Prep football coaching turnover trend is a concern, including in Sacramento’s top league
Turnover and change happen in sports, right on down to the high school level. Shoot, maybe even especially at the high school level.
Turnover of players, change of seasons, turnover of those who teach the game.
On the regional football front, there has been a dizzying amount of movement of head coaches since the end of the shortened spring season April 17. We’re up to 14 new coaches, and counting, the most I can recall in my 32 years on the beat. Area coaches and commissioners don’t remember such change either, particularly at powerhouse programs where stability has been a foundation to record success.
Some of the coaching change is tied to fatigued leaders needing to bow out to save themselves. Some coaches did not have their yearly at-will contracts renewed. And some of it, maybe all of it, really, is rooted to how the pandemic and the chaos that is COVID-19 testing, scheduling and angst that led to a stunning amount of coaches moving aside.
It’s not just a trend, it’s a concern.
“All of us coaches worked so hard to get a spring season in, all the testing and everything, and now we’re losing coaches when we really need them more than ever,” said longtime area coach Casey Taylor, who just finished his first season with Inderkum.
Why such a big deal? Football is a big deal, and a successful program, or a sagging one, can define the mood of a campus. And check your calendar: Football returns in fewer than 100 days. If the COVID-19 testing protocols don’t ease — or end — then expect more coaching flameouts and change.
What also fans the flames is social media, where everyone’s a lecturing expert on game results, scheduling, rankings, players, coaches, politics and more. Parents of some of the area’s best players have emerged as the worst examples of sportsmanship on social media posts.
Area’s best league had most change
The Sierra Foothill League might just be the best in all of Northern California with longtime coaching a common theme, but the SFL was not immune to mass change.
“When you have the number of coaching changes that we have had recently, it’s always a concern,” said SFL commissioner Steve Thornton, a decades-long basketball coach before becoming a commish. “The SFL has had a change in four of our seven varsity football programs. I’m not sure I’ve seen that in all my years in high school sports. Having said that, I think this is a very unusual year in almost every way. There has been nothing normal about high school athletics this year.”
He added, “I really believe that with COVID and everything that goes with it, there has been added stress put on our coaches. Coaching high school football, especially in the SFL, is a huge commitment under normal circumstances. Throw in all of the factors that were added because of COVID and it becomes an almost impossible situation for a head coach. I believe that many coaches reached a point where they needed a break for their own well being. I would not be surprised to see several of our guys return to coaching after the were able to get recharged. They are just too good and too dedicated to be out of coaching for very long.”
The senior coaching member in the SFL is Zac McNally at Whitney, who just finished his third season. Then it’s Paul Doherty at Folsom, who finished his second, and then it’s Mike Mabem at Del Oro, who concluded his first campaign.
Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere stepped down from his SFL spot because he didn’t want to be a head coach any more after 14 seasons and 12 playoff berths. The top schools also find a way to make for smooth transitions. The Trojans aim to land a big-name coach with Cavaliere likely to remain in some capacity.
That strategic planning also played out at another SFL heavy in Granite Bay, where Jeff Evans stepped out to allow big-name Joe Cattolico to step in.
Mike Alberghini’s plan at Grant was to coach one final season in the SFL. Grant administration wanted Alberghini to remain only in a mentorship role instead, so he is out after 31 seasons as head coach and 54 in the district.
“Sometimes in sports, you get all you ever dreamed of,” Alberghini said, “and sometimes you don’t get the ending you want. But that’s life.”
Rocklin’s dramatic shift
At Rocklin, an SFL mainstay, more movement.
Fiery coach Jason Adams is out, but only as head coach. He will remain with the varsity program in some capacity because school principal Davis Stewart values his contributions, role and results. Tenth-year junior varsity coach Sam Pulino will take over in an interim role.
What gives?
A lot, actually. Adams let his emotions get to him after a season finale against rival Whitney. He bristled that Whitney players stood on the block R at midfield before kickoff, though some Whitney parents were blue in the face on social media insisting that never occurred. Rocklin rolled 31-3, and the Rocklin players responded by racing to midfield to wave off the Wildcats after the game.
Adams then responded to the barking of a Whitney assistant coach by barking even louder, and that cost him. Adams was suspended by Rocklin administration for it, meaning no player workouts, and he apologized, as did the school through an email to Whitney administrators. Rocklin and Whitney are a simmering, sometimes boiling, rivalry that leads to a lot of tension in the stands and on social media.
“I made a mistake and I’m an adult, and I’m human,” Adams said. “I’m all for constructive criticism, and I have a great respect for our principal. When I hear, ‘Hey, this has to improve here or there,’ I’m on it. I told our players and staff and parents that I made a mistake and we hold our players accountable, so we hold ourselves accountable as well. I’ll learn from it and I’ll be the best assistant to Sam to help the program.”
Adams spoke glowingly about Pulino, whose career ambition has been to mentor JV kids. Sometimes, an unpopular coaching change can rock a program to the core. That won’t happen here.
“Our kids love Sam, I love him, and he has an incredible presence, and he’ll wow you inside of five minutes,” Adams said.
Coaching change in other sports?
Football coaching change is the norm for struggling programs. It’s not the norm for strong ones, be it Cosumnes Oaks in ElK Grove, Christian Brothers in Oak Park, Union Mine in El Dorado, Bear River in Lake of the Pines or Vista del Lago in Folsom.
Outgoing Christian Brothers coach John Wiley spoke for a lot of coaches when he said he was tired of parental pressure, including cries of “daddy ball!” in reference to his star sophomore receiver son, Jet Wiley.
Vista coach Mike Streubing spoke for a lot of coaches on fatigue. He logged eight exhaustive seasons with the Falcons and tried to budget his school teaching and family load. Football lost out in the end, at least for a year.
“I love coaching,” he said. “I would like to continue to coach in the future, but right now I need a break. I am tired and I do not feel I am able to give the program the energy and time it takes to move it forward.”
Is coaching fatigue a concern in other sports? Always, but football revs it to the red more intensely than other sports, even though baseball and basketball have more games on a schedule.
“The illogical has become logical, and coaching is hard enough without all these other challenges,” longtime McClatchy baseball coach Mike de Necochea said. “I’ve spoken to the school nurse more than I’d ever care to about COVID and protocols and procedures. I think coaches in all sports have felt an urgency to make up for lost times, and it tires coaches out.”
Longtime Folsom basketball coach Mike Wall agreed.
“I always thought football coaches try too hard to hang on too tight, and the pressure of winning and keeping up with the Folsom’s of the world makes guys go year round; it becomes all consuming,” he said. “For some, i think they feel if they don’t go year round, all the time, they’ll feel like they’re falling behind, and I don’t think that’s healthy for anyone.
“It hurts us as basketball coaches because some kids only play football, that same pressure. I learned to let it go. I won’t let things like that ruin me as a coach.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.