My name is Bassel Faltas and I have returned home as Head Football Coach. Our program is excited to welcome you and your student-athletes to another tremendous year of Cardinal Football! As we get closer to spring a new football season will soon be upon us. We are excited to be working towards continued success by fielding a strong and competitive football team. Thank you in advance for spending some time reading this letter.

There are lots of outstanding things happening at Santa Cruz High so be sure to check out our school website here: https://schs.sccs.net/ Please keep an eye on your mail and email, and watch for informational materials that will be sent home with your student-athlete to let you know about the happenings around the "Nest!"

In my experience with high school sports, parents/guardians want to know how they can get involved with our football program - and trust me - we want you to be involved! A great way to contribute is by working with our Cardinal Club. The Cardinal Club provides support to all of our athletic programs and we would not be able to provide our student­ athletes with all the resources they deserve without them. Please consider attending and joining the Cardinal Club here: schscardinalclub.org/volunteer Meetings may be found here: schs.sccs.net/calendars.

There are also many opportunities to assist the football program directly. We are in need of parent/guardian assistance with our Sign Sponsorship Program (flier attached), Thursday night in-season team dinners, social media coordinator, game day set-up and breakdown and JV chain gang on game night (best view in town). THANK YOU! In order to continue to keep this program vibrant and strong, WE NEED YOU!

My philosophy on coaching football has been built on 29 years of experience beginning at Aptos High School under the guidance of Bill Garrison and continued to North Monterey County High School where coaches Larry Souza, Roger Sugimoto and a dynamic group of leaders and administrators continued to mentor me as an aspiring teacher and coach. My first head football coaching opportunity was at Salinas High School. Much was learned while at Salinas which helped me develop into a successful head coach at Santa Cruz High School from 2000-2007. I left the "Nest" to pursue a career with USA Football and to expand on my coaching opportunities as the offensive coordinator at Cabrillo College from 2007-20 I 0. I continued as the West Regional Manager with USA Football until 2017 working with youth and high school football coaches, athletic directors and the NFL teams in the West region on football development and best practices around the health and safety of the game. The one constant of teaching and athletics are about forming, developing and maintaining relationships with all stakeholders. All of these opportunities and countless hours in professional workshops, clinics and college practices have helped me develop a skill set that is required to lead our football program.

During the remainder of the spring semester and into summer, our main goal is to build momentum through practice, improvement of skills, form and understanding; mental and physical conditioning and the formation of a true team attitude. Please encourage your student-athletes to be present and available for all team activities.

Important Dates: The first day of summer football for all student-athletes will be on Tuesday May 31, 2022 and will run through Thursday July 22, 2022. Please reference the '22-23 football calendar (attached) for dates (practice times to follow). Summer vacation or our non-contact period is from 7/25-7/31/22. Fall camp will begin on Monday August 1, 2022 (stay tuned for exact practice times). We will have an in-person preseason Parent Meeting on Thursday August 11, 2022 at 7 PM (location to follow).

Thank you for your time and support! I look forward to meeting with you and helping your student-athlete grow into the best person they can be. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Coach Faltas bfaltas@sccs.net

831-429-3960 x. 50411 office I 831-234-6276 mobile

                                                                                                              GO CARDINALS!