Recently in Coaching changes Category

Colton defensive coordinator Chris Mailo has been named the interim coach of the Yellowjackets according to a press release sent out by the Colton Unified School District. Colton athletic director Harold Strauss confirmed Mailo's appointment in a phone interview Wednesday.

Mailo has been the defensive coordinator for several years, serving under Strauss and Rick Bray, who resigned at halftime of Friday's 35-7 loss to San Diego Torrey Pines after his son, assistant coach B.J. Bray, was pulled off the sidelines in the second quarter. Richard Bray Jr., Rick's other son and also a Colton assistant, resigned after the game after serving as the coach in the second half.

Besides the Brays, the rest of the exisiting Colton staff remains, according to Strauss. The Yellowjackets will play Riverside North Friday at 7 p.m. at Riverside Community College.

Newly-appointed Summit athletic director Steve Hickey has decided that he will not resume his duties as boys basketball coach, as the school has opened up the position within the Fontana Unified School District.

The 41-year old Hickey, the all-Sun boys basketball Coach of the Year, was named Summit's athletic director June 29 replacing Ed Kearby, who was promoted to assistant principal at the school. After nearly a month on the job, Hickey wasn't comfortable with the task of balancing his old position with his new job.

"You have to be 100 percent sure, and I wasn't," Hickey said. "I didn't want it to be a situation where I didn't take care of my duties with the other sports on campus because I was focusing on the basketball team. I didn't want to be put in that position, so I will not participate in the day-to-day duties (of the boys basketball team)."

Carter hired former Rialto and Riverside North boys basketball coach Anthony Jones earlier this month for its open boys basketball position. Jones, a health teacher, was an assistant at Eisenhower in 2001-03 before coaching the Knights from 2004-07 and North from 2008-11.

Jones, who led North to an 19-11 record and a berth in the CIF-SS Division 2A quarterfinals this past season, will take over a Lion program that went 4-20 overall last season with a 3-11 record in the San Andreas League. Carter has never made the playoffs in its seven-year history.

Former Chino coach Bob Sheehan is throwing his hat back into the coaching ring, as he has been hired as coach of the Arrowhead Christian baseball team according to an e-mail sent this morning by ACA athletic director Richard Yaross. Sheehan, who took the year off after leaving Chino High School after the 2009 season, has won 510 games in his high school coaching career.

Common sense finally washed over the Colton Joint Unified School District at their school board meeting Thursday night, as the CJUSD school board unanimously approved the rehiring of CIF championship coach Rick Bray by a 7-0 count to end what has been a sometimes ugly political soap opera.

"I'm just glad to be back to work," an emotionally relieved Bray said after the vote was passed. "We are here for the kids and I can't wait to be their coach again."

36 hours ago, it looked as if Bray - who led the Yellowjackets to their first CIF-SS title in 32 years in his first season as head coach this fall - might be out of luck. Legendary coach Don Markham, a teacher at Colton High and owner of 309 career wins, was recommended for approval by the board as he filled the qualifications of the Rialto Rule, which gives preference to certificated teachers over walk-on coaches like Bray, who is a security officer at CHS.

But Markham, who was hired for the Compton job two months ago, had a change of heart Wednesday night and withdrew his name Thursday morning after Compton was able to give him a full-time teaching position.

"I applied for the Colton job because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get a job at Compton," said Markham, who will be a full-time weightlifting teacher. "But they came through and after thinking about it, I decided to go with Compton. Colton doesn't really need me and Compton really made me feel that they wanted me."

Several players, parents and members of the community showed up in support of Bray, although it wasn't unanimous. The parents of outgoing senior Tyler Ervin criticized Bray in the open discussion part of the meeting for not honoring their son with a plaque at the awards banquet and for not helping him with recruiting, causing assistant coach and Bray's son, B.J. Bray, to retort angrily.

An emotional B.J. Bray was still stung by the process but happy that his dad was still in charge of the Colton program.

"We do a great thing here and we do it all for the kids," Bray said. "This isn't about winning football games. It's about creating doctors, lawyers, businessmen. The amount of kids going to college in this area is low and we have done everything we can to help every kid in our program get to that point. And we are going to keep doing that until they force us out."

Look for more on this story in tomorrow's Sun.

Longtime assistant coach Tim Pike, who has spent the last two years assisting at Citrus Valley, was named the Fontana football coach this week, information that Pike confirmed this morning.

