Photo by James Ricker
As a Mac grad class of 2007, James Ricker was part of the football team that made it to the regional and state playoffs. And now, almost 20 years later, Ricker has come back to MacArthur View with a chance to do the same as a coach. In his first full year as athletic coordinator/head football coach, Ricker will coach the first varsity game of the season tonight.
“I know how much the experiences you have in high school can help shape you later on in life, because I experienced it myself,” Ricker said. “So my goal is to come back here to try and give all of our athletes the same experience that I had, so one day they can look back with fond memories of everything they did in high school.”
Ricker decided to bring his winning mindset and strategies to his varsity football players in practice. Making himself a present figure in the athletes’ lives while in practices and scrimmages.
“I feel Coach Ricker was kind of a blessing to the program,” senior tight end Darryl Copeland said. “He did very good with coaching and keeping everybody together, keeping us highly motivated. [He’s] keeping us moving on and off the field, making sure we run. Making sure we don’t walk on the field, making sure we don’t walk off the field, and making sure we keep our grades up. He’s done a very good job on all that stuff.”
While being active and open with all players, Coach Ricker checks in on everyone after the games and practices.
“He’s very energetic,” senior outside linebacker Jordan Rios said. “When we make a good play, he always comes up to tell you that you did a good job. He’s always there, motivating you, and likes making sure the whole team gets energy.”
During the summer, Ricker and the football team worked on skills to have a successful season; however, it wasn’t just about the physical aspect for the team when it came to Coach Ricker.
“The message to our guys every week is ‘We have to focus on us. We have to focus on getting better week to week,” Ricker said. “‘If you’re improving and you give yourself a chance to win on Friday nights, but if you just focus on what the outcome was, sometimes you miss the message.’ There have been games you play really poorly and win. There are going to be games you play really well and lose. The focus has to be on finding those little details, little mistakes, ways we can get better as a team.”