It was a dream come true two weeks ago, when Andrew Cotter was confirmed by the Liberty Union High School District school board to become the third head football coach in the history of Freedom High School.
Cotter, a native of the school district who graduated from Liberty in 1996, has spent the previous decade at Moreau Catholic, where he transformed the Mariners from a winless program into a perennial playoff contender, one which has reached the quarterfinals or further in each of the last four years.
“I’m excited getting to go back home, and I’m ready to go have some fun,” Cotter said. “I love this community, which shaped me into the person I am today. It’s a special feeling to be able to come back home.”
Cotter takes over for Kevin Hartwig, who resigned in December after 16 years at the helm. In each of the last two years, the Falcons have reached a North Coast Section title game, both in the Open Division and at the Division I level. Hartwig followed Larry Rodriguez, who was the first head coach in school history, leading the inaugural varsity program from 1998 through 2001. With the hiring of Cotter, Freedom once again has selected a veteran coach to lead its program, and one with a recent track record of success.
“It was a dream of mine to become a head coach, and Moreau gave me that opportunity. It’s been an amazing journey to build a program which was struggling and build it into something people are proud of,” Cotter commented. “It’s been magical, and it is still important for me to see that transition go smoothly.”
While at Moreau Catholic, Cotter led the Mariners to the post-season in each of the last eight seasons. During that stretch, his program became well-known for having an explosive running game offensively, including a 3,000-yard season from current Northern Colorado running back Jullen Ison, and the breakout season last year from Adi Anderson. He takes over a program which has had similar success at the running back position, and returns standout Giles Jackson.
Cotter also takes over at Freedom during a time when all three schools in the district have been experiencing success on the gridiron. Heritage reached the Division I semifinals two years ago, and got back to the quarterfinals this past season. Meanwhile, Liberty beat Freedom for the Division I title this past year. The competition from within a community that used to all go to one school – Liberty – has him excited for the challenges which lie ahead.
“It says a lot about the community to have a trio of very successful high school programs in the district,” Cotter said. “I just can’t wait to meet these parents and families, and get the ball rolling.”
Rodriguez takes dream job at James Logan
Having attended Washington High in Fremont, there was always one high school which held the highest esteem for Ricky Rodriguez. This past week, the former Encinal head coach got to sign his name on the proverbial dotted line as the new head football coach at James Logan.
After leading Encinal to back-to-back WACC-Shoreline titles in the past two seasons, Rodriguez left the Jets’ football program and his job in the Piedmont school district, in search of a position which would allow him to teach and coach on the same site. He found that opportunity with the Colts.
“I was in contact with Logan back in January, and then got a call again recently from them and they asked how we could make this work,” said Rodriguez, who commutes from Brentwood. “I sat down with my wife, and she told me to go and take this opportunity. Growing up, there were three programs which were the marquee ones in the Bay Area – De La Salle, Pittsburg, and James Logan. Taking over one of those programs is beyond exciting. We want to get this program back to that status.”
Logan made a spot for Rodriguez on campus right away, hiring him as a long-term substitute for the remainder of the school year. He will teach physical education full-time next year on campus, one of eight on-campus coaches in the Logan program.
“I told them that I needed to be on campus right away, and they made it happen,” Rodriguez commented. “I really believe that my coaching style and experience with the schools in the area make me a perfect fit here.”
Rodriguez also points to other factors which made the Colts’ opening an attractive one. He is quick to credit former head coach Zac McNally – who took the head job at Whitney-Rocklin – for rebuilding the foundation for the program, something that was evident in the second half of last season. He also referred to the decision at the conclusion of the 2017 season to re-admit Logan into the MVAL as a full-time member, meaning the Colts can once again compete for a league title.
“We are committed to restoring Logan to what it used to be. That’s what I plan on doing,” Rodriguez concluded.
Around the coaching carousel
Former Washington-SF head coach Karl Finley has taken the head job at Hercules High School, where Gerald Montgomery had resigned after leading the Titans to the 2017 Division IV championship game. Finley led the Eagles’ program dating back to 2007, and led the team to a San Francisco Section title in 2010.
Novato announced the hiring of Israel Jones last month. Jones, who coached running backs at Marin Catholic last year, takes over a program that went through coaching changes, nearly dropped varsity football, and struggled to an 0-9 record in 2017. He has previous head coaching experience at Santa Rosa.
Palo Alto hired Nelson Gifford to take over for Danny Sullivan, who is now an assistant coach at Mitty. Gifford guided an explosive spread offense at Fremont in recent years.
Former Woodside assistant Josh Bowie has taken over at Menlo, where Mark Newton stepped down after the 2017 season.
Jason Miller is the new head coach at Gunn-Palo Alto. He has previous head coaching experience at Inglewood, Dominguez-Compton, and Verbum Dei, all before relocating to the South Bay this past summer.
Piedmont held first interviews for its coaching vacancy on Tuesday, while College Park had narrowed its candidate pool, and should be announcing soon. An announcement is also expected soon at Kennedy-Richmond.
Other programs still seeking head coaches, and those who have started advertising in recent weeks for a new head coach, include Albany, Mt. Diablo, Fremont-Sunnyvale, Moreau Catholic, James Lick, Cloverdale, Oak Grove, Independence, and Overfelt.