This isn't the first go-round for Pike, 61, at Fohi. Pike was an assistant coach for the Steelers from 2002-04 before taking over as interim head coach for Joe Kramer during the 2005 season. Fontana went 0-9 under Pike and hired Lance Ozier, who coached Fohi the last five seasons, prior to the 2006 season.

"This isn't anything new to me," Pike said. "I coached here before and it wasn't very successful. The reason I took it now was that the kids needed somebody and for me, this is my last shot. After I take off the whistle here I'll never coach again."

Pike, a U.S. History teacher at Fohi, also allowed the school to not have to hire an off-campus coach. With the budget crisis in the Fontana Unified School District making new teacher hires a virtual impossibility, Pike felt that he was best person to take the job and provide the proper amount of time with it.

"I looked around and saw that I was the only person with a teaching position on campus that could do this job," Pike said. "I didn't want these young kids to have to suffer with a walk-on coach. The district is laying off teachers left and right - there was no way they'd be able to hire a new coach from outside and get them a teaching position."

As far as his goals for the job, Pike - who has been a head coach at Sutter High School and assisted at places such as Claremont, Bishop Amat and Needles in a career that dates to 1972 - just wants to get the Steelers back to respectable position. And not just in the minds of the teams they play.

"I want these kids to respect themselves and I want the community to respect the efforts they are making on the field," Pike said. "I want good students and good athletes who will go out there and line up and play hard against everybody."

Former Bloomington and Rialto head coach Don Markham will be recommended to the Colton Joint Unified School District as the next coach of the Colton football team at Thursday's CJUSD school board meeting according the CJUSD agenda released Tuesday.

Markham, who is a teacher at Colton High School, was hired as Compton High School's head coach in the offseason. His recommendation for the job, which was held by Rick Bray last year, puts the district in accordance with the Rialto Rule, which gives hiring preference to certificated teachers. According to Colton athletic director Harold Strauss, who otherwise refused comment, the only qualification for applying for the job was previous coaching experience, something that the 71-year-old Markham has plenty of with 309 career victories.

Markham's last coaching at the high school level came in 2007, when he led Bloomington to a 6-5 record. He coached at American Sports University before being hired by Rialto in January 2010. He never coached a game with the Knights, resigning in April 2010 amid allegations of mistreatment of players.

Bray, a security officer at Colton High School and longtime assistant before taking over the head job last year, led the Yellowjackets to their first CIF-SS title since 1978, winning the Central Division with a 17-7 victory over Moreno Valley Rancho Verde in December. Bray was also named the all-Sun Coach of the Year.

Markham needs a simple majority vote -- at least four votes out of seven -- to be approved by the school board. Bray, who was recommended to the school board at the last board meeting April 21 but rejected due to Rialto Rule considerations, has reapplied for the position and will almost certainly have plenty of support at Thursday's meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at the school district office.

Just got an e-mail from Los Osos principal Chris Hollister saying that assistant coach Jeff Paul was named the interim coach of the Grizzly baseball team, a position that he'll assume for the remainder of this season.

Paul was chosen after a meeting this morning on campus between Hollister, coaches, players and parents after the removal of Dominick Copas as head coach last week. According to a source, Copas was suspended and removed after a profane voicemail to a player left in the fall surfaced and was reported to administration.

The Los Osos baseball program received a jolt this past week, as Dominick Copas was removed as head coach, according to telephone conversations with Copas and Los Osos athletic director Tom Martinez.

"I am no longer the baseball coach," Copas said during a telephone interview Monday. "I have been instructed to not comment further on anything else, but I was removed as the baseball coach last week."

The Grizzlies (12-5 overall, 5-4 Baseline League) are currently tied for second with Alta Loma in league, two games behind first-place Glendora. He is 43-23 since taking over for Anthony Vasquez prior to the 2009 season, leading Los Osos to the playoffs in his previous two seasons.

According to a source, the nexus of Copas' removal was a profanity-laced message left on the voicemail of a Grizzly player last week. Neither Copas nor Martinez would comment on that or other allegations.

Despite the loss of his position as head baseball coach, Copas still remains employed as a Web Page and Design teacher at the high school, as position that isn't threatened by last week's action.

"This whole thing has nothing to do with my teaching or my standing as a teacher," Copas said. "That much I can comment on. My standing as a teacher remains the same as it was last week."

