The dust is still settling from the state championships this past weekend, but already numerous schools are looking to fill openings for head football coaches.
Earlier this week, we reported on the big-time opening at Freedom High School, where Kevin Hartwig resigned late last week. At this point, however, there are also more than a dozen other openings around the Northern California sections.
In the Sac-Joaquin Section, Weston Ranch, Mira Loma, and Kimball are all seeking head coaches. It is also known that Manteca coach Eric Reis is done at the helm of that program, but there have been no announcements to date regarding the opening.
In the North Coast Section, a handful of jobs just came open, and one is already filled. St. Vincent-Petaluma had an opening right after the season, with the resignation of long-time coach Gary Galloway, but it was quickly filled by former Piner head coach John Antonio.
The most attractive opening may be Encinal, where Ricky Rodriguez stepped down after four seasons. Rodriguez led the Jets to back-to-back WACC-Shoreline titles, and an unbeaten regular season this year, with an appearance in the Division III quarterfinals. Rodriguez, who lives in Brentwood, described recent fatherhood as being "a game-changer" for him, and he is expected to seek a coaching position closer to home.
Mt. Diablo is also once again seeking a new head coach, after Vontre Mason stepped down, as his wife just gave birth to twin baby boys.
Three Tri-County Athletic League programs are looking for new head coaches, at Albany, John Swett and Kennedy-Richmond. Albany did not finish the season, after a lack of healthy players was evident. At Swett, Bob Quesada stepped down right after the season, while the situation at Kennedy was a strange one.
Head coach George Jackson had led the Eagles to back-to-back Stone Division titles in his two years, but did not coach the team after halftime of the regular season finale against Richmond, after disagreements between Jackson and others in the program led defensive coordinator Greg Marshall to take over the team from that point forward. Kennedy lost to Hercules in the Division IV quarterfinals, after beating the Titans for the Stone title.
San Marin, Novato, and San Rafael are all teams in the Marin County Athletic League seeking new head coaches.
Irvington, in the Mission Valley Athletic League, after Ross Eddings stepped down, expecting his second son this off-season.
In the Central Coast Section, Monterey coach Dan Brown stepped down, leaving a void for the Toreadores. North Salinas coach Darren Spence also stepped down, leaving two Monterey County teams seeking new leaders.
Both South San Francisco programs are looking for new head coaches, at South San Francisco and El Camino. Prospect High is also looking for a new coach, after Sal Romero stepped down following a two-year tenure.
And as always, the carousel is just getting started, so check back later in the winter for more coaching updates.
