“My philosophy of coaching is to change the hearts of the young men I coach,” stated new Esperanza Football Coach, Kevin Oberlander.

Oberlander came from Whittier Christian High School and Western Christian High School. He knew he wanted to make the transition to teach and become a head coach at a school similar to where he went.

“I first became a head coach in 2011 at Western Christian High School and before I got there the program had a lot of struggles. They only averaged about 3 wins per year in the last 10 years prior,” stated Oberlander. “By my third year as the head coach we were 12-1 and 1 point away from the CIF championship game. So I have some experience with turning around a football program and intend to do the same at Esperanza!”

Kevin Oberlander and his coaching staff plan on teaching their athletes what it means to be a great man. “My hope is that when they graduate from Esperanza High School and go 4 years through our football program, they will be prepared for life after high school,” stated Oberlander.

Oberlander and the coaching staff at Esperanza High School will change the hearts of young men by holding the athletes accountable to the fundamental values which are the following: 1. Love for my team 2. Extreme ownership and 3. Relentless effort. “We TEACH these values everyday and our coaching staff and athletes will be great representatives of these values on a daily basis on AND off the field,” stated Oberlander.

Coach Oberlander also takes a lot of pride in servant leadership. “We ask our seniors and leaders on our team to serve the younger athletes in a selfless way. When a football program has a bunch of athletes who consider those around him more important than himself, wonderful things will happen!” stated Oberlander.

“Lastly, we consider the effort and focus we put into our scheme on offense, defense and special teams is important.  Our coaching staff can be great examples of servant leadership by working hard to coach our athletes and put them in the best possible situations to be successful on the football field by doing this.”

Kevin Oberlander also found inspiration for his coaching methods during his long experience as a high school and college football player. “Football is absolutely more than a game. I have played football my entire life and the lessons I’ve learned playing this sport have shaped the man I have become,” stated Oberlander. “I played college football in Chicago, Illinois at Trinity University. Trinity’s motto was actually just that, “More Than Football.”

“The coaching staff took a lot of pride in teaching myself and my teammates how to become great future husbands and fathers through the game of football,” explained Oberlander. “I can honestly say that playing in that program has helped me become a better husband to my wife, Andrea, and a better father to my three year old daughter, Amelia.”

Coach Oberlander wants to use the same principles as his college coaches in the football athletes at Esperanza High School: serve others, work hard, and develop great relationships with the people we love.

“I want our athletes to take a lot of pride in our fundamental values. If they “love their team” by practicing selflessness, play football with “relentless effort” and take “extreme ownership” over everything they can control in their lives, I will be an extremely happy coach!” explained Oberlander.