That stance was reiterated by Los Osos principal Chris Hollister Monday in an e-mailed statement.

"I will not discuss the details surrounding Mr. Copas' removal as our baseball coach. He has made many positive contributions to the Los Osos community and remains on our faculty as a teacher," Hollister said. "I expect that he will continue to make positive contributions in the classroom and on campus."

What is unclear is where Los Osos goes from here. According Hollister, a decision on an interim coach for the remainder of the season will be made after meetings with remaining coaches, players and their families.

Alta Loma High School has hired Colony assistant coach David Furman as its next basketball coach according to an e-mail sent last night by ALHS prinicipal James Cronin. Furman takes over for Thomas Nixon, who was 2-22 - including 0-10 in the Baseline League - in his only season as the head man of the Braves.

In possibly the most surprising phone call I have received in my four-plus years of covering sports for the Sun, Colton football coach Rick Bray has indicated that he will not be the Colton High School football coach for the 2011 season after the Colton Joint Unified School District's school board decided to fly the position outside of the district at last night's meeting.

"I applied for the job, as I have to do every year, and the school board last night decided to fly the job outside of the district," Bray said. "I'm tired of the fighting and the lack of loyalty and I just don't want to have to deal with it any longer."

Being a campus security officer instead of a certificated teacher, Bray knew he had to reapply for the job every year due to the Rialto Rule, which states that an open position must be flown to certificated teachers within the school district before they can hire teachers or other personnel from outside of it. Bray knew that coming in, but didn't expect the district to open up the job after no other in-district teacher applied and after the Yellowjackets won their first CIF-SS title since 1978.

"I understand that this was going to a yearly thing, having to reapply, because I am not a teacher, but once I saw that no teachers within the school district applied, I felt I was Ok," Bray said. "It's definitely a shock right now and I have a good idea of where it's coming from, but I don't want to name names.

"As loyal as myself and my staff have been, having the team in good academic standing, getting four kids scholarships to college, not to mention winning a championship, this is all a slap in the face. I'm done - they can find somebody else because apparently my staff and I didn't do everything they wanted.

"Right now it's more anger than anything else. It's my way of letting people know that I'm tired of the fighting. I had to apply three separate times for this position last year because they kept adopting new rules. I'm tired of fighting it. We worked our butts off, our kids have worked their butts off in the classroom and on the field and our parents have been great. I thought we did the right thing, but I guess it wasn't good enough."

Having been born and raised in Colton and been an assistant for the Yellowjackets from 1985-2009 - minus a four-year hiatus - before taking the head coaching job from Harold Strauss, Bray is admittedly devastated with today's news and can't imagine the possiblity of going to coach for another school.

"I'm a Colton guy and I love this job," Bray said. "I was born and raised here and have been coaching at Colton since 1985. I don't want to go anywhere else."

Barstow recently hired its next football coach, as Victor Valley assistant coach John Marquez was named to replace Jose Rubio, who coached the Aztecs the last three seasons.

Rubio, who resigned after this past season to spend time with family, was highly successful during his first two years at Barstow, leading the Aztecs to a 17-8 overall record and two playoff appearances, including a run to the CIF-SS Eastern Division championship game in 2008. But Barstow struggled last year, only going 1-9 with a young team.

Arroyo Valley football coach Marcus Soward will be the next head coach at Miller pending approval at Wednesday's Fontana Unified School District board meeting, Soward said this afternoon.

"I accepted the job about a week ago," Soward said. "I've always had a dream of coaching in the CBL, having gone to Eisenhower High School, and this was the right time and right opportunity to make that move. I knew I wanted to do this someday and Miller is a great place to do it at."

Soward replaces Jeff Strycula, who was removed from his job less than 24 hours before the Rebels' season finale with Redlands East Valley in mid-November. Soward has coached at San Bernardino and Arroyo Valley High Schools, compiling a 15-16 record during the last three seasons with the Hawks and guiding Arroyo Valley to the playoffs in 2009. He served as an assistant at Arroyo under Tony DiThomas as well. But that playoff appearance isn't the thing that Soward is proudest of at Arroyo Valley.

"We had a team GPA of 3.29 last year," Soward said. "I had some great kids, some hard-working kids at Arroyo Valley and I'm thankful for them. We'll have a meeting after everything is official and I'm sure some tears will be shed, because I'll miss those guys."

