokingly said. "Most of my knowledge is on offense, but I'm going to build on that even further and work to get our defense good enough to get the ball back to our offense."

Lindhurst's coaching search was made a little more difficult by the state of the economy because candidates were also looking for teaching jobs.

Burns, after serving as an assistant coach on last season's team, said Crabtree's commitment to academic excellence and continued success on the field made him a top candidate.

"He's very detail-oriented like coach Mason was," Burns said. "It's going to be tough for him, but it's not all on him, it's on the athletes."

As for Taylor, he inherits a first-class wrestling program that sent two athletes to the state meet this past season and has won three straight Golden Empire League titles.

As an assistant for the Blazers last year, Taylor was the most logical choice, but he beat out former college wrestlers and an Olympic-level grappler for the job, according to Burns.

Crabtree said the support of Burns and Principal Bob Eckardt has been mind-blowing and both programs should have continued success.

"They've (Eckardt and Burns) bought in right away and it's been a great fit," Crabtree said. "It's a different section and sometimes you just want to do something new and it can reboost your energy."