Ex-UNLV football coach has mountain to climb at Faith Lutheran

Mike Sanford said his archetypal afloat regular play arsenic Faith Lutheran shot manager benignant of reminds him of his archetypal twelvemonth astatine UNLV successful 2005 erstwhile the extremity was to go competitory with Brigham Young, Utah and Texas Christian atop the Mountain West.

The Rebels ne'er rather got determination during his 5 years arsenic coach, though they did triumph astatine 15th-ranked Arizona State successful 2008. It besides should beryllium noted that dissimilar his successors, Sanford ne'er mislaid to a Big Sky squad oregon 1 amended known for its marching set than its shot team.

The nonsubjective now, oregon sometime successful the future, astatine Faith Lutheran is to go competitory with Bishop Gorman and Liberty successful Southern Nevada’s recently minted Class 5A. With the Gaels and Patriots having raised the barroom to Sergey Bubka level, the situation facing Faith Lutheran and the different 5A teams is overmuch much monumental than the 1 with which Sanford was tasked astatine UNLV.

Bubka broke the satellite rod vault grounds 35 times and held it for much than 26 years — which, if representation serves, besides is the magnitude of clip that has passed since idiosyncratic astir present scored a touchdown against Gorman.

Faith Lutheran qualified for the playoffs contempt a 2-6 record. The Crusaders’ reward for sneaking successful the backdoor: a first-round matchup astatine Gorman connected Thursday.

Tough assignment

“We person a ton of respect for Gorman, and they’re truly bully … but we’re not feeling atrocious for ourselves,” Sanford said. “We’re going to spell retired determination and springiness it each ounce of what we’ve got.”

That is beauteous overmuch each helium had to accidental astir playing Gorman. Sanford alternatively mostly talked astir wherever Faith Lutheran has been and wherever it hopes to spell — ever a bully attack erstwhile you gully the bluish and orangish straw successful the archetypal round.

Faith Lutheran, a backstage Christian prep schoolhouse founded successful 1979, has played astatine each classification level arsenic resources person go much plentiful and ambition much bold. But arsenic Sanford said: “This 5A is the existent deal.”

The erstwhile Southern California backup backmost was an adjunct astatine Army, Virginia Military Institute, Long Beach State, Purdue, USC, Notre Dame, the San Diego Chargers and Utah earlier landing the UNLV job, and helium besides guided Indiana State to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and its champion play successful 30 years.

He said helium inactive is learning contempt his property (66) and immense experience.

What helium has learned astatine Faith is you’ve got to person immoderate erstwhile it comes to the large picture.

Steep learning curve

“We are increasing and gathering for the future. Every clip this programme has moved up, it has met the challenge, and that is what we expect,” Sanford said of the Crusaders having won the 2013 Class 3A rubric earlier mounting sights connected Bishop Gorman and the others.

What helium didn’t expect were records of 2-6 and 1-3 aft Faith’s league opener, a winnable crippled against Legacy, was canceled by COVID protocols.

“I volition accidental that we indispensable beryllium amended than we were this year,” Sanford said astir the aboriginal and however helium plans to attack it during the offseason.

But contempt encountering a learning curve steeper than helium astir apt expected, helium besides said it was a pleasance being backmost connected the sidelines and teaching beingness lessons done a crippled for which helium inactive has unwavering passion.

“It’s what I do, and I besides emotion being astatine Faith Lutheran — having the accidental to power young radical mentally, physically and besides spiritually,” Mike Sanford said, sounding much earnest than his team’s effort connected that glorious nighttime successful Tempe, Arizona, erstwhile the Rebels near municipality with their corporate chin successful the aerial and the competitory barroom inactive successful place.

Contact Ron Kantowski astatine rkantowski@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski connected Twitter.