That being said, Soward is excited about the opportunity that Miller - which made the playoffs three consecutive years before being eliminated by a coin flip this past season - presents.

"We are just looking to bring the title back west," Soward said. "It's been at Redlands East Valley and Redlands for too long and this is where it belongs. And I think we can do it. I was very impressed by the adminstration and there have been some great players come through here like (Green Bay Packers) linebacker Nick Barnett. I'm ready to go."

After three years at Pacific High School, Oscar Torres resigned in December from his position as Pirates head football coach. As has been the case with other Pirate coaches during the past decade, Torres wasn't able to win many games, compiling a 2-28 record, including an 0-10 mark this past season.

"I got burned out from all of the outside factors that came with being the coach," said Torres, who will remain at the school as a physical education teacher. "The fundraising, the grade checks, the raising money for equipment because the school couldn't afford it, it just took a toll and it burned me out."

Losing also burned out Torres, whose two victories came in 2008 against San Bernardino and 2009 against Citrus Valley. Establishing an infrastructure at a program that's starved for success was more than Torres could handle.

"I felt like I was banging my head against the wall, that I was in a dark tunnel with no light at the end," Torres said. "Changing the perception here was a full-time job and I gave as much as I was able to give and wasn't seeing the results."

Torres will take a break from coaching to spend time with his 5-year old son.

Lance Ozier, a former standout on Fontana's national championship football team in 1987, resigned his position as Steelers football coach last Thursday according to Fontana athletic director Amanda Bentley.

"(Ozier) left for what he said were personal reasons," Bentley said.

Ozier took the head coaching job at Fontana in 2006 with the Steelers in the midst of a 19-game losing streak. That streak grew 10 more after an 0-10 season before Fontana won its 2007 season opener. Unfortunately, Ozier left Fohi with a sizable losing streak as well, as Fontana has lost its last 13 games dating back to Oct. 23, 2009, including an 0-10 record. Ozier finished his career with a record of 7-43.

"it was just the right time for me to go," Ozier said. "With a new principal coming in, I had certain ideas and they had certain ideas and from that, it was best for me to leave at this time. I am a Fohi guy through and through and I always will be. I enjoyed coaching here. I really wish we could have won more, but I feel like I left this program in a better place from where I found it."

Ozier will continue his job as a physical education teacher at Fohi until he assesses his next move, something that he's mulling over at this time.

"It's pretty early in the process, so I'm not exactly sure what the next step is," Ozier said. "I've never been in this situation before. I've been coaching for 16 years and if someone will have me, I'd like to coach somewhere again in the future."

Fontana will start its search for the next head coach in a week or two according to Bentley, allowing Ozier to explain his decision to his current players.

"We are giving him some time to speak to the players before we make the next step," Bentley said. "Then we'll be working hard to find our next coach."

Bentley also stated that the school has hired Lauren Fernandes and Cheryl Salazar to coach the swimming and diving team this spring.

Barstow annouced the resignation of Jose Rubio Monday. Rubio, the Aztecs' coach the last three seasons, led Barstow to the CIF-SS Eastern Division championship game in 2008 and to the playoffs in 2009 before a 1-9 record this past season.

"I'm spending more time with family -- it's as simple as that," Rubio said. "I have five kids, with the oldest 14 and the youngest 3, and my wife needs help."

Rubio was best known for the 2008 run, as the Aztecs went 10-4 and advanced to the Eastern Division final before losing a classic 31-27 battle with Perris Citrus Hill on a windy, frigid night. Rubio ended his three-year reign with a 19-17 record.

"It was just time," Rubio said. "Football is such a time commitment and I can't do anything halfway. I am going to wait until some of my children are old enough to do their own thing and until the younger ones realize why Daddy is gone. But until then I'm not coaching."

Alta Loma has hired former Bloomington Christian coach Joe Szczepanski as its next football coach according to an e-mail I received Monday afternoon from Alta Loma principal James Cronin. Szczepanski, who was the head man at Bloomington Christian the last three seasons and the defensive coordinator at Alta Loma from 2004-07, replaces Jose Fuentes, who resigned after losing all 20 games that he coached the last two seasons.

