Anchorage Daily News

Sonny Rodriguez has waited 20 years to be in charge of a varsity football team.

And the Dimond Lynx (2-0) have rewarded his patience with a roaring start to the 2008 season. Two consecutive victories have helped the 44-year-old Rodriguez make one heck of a coaching debut and earn the Lynx a spot in the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network's statewide football poll.

"We love him," Dimond senior Nolan Olson said. "He's a great guy and we love his new offense and defense. We're having a great time with it."

Thanks to a 19-point win over West last Friday, Dimond jumped into the spotlight Monday, voted as the No. 4 large-schools team in Alaska.

The Lynx have put up numbers reminiscent of last year's team that started the season undefeated at 3-0. Last season, Dimond lost four of its last five games and failed to make the postseason. But Rodriguez is hoping his new offense, called the Pistol, will help bring Dimond back to the playoffs.

So far, it's working well. The Lynx's rushing offense ranks No. 2 in the conference behind Bartlett and its triple threat of Jamal Hale, Marcus Mendez and Cyrus Chenault.

The Lynx have just one guy, Gibson Scanlan, carrying most of the load. The 5-foot-9 junior has scored five touchdowns and rushed for a conference-best 338 yards on 45 attempts.

Scanlan's effort and a defense that has held opponents to 113.5 total yards a game has helped Rodriquez comfortably take over a job Derek Brewer held for four seasons.

"I didn't take over a staff or a team that was in the bottom of the barrel," said Rodriguez, a crew chief for F-22s in the Air Force. "Coach Brewer left some good kids. I haven't worked any miracles here."

But experience matters.

Rodriguez started coaching football in 1989 when Bartlett coach Gary Beller offered him a voluntary coaching job. Rodriquez enjoyed it so much, he took over as the freshmen coach the following season.

Rodriguez moved to Florida and was the quarterbacks coach at Choctaw High in Fort Walton. From there, he and a friend formed a semi-pro football team from scratch in the North Florida Football League called the Fort Walton Blaze.

When Rodriguez was stationed back in Anchorage at Elmendorf Air Force Base, he took over as the offensive coordinator at Bartlett under current coach John Jessen.

Since then, Rodriquez has been the scout team coordinator for South and the offensive coordinator for East. He's also raised two children with his wife, who is on active duty in the Air Force.

"I've been around a while," Rodriguez said. "But the timing was perfect for this one."

He is working on his master's degree in American history and plans to retire from the military and teach in the Anchorage School District by the 2009-10 school year.

"It's a plan all right," Rodriquez laughed.

But for this week the plan is to find a way for Dimond to beat second-ranked Service, a high-octane offense that has outscored opponents 87-6.

"We need all the luck we can get," he said. "We need the ball to bounce our way."

Find Kevin Klott online at adn.com/contact/kklott or call 257-4335.

High school football poll

Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network 2008 Football Poll

LARGE SCHOOLS

Team Record

1) Juneau-Douglas 2-0

2) Service 2-0

3) South 2-0

3) Dimond 2-0

5) North Pole 2-0

SMALL SCHOOLS

Team Record

1) Soldotna 2-0

2) Kodiak 2-0

2) Eielson 2-0

3) Barrow 2-0

5) Houston 2-0

Friday's Games

Monroe Catholic at Delta Junction, 5 p.m.

Seward at Valdez, 5:30 p.m.

Nikiski at Kenai, 6 p.m.

Barrow at Eielson, 6 p.m.

East vs. West, 7 p.m., Anchorage Football Stadium

Colony at Lathrop, 7 p.m.

North Pole at Wasilla, 7 p.m.

West Valley at Palmer, 7 p.m.

Sitka at Juneau JV, TBA

Saturday's Games

Service at Dimond, 1 p.m.

Chugiak vs. Eagle River, 1 p.m., AFS

Bartlett vs. South, 7 p.m., AFS

Houston at Homer, 2 p.m.

Kodiak at Skyview, 2 p.m.

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