Former Los Medanos College assistant coach Lawrence Mincey has taken over as the head coach at Irvington-Fremont, grabbing the reins of a program which has reached the NCS Division I playoffs in each of the last two years, and four of the last six seasons, but has not been in contention for a Mission Valley Athletic League title since 2006, and has not won a league championship since 2005.
Last season, the Vikings lost to Antioch in the first round of the playoffs, but graduate the overwhelming majority of that roster. In fact, Irvington returns just seven players from the varsity team, making the process in front of Mincey a clear one.
“It’s a challenge, and it’s not one I wanted to trust anyone else with,” said Mincey, who also became a physical education teacher at Irvington this year. “I’ve been coaching for a while now, and feel I can bring something positive to this program.”
Mincey was an assistant at LMC for the past three seasons, which followed a two-year stint at Ygnacio Valley. Prior to this year, he taught physical education at O’Hara Junior High in Oakley, before transition to the high school level.
“I was really happy at LMC, and I’ve always loved being a college coach,” Mincey said. “But I looked at the need of the school, and these kids here deserve to have a good coach. I know I can deliver that to them.”
One position of key retention on his staff will occur on the defensive side of the ball, where former defensive back coach Matt Kaufman, who played at Humboldt State, will take over as the defensive coordinator.
Mincey certainly brings experience from a successful program with him to Irvington. Los Medanos was a state-ranked program this past fall, and captured the Living Breath Bowl with a win over Merced.
He takes over for Ross Eddings, who resigned after four years at the helm, to spend more time with his expanding family. Eddings took over in a similar position to Mincey, stepping into a team that had graduated its core, and went winless in his first season. From there, however, the Vikings reached the playoffs in each of his final two years.
Mincey is the third head coach for Irvington this decade, though all three coaches have been on-campus, an increasing rarity, especially in schools located in Alameda County and the western part of Contra Costa County.
The Vikings do have a few key pieces returning in 2018, including 6-foot-4 offensive tackle Matthew Johnson, running back Jakobe Harris, and receiver Damian Stone, who played on the varsity as a sophomore this past season.
