SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — Alan Eberhart is back.
He’s back on the football field, he’s back at Glendale High, his alma mater, and he’s back as a high school head football coach.
“It’s a nice fresh start,” said Eberhart, the longtime former Crescenta Valley coach who was hired in late-March to succeed Rafik Thorossian, who led Glendale to its first winning season in over 10 years in 2008. “I’m really enjoying it.
“I just missed the interaction, the teaching part ... getting to know the kids.”
Perhaps more than anything, Glendale’s spring football practices have been about Eberhart and his coaching staff — which includes longtime Crescenta Valley assistant and former Falcons interim head coach Bill Irace, James Mustain, Steve Holmoe and Nate Barber — getting to know the kids.
“I’m essentially a walk-on coach,” said Eberhart, who coached Falcons sports in some capacity for more than 20 years and still teaches at Crescenta Valley before he makes his way to Glendale for practices. “When I get down here, there’s a lot of work to do getting to know them.”
Many already know the likes of incumbent quarterback Moises Chavez, who will head into his senior year as a reigning All-Area selection who led the Nitros to a 6-4 mark.
For Chavez and Co., spring practice has been about getting to know their new coaches and their way of doing things, as well as the new offensive and defensive schemes.
“It’s been different, but we’re getting a feel of how he likes to get things done,” said Chavez, who threw for 1,865 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. “He’s been teaching us a lot.
“We’ve slowly transitioned with Coach ‘Eb.’”
Spring ball began May 18 for the Nitros with Eberhart shedding the Falcons’ blue and white for the Nitros’ red and black.
“The first few days were kind of weird for us, we didn’t know what to expect,” Chavez said. “But he got down to business right away.”
Business at hand being more than just building chemistry and fundamentals as it is for most football teams during the spring. For Eberhart and his staff, it’s been all about finding out who the kids are and what they can do.
“We want to find out who’s dependable,” Eberhart said. “We gotta find out who the skill kids are and we’ve got to install the system.”
