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Top Blogs

• State of the City

• 'A wonderful guy to be around'

• Jury rules no money from state

• Few details on drowning

• Vinewood principal recognized as 'Boss of the Year'

• Regional Roundup

• Foreclosure rate makes Mountain House the 'underwater' epicenter

• Four out of five: Delta College disagrees with most of state's findings

November 19th, 2009

• Logbook

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Operation: Christmas

• Corrections

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Chase ends in crash

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

November 18th, 2009

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Regional Roundup

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

November 17th, 2009

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Regional Roundup

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Clarification

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

November 16th, 2009

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Regional Roundup

• Correction

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Public Meetings

November 14th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

November 13th, 2009

• What to expect with new homebuyer tax credit

• Lodi Muslim: Local mosque not involved

• Regional Roundup

• Burglary suspects are under arrest

• Lodi veteran recounts close calls in Vietnam

• Mayor Larry Hansen points out Lodi's economic progress

• First phase of Lockeford park by 2011?

November 12th, 2009

• Logbook

• Correction

• Robotics team at Jim Elliot invited to compete in Israel

• City of Lodi begins annual leaf removal program Monday

• Liberty Ranch construction at standstill as state pulls funds

• Will Lodi adopt a program that will allow volunteers to work at parks?

• With song and speech, veterans are recognized in Lodi

• 20 years later, Acampo man remembers the fall of the Berlin Wall

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (126)
• Obama is not a moderate (124)
• Lodi Muslim: Local mosque not involved (94)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (54)
• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise (48)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (38)
• Lodi Flames slim playoff chances vanish in setback to Tracy Bulldogs (25)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• The haves should help the have-nots (23)
• Tokay Tigers blow late 27-point lead in loss to Wolf Pack (22)

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Tokay coach leading his former schoolmates

Becoming a football offensive coordinator often requires years of playing or coaching experience at the high school or college level.

Very few, if any, are 17 years old when they land their first coaching job as an offensive coordinator in a prep football program as Alex Cesena has.

Cesena, who recently turned 18 in October, is in his rookie season as the junior varsity offensive coordinator for Tokay High under the direction of coach Josh Sitkin.

It was Tokay varsity head coach Louis Franklin who felt Cesena would be the perfect candidate to fill that slot and recommended him to Sitkin before the season began.

"Alex's football intelligence is second to none for anyone his age. We knew this last year when he was a player on the varsity football team, by the questions he asked, and how he prepared himself for practice and games. Watching film helped him to recognize defensive tendencies," Franklin said.

With the offense under Cesena's command, the Tokay junior varsity is currently in second place in the Tri-City Athletic League standings.

The offensive coordinator is generally in charge of managing all offensive players while developing a general offensive game plan and then calling the plays for the offense.

It requires quick thinking and being able to make adjustments on the fly during the game to counteract strategy by the opposing team's defensive coordinator.

That doesn't seem to pose a problem for the brainy and intelligent Cesena, who graduated Tokay with honors in advanced placement classes with a 3.85 grade point average and was the recipient of the U.S. Army Scholar/Athlete Award.

He is a freshman sports science major with an emphasis on pedagogy (coaching and teaching) at the University of the Pacific at a time when he should be a senior in high school.

"I think Coach Franklin picked up on the fact I had a head for the game that high school players usually don't have. I had that coaching mentality," Cesena said. "I have always been more of a smart player than an athlete with God-given talent. I think a lot of guys like me end up in coaching."

Tokay High junior varsity coach Alex Cesena embraces a player during a game this season. Cesena, a 2007 Tokay graduate, is the offensive coordinator for the Tigers. (Courtesy photo)

Franklin agreed with Cesena's self-assessment.

"The varsity coaches recognized Alex as a hard worker and a tremendous competitor which are both values we would love our football players to learn as they play football at Tokay," Franklin said. "Alex models this

'Please see Cesena, Page 12 by showing kids that while attending a full class load at UOP, he can still manage to make a full commitment to school and football by being disciplined."

Cesena, who played basketball for the Tigers last season and was named the TCAL Defender of the Year, also coaches in the Lodi Flying Tigers competitive basketball program.

His passionate devotion to coaching the youth of the local community has not gone unnoticed by some of the parents, with one nominating Cesena for the USA Today Youth Coach of the Year award.

According to Cesena, who eventually hopes to become a coach at a Division I college as well as teach, it was an emotional moment when he learned of the nomination.

"The nomination came as complete surprise to me," Cesena said. "I was teary-eyed when I found out about it, just knowing that I have had that much of a positive influence on those kids, and that they appreciated all that I had done."

Being perhaps the youngest prep offensive coordinator in California sometimes means being a bit of a gambler when calling certain plays in certain situations. So, its not surprising Cesena enjoys playing poker in his spare time.

"I consider myself a pretty good poker player due to my ability to read other people's hands. My parents don't seem to think so," Cesena said. "My Dad (Ralph) has said he would take me and my savings account to a casino now that I am 18 and let me find out once and for all just how good I am."