La Caada High School’s Dan Yoder was having fun coaching a group of players without having to deal with the spotlight. But that all changed when Rich Wheeler, the school’s longest-serving coach, resigned after 12 years as the Spartans football coach. Enter Yoder. He was the junior varsity coach the last four years. He’s also been a history teacher at La Caada the last five years. “I really didn’t expect to see it happen this fast,” Yoder said. “It’s always something I thought about but I really enjoyed my (junior varsity) experience, both as the head coach who got to call the shots and also that you’re the JV guy; it’s a little less of scrutiny coming down on you.” As head coach Yoder understands he’ll be the head figure of the football program. The task can be daunting but it’s a challenge he’ll take head on. “It’s going to be a bigger challenge,” he said. “You’re in the spotlight now and people will criticize your every move, but I’m looking forward to it. “The guys have faith in me and I have faith in them.” Wheeler’s resignation moved Yoder’s plans ahead of schedule in becoming a head coach. “I wouldn’t say I planned on this right away, it’s just sort of the way it played out.” Yoder’s hiring gives the Spartans program a sense of continuity. Working alongside Wheeler meant he understood what was needed to move the program forward. “The administration knew I had a good rapport with the kids,” Yoder said. Yoder will be taking over a program that was minutes away from making the playoffs last season. The Spartans are in a deep Rio Hondo League that boasts two teams (Temple City, Monrovia) that reached at least the quarterfinals. La Caada returns talented quarterback Rocky Moore, but aside from him the Spartans will be thin. Still, Yoder has lofty expectations, even if it means they could turn into long-term goals. “We don’t want to just try to succeed in league,” Yoder said. “We want to get past the second round of the playoffs so we started in the weight room and doing more with our offseason program, adding more structure and go in the direction we set out.” That means elevating the spring ball schedule and being more involved with the program. That can become challenging because of the multi-sport athletes at La Caada, which Yoder is a fan of. “I’m really a big advocate of multi-sport athletes,” he said. “I’m not a fan of specialization; it’s good for them to be out there and competing.” Mike Williams, who used to coach at La Caada, will coach the junior varsity and he’ll be assisted by his son, Gavin, a teacher on campus. The freshman staff is the same with Steve Zimmerman and Casey Mullet.
Brent Pattison will be the defensive coordinator on varsity and Yoder will call the shots on offense. Jerry Regan, who will coach the quarterbacks and defensive backs, John May and Brian Rodriguez, new to La Caada, will make up the rest of the varsity staff. Yoder still is looking to fill the offensive line position. “We have interviewed a couple of guys,” he said, “and we’ll finalize that soon.”