ORANGE COVE – The Orange Cove High varsity football team is about ready to flex some new muscles by taking a bold step in the trajectory of their program.
On Jan. 29, Kings Canyon Unified School District announced that David Rico has been hired to take over the helm of the Titans Varsity football program, effective immediately. Rico is replacing former head coach Horacio Bravo.
Rico comes to Orange Cove after serving previously as the offensive coordinator at Reedley College last season, and also at College of the Sequoias prior to that. With his desire to head into the high school coaching realm in the back of his mind, Rico said he’s now found the right place and time to make that opportunity happen.
“When I first left COS, I always wanted to get my first high school coaching job at a town like Orange Cove, because it just reminds me a lot of where I grew up,” said Rico in an interview. “It’s a one town, one high school place where you know the community has a lot of pride in it.”
Rico, who hails originally from Reedley, is returning to a part of the Central Valley that helped drive his love for football. The former Central Sequoia League MVP in 2011 at Dinuba High is now bringing his career full circle with a homecoming.
“Coach Rico brings a strong combination of instructional experience, collegiate coaching and a clear commitment to student success,” said Orange Cove High Principal Amanda Lopez Doerksen in a statement. “We are confident he will build a program that reflects our school’s values while preparing our athletes to compete with discipline, integrity and pride.”
In a statement, Rico said he is honored to work alongside Orange Cove High School’s students, families and staff as they build a football program that’ll “take the Titans to the next level.”
“The Central Valley is home, and it is where my love for the game began,” Rico stated.
Getting Orange Cove to that next level will take some patience. Last season, the Titans finished 1-9 overall and in seventh place in the eight team East Sequoia League. With 18 seniors departing, Rico inherits a young roster with plenty of holes to fill.
“I look at it more as an opportunity to start over fresh and build it in the vision that I see for it, and really build it around the kids and what their strengths are,” said Rico in an interview.
Regardless of youth or experience, Rico said his grand vision includes a fundamentally sound football team that starts from the leaders on the field and trickles down to the players in the locker room.
“The biggest thing, first and foremost, is to bring some solid, really good adults that are great people, but also great coaches to be around,” said Rico. “After that part, it’s really just teaching the kids what it takes to be a successful program, because I’ve seen it done at a very high level.”
And when the Titans run through their victory tunnel, and onto the field for the first time, Rico expects a hard working, determined group of players to rally around each other.
“If you watch an Orange Cove football game next year, the only thing I want, at a minimum, is that our kids play hard, and that’s all I can ask for,” said Rico.
