Loss after loss, East Union football can feel the 2023-24 season slipping away. The Lancers would finish with a 3-7 overall record, which led to the firing of their head coach and a search for someone who could lead them to victories.
That’s where Rodney Daniels came in.
“I saw the open position here and jumped right in,” Daniels said. “It gave me the opportunity to get back with the freshmen I coached two years ago who are now juniors. I am extremely grateful to Athletic Director Abbas Akhtar and Director Eric Simoni for taking a chance on me.”
With his previous history as East Union’s freshman football coach and most recently as Sierra’s JV head coach, Daniels looks to be the guy to bring pride back to Lancer football.
From a Timberwolf to a Lancer
Before landing his first varsity coaching job, Daniels was starting to play blue and white football and graduating from one of East Union’s rivals, Sierra. The Class of 2007 alumnus traded blue for red, just like his father Rodney Sr. and brother Jared, who are also joining the Lancers coaching staff this year.
Together, they seek to change not only the team’s culture, but also the school’s culture when it comes to athletic programs.
“Some people see us as a 3-7 type of team and we’re working to change the mindset – how these kids approach it,” Rodney Daniels said. “If they get stuck in that 3-7 mentality, it will carry over into next season. We just want to destroy that old mentality and start rebuilding it.”
The keys to reconstruction do not involve many changes. Daniels plans to maintain East Union’s fast-paced offense, but wants the team to have more discipline and that comes down to the mental aspect of the game.
“I tried to establish early on what my expectations are for this team,” Rodney Daniels said. “This is me, as the coach, taking over the program. I hope all my coaches and players live up to that expectation.”
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The players are already feeling the difference with the off-season being filled with quick and efficient training. More guys have been showing up to summer workouts, all preparing for the 2024-25 season and a competitive Valley Oak League schedule.
“The spark is back,” East Union senior quarterback Anthony Morales said. “I think maybe the attitude has changed. We have new coaches who believe in us, they really believe in us, and they know we can do better than last year.”
Ready to recover
Some of the Lancers’ key returners this upcoming season are Morales, juniors Jackson Fay and Brayden Camara and seniors Kirk Simoni and Blake Mount. Morales and Simoni are still fighting for the starting defender position. Last season, Simoni was the clear choice, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Fay and Mount were the guys who picked up Simoni’s coins leading the team’s core of wide receivers. Mount caught over 800 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns. The equally speedy Fay followed with eight touchdowns and 704 yards.
“We have a lot of guys working hard just trying to get better every day,” Fay said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a little taller, a little stronger. Obviously I also got a little faster and that helped a lot in my offseason.”
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Leading East Union’s defense will be middle linebacker Camara, who will play dual role as a running back on offense. In his second season, he finished with the second-highest tackle total on the team at 40, averaging nearly six tackles per game. He will be the heart of this year’s defense, which could be at undersized.
With Daniels, a renewed team culture and the selection of the right pieces to the puzzle, the Lancers look to redeem themselves and stake their claim as a sporting threat in the 209.
“Last season hurt, I mean it hurt, but this year we are ready to bounce back,” Camara said. “With all the losses last year, it just tore us apart: we were pointing fingers and fighting and everything. But with coach Daniels it’s a lot better and we’re all getting closer because we know it’s going to be different this year.”
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news by subscribing to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: East Union Football hires Rodney Daniels as new coach