Szczepanski, who teaches at Alta Loma, compiled a 13-18 record in his three seasons at Bloomington Christian, taking the Ravens to the playoffs in 2009. Alta Loma made the playoffs in three of his four seasons as an assistant, as the Braves lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

"I'm happy to be back here," Szczepanski said. "It was tough to teach here at Alta Loma and travel to Bloomington Christian to coach, so I'm looking forward to being on campus with these kids and really getting things started. There's a buzz around campus and I want to take advantage of it."

Szczepanski has a formidable task in front of him, as the Braves have a 24-game losing streak dating to 2007 and play in a brutal Baseline League. But the coach, who was also an assistant at Etiwanda and Montclair, is eager to begin the task at hand.

"We know we have a tough job, but we feel that we can pull it off," the 42-year old Szczepanski said. "I believe in being aggressive and that's exactly how we are going to approach this."

While her daughter Krista received the 2010-11 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award Wednesday, Redlands East Valley volleyball coach Tricia Vansant confirmed that she has retired as coach of the Wildcats.

Vansant coached nine seasons at REV, leading the Wildcats to Citrus Belt League titles every year along with three CIF-SS titles and two CIF-State Southern California regional crowns.

"I've turned in my resignation and the wheels are in motion," Vansant said. "It was a great ride and it's been tough to fill the hours, but I felt that it was time for me to step away."

Vansant didn't have any knowledge of candidates to fill her position when asked Wednesday.

A huge game for the Miller football program took a turn for the bizarre Wednesday night, as Rebel head coach Jeff Strycula was removed from his position via a phone call as a response to an apparent hazing incident involving three of his players.

Those players - quarterback Eric Shufford, defensive end Sean Chaidez and linebacker Jamal Wilson - were held out of the first quarter of Miller's 21-7 loss to Redlands East Valley Thursday night. Details of the incident have yet to be released, but the punishment that Strycula received for it was far more severe.

"I got a call at 10:35 Wednesday night from the principal (Heather Griggs) telling me I was fired," Strycula said. "I've been an absolute wreck. I went to the hospital last night because I was vomiting, dry-heaving, had high blood pressure, wasn't eating. This whole thing has just taken a toll on me and my family. I think it's weird that the players involved were held out a quarter while I was removed from my job."

Miller was in a win-or-go-home situation against REV, as a win would have given them a Citrus Belt League title while the loss eliminated them from playoff consideration. Assistant coach Mike Farnam, who has worked alongside Strycula both at Miller and at Fontana High School, was made the interim football coach Wednesday night and was given the uneviable task of trying to deal with the chaos.

"You wouldn't have known what the kids were going through based on the way they played, because they played their hearts out, but last night was stressful," Farnam said. "There were several different rumors going around and it seemed like everyone had heard something else. To deal with that before a game was terrible. It was one of the worst things I've ever had to go through because of my friendship with Jeff and my love for these kids."

It's a situation that might not be completely resolved either. Rumors have surfaced that Strycula wasn't fired and that his removal from the proceedings Wednesday - he was banned from being at the school in any capacity Thursday - was more a suspension than a firing. Neither Griggs nor Miller athletic director John Romagnoli were available for comment Friday. Strycula is treating it as a firing.

"I was told that I was being relieved from my duties as football coach Wednesday night and could not return to school until Monday," said Strycula, a physical education teacher at Miller. "I haven't heard anything since then, so I'm assuming that I'm not the Miller football coach.

"I really don't know if I can even come to work Monday. The stress has already hospitalized me once and I just don't know if I can deal with teachers and students asking me about what happened and why I'm not the coach. I feel the worst for the kids and their families - I had a good group of kids and had a great time coaching them this year."

The incident which set in motion this chain of events, which neither Strycula or Farnam would divulge details of due to Fontana Unified School District policy, is the second hazing incident that the Miller program has dealt with in just over a year, as several players were disciplined in 2009 for an incident that was labeled hazing.

While the past 48 hours have been hard on Strycula, there was a glimmer of positivity for his family. His oldest son Andrew, a senior tight end at Redlands East Valley, caught a 21-yard touchdown pass for the game's final score Thursday, something that Strycula believes that REV coach Kurt Bruich made a point to do.

"I feel that Kurt planned that," Strycula said. "We've been friends for a long time and I had talked to him on Thursday before the game and I'm very happy that Andrew was able to get that opportunity. He's a good kid who has really had a hard time with this whole situation and I'm glad he was able to have that moment, though I would have loved to have had a chance to shake his hand and tell him 'good game' on the field after the game."

