New Coach Off To A Fast Start At Holy Angels
RICHFIELD, Minn. (WCCO) – One high school football team on its way back to the top is Holy Angels, a small private school in Richfield.
Ray Betton was an assistant coach there, left to become a head coach elsewhere and returned to take over the program and turn it around.
Betton is off to a successful start in his first season as head coach at Holy Angels. He is aware that 3-and-0 is only a start, he is aware of what they do well and what they need to do well.
"Defensively our kids are playing well. You see it with two shut outs, they're flying around to the football we emphasize. Great tacklers get to the football, read your keys and flying to the football," Betton said. "Offensively we've learned a new system. The triple option takes a lot of time."
Holy Angels is where Larry Fitzgerald Jr. played before he became the star he is today. Fitzgerald helped convince Betton to take the job over at Holy Angels.
"Larry and I have been pretty close ever since the high school years and when the job opened, he talked to me a few times about coming here," Betton said. "Larry has been close with this family for years and it was pretty easy to move over here."
The mix of his coaching personality and this team has worked. They've come together with his philosophy and have won three straight games to start the season.
"It's a physical game. We need to play this game classy and physical. We talk about being organized, disciplined and physical, those are our three big things," Betton said. "As coaches we talk about our big four pillars, which are technique, effort, attitude and mental toughness. That's what we stress every single day."
Betton and Holy Angels, ranked No. 10 in Class 4A, traveled to Chanhassen Friday night.
