RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - With football season fast approaching, new Cordova High School varsity football coach Jason Bumbaca is eager to hit the ground running with his new team–literally and figuratively.

Bumbaca, a coach that prefers to utilize a bruising ground game and an attacking defense, was hired in March to replace former head coach John McCoy. Bumbaca is stepping into an exciting situation as he takes over a program that advanced to the second round of the CIF Sac Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs a year ago, after earning themselves a Greater Sacramento League championship during the regular season with a flawless 4-0 mark (6-6 overall).

Prior to landing the job with the Lancers, Bumbaca has spent the past 14 seasons as a coach at the high school level, including stints at Santa Clara High School, Del Mar High School, and Wilcox High School, respectively. This past season while at Del Mar, Bumbaca was recognized as the Wedemeyer Memorial Coach of The Week by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8.

For Bumbaca, coming to Cordova is an ideal situation.

“I love the area and love the sense of community,” he said. “The school has a ton of athletes, and I like the pride within the program. I'm looking to bring my family up there and live in a community where my kids will go to school.”

Currently, the Lancers are smack dab in the middle of the Section's “dead period” where no football activity can take place. The team had four weeks of football activities that began in June, however for the time being Bumbaca and his team are limited to lifting weights and conditioning. But soon enough the team will be able to put the pads back on and get to work, which has Bumbaca champing at the bit to coach up his new players.

“I'm pretty excited,” he said. “There's a bunch of talent on the team, we just have to get them to all gel together with the new offense and the new defense, as well as the new coaching staff. We're trying to get as much time with each other as possible so we can build those relationships to trust one another on Friday nights.”