Arroyo Valley athletic director Matt Howell announced a couple of coaching reshufflings during a phone conversation I had with him earlier this afternoon. Softball coach Tammy Shearer will also coach the girls volleyball team this fall, as previous girls volleyball coach Mike Lawler will step away to deal with a family matter, according to Howell. Howell is expecting that Lawler will return to coach the Hawks' boys volleyball team in the spring.

Howell also announced that James Lasch would be heading up the girls golf team this fall.

I just got off the phone with Aquinas director of marketing Gina Roquet, who told me that Aquinas has hired Gabriel Padilla as its new boys basketball coach. Padilla, an assistant at Aquinas, will replace David Johnson, who has taken an assistant coach job with the Pepperdine women's basketball team.

Also, Aquinas promoted assistant volleyball coach Sarah Rice to head coach to replace Jessica Granados. Granados, who played with Rice at Cal State San Bernardino, left after a season to pursue professional volleyball opportunities in Europe.

Ayala didn't waste much time replacing the retired Mel Sims, as it promoted newly-hired assistant coach Amy Campbell to take the head job last week.

Campbell, 29, has been a jack of all trades in the Chino Valley Unified School District, serving as the head coach for the Chino High girls basketball team, an assistant coach for Ayala's CIF-championship winning softball team and a teacher at Magnolia Junior High School. She's happy that she only has to wear one hat this upcoming year.

"I just got hired as a social studies teacher, so I'll be able to stay on this campus," Campbell said. "I've been willing to teach or coach anywhere where I'm needed, but it will be great to just wear red and black."

Campbell was hired initially to be the coach-in-waiting to Sims, 69, who has constructed Ayala into one of the elite programs in Southern California, taking over after a year or two under Sims' tutelage. But Sims' retirement accelerated the timetable, though he will consult with Campbell on the side while she gets her feet wet.

"We were going to have Amy gradually take over the program from Mel, but Mel's daughter is going to be a senior next year and plays soccer," Ayala athletic director Steve Martin said. "Basketball and soccer season run at the same time, so Mel decided to step down. Once he did, Amy was our No. 1 target."

Campbell was offered the job after the Bulldogs defeated Bonita in the CIF-SS Division 3 softball semifinals. Martin came up to her after the game while she was in celebration mode and she eagerly accepted.

More than a week later, the eagerness hasn't faded.

"I'm ready to go," Campbell said. "We start Monday and I can't wait to get this thing started. I'm hoping to continue the great things Mel brought here and add a few wrinkles of my own."

After nearly six months of waiting, redrafting job ads and indecision, Colton High School decided that it was best to not mess with a good thing.

The Yellowjackets selected from within the Colton football family to replace Harold Strauss Thursday, as it hired longtime assistant coach Rick Bray. Bray, who has been an assistant at Colton for 21 of the past 25 years, including the entirety of Strauss' tenure, was approved at Thursday's Colton Unified School District school board meeting.

The Rialto football job, which reopened last week with the resignation of Don Markham, has not been reposted, but former RHS offensive coordinator Gavin Pachot has been named the interim coach pending school board approval according to Rialto Unified School District Director of Communications Syeda Jafri.

Pachot has served time as an assistant at Redlands East Valley, Fontana and Rialto, spending the last three seasons with the Knights under former coach Eric Rodriguez.

As for the permanent position, it will be posted in the near future, with in-district applicants getting first priority.

"We'll open it up in the district, see who applies and move on from there," Jafri said.

Don Markham's second stint as Rialto High School football coach ended before he coached a game, as the veteran coach resigned Thursday in the wake of an investigation by the Rialto Unified School District on allegations of misconduct by the coach.

Markham delivered the resignation to Rialto athletic director Dan Williams Thursday morning at the prompting of Williams and Rialto principal Andreas Luna. Markham, who has won 309 games and five CIF titles in an illustrious career, tried to rescind the resignation later in the day but was told that it was final.

The Yucaipa-Calimesa Unified School District approved the hire of former Granite Hills head football coach Justin Price to coach the Yucaipa High School football team Tuesday.

Price, who led Granite Hills to a school-record six victories this past season, interviewed for the job Friday and was offered the job Monday, which he accepted in a heartbeat.

"I'm very excited about continuing the tradition at Yucaipa High School