Schools
Barons Proclaim 'No Excuses' for 2012 Football Season
Fountain Valley's gridiron team finished a dismal 4-6 season in 2011, but is ranked No. 12 in one Southern Section Division VI preseason poll.
The blue and gold T-shirt worn by one player simply stated "No Excuses," and that's exactly the attitude of Fountain Valley's football team this season.
The Barons opened fall practice one week ago with twice-daily practices—one early and the other midafternoon—proving they can take the heat and will be ready to dish it out when the 2012 season opens Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. against Foothill at Huntington Beach High.
By the time school starts on Aug. 29, the Barons will have played a scrimmage and one non-league game. The scrimmage will be at Long Beach Wilson this Friday, followed by the regular-season opener against Foothill.
Find out what's happening in Fountain Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Then two days after school starts, on Aug. 31, the Barons will play their second game of the season at Dana Hills High, followed by a Sept. 6 game against Corona at Westminster High. That's one day after the start of school in the Fountain Valley School District (Fountain Valley High is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District).
Talk about an early start to the season!
Find out what's happening in Fountain Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Barons finished 4-6 last season but only 1-5 (fifth) in the Sunset League under Head Coach John Shipp (37-37-1), who is starting his ninth season at the helm of the Barons. They hope to improve their defense, which allowed an average of 28.5 points a game last season, this season while their offense average 18.4 points a game.
The good news is that MaxPreps has the Barons ranked No. 12 in its 2012 preseason rankings for the Southern Section Division Southwest (VI), just behind Newport Harbor and ahead of Dana Hills.
