LA MESA — Tradition runs deep at Helix High School.
From the bagpipers that lead the football team onto the field to start a game to the legacy of basketball great Bill Walton, green runs deep at the La Mesa school.
But nothing on the Highlanders’ campus matches the legacy of the school’s baseball teams.
Friday, before the Grossmont Hills League game with El Capitan and in front of a large crowd that included CIF San Diego Section commissioner Joe Heinz and former El Capitan coach Steve Vickery, Helix celebrated 75 years of Highlanders baseball. The Highlanders honored their last five coaches — Bob Lucas, Jeff Boutelle, Jerry Schniepp, Larry Oedewaldt and Cole Holland — and hung their names and numbers on the left-field fence. An adjacent banner reads: “Once. Always.”
Helix (9-10, 2-1) rewarded the crowd with an 8-1 win.
Left-hander Romeo Briones allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings and improved to 4-1. He also homered and scored twice.
Bryan Herman, Ben Williams and Jake Johnson also homered for Helix. Herman also had an RBI triple. Williams pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, earning a save.
Matthew Eckis homered for El Capitan while Ryder Powers and Kasen Baker had two hits each.
All five honored coaches are Helix alums, as is current coach Diego Reynoso. Their leadership covers the last 50 years.
“This isn’t just a coaching tree,” Helix athletic director Damon Chase said, “it’s a family tree.”
Former Helix baseball coach Cole Holland is acknowledged during a pregame ceremony honoring the schoolxe2x80x99s 75 years of baseball at Helix High School on Friday, April 17, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Schniepp worked 15 years in the Grossmont District Office, was director of athletics in the Sweetwater Union High School District and served as CIF San Diego Section Commissioner for nine seasons. He came out of retirement to serve as athletic director at the Bishop’s School and now leads The Athletic Project.
“But,” he said, “coaching here is the most fun I’ve ever had.”
“Being here again, being with these guys brings back so many wonderful memories,” he added. “To hang a championship banner was truly amazing. I lived about a block away from school. My wife would bring the kids over in a wagon and watch the game. It was a family affair then, and still is.”
Schniepp coached from 1988 to 1997, compiling a record of 188-107-1. His teams won four league titles and won a CIF San Diego Section championship in 1988.
He isn’t the only coach to have success at Helix:
• Lucas coached from 1970 to 1979, compiling a 144-91-1 record while capturing four league championships. He died in 2021.
• Boutelle coached from 1980 to 1987, going 105-87. His teams won two league championships.
• Oedewaldt led the program from 1998 to 2001. His teams won two league titles, averaging 20 wins per season. His final record was 76-47.
Helix’s Elijah Martinez #17 and Angel Watkins #5 high five during their game against El Capitan at Helix High School on Friday, April 17, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Holland is the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Helix baseball history, leading the Highlanders from 2002 to 2023. Holland won three league titles and captured the CIF San Diego Section championship in 2011. He finished with a 361-230 record and had seven 20-win seasons.
• Reynoso, who played for and coached under Holland, is 37-38 with the Highlanders.
“I played for Coach Holland and am so honored he recommended me to follow him,” Reynoso said. “To be here today in the presence of the man I played for and the men that preceded him is amazing.”
Even Friday’s opposing coach could appreciate Helix’s history. El Cap’s Alan Strong played with Reynoso at Grossmont College.
“It’s special,” he said, “to be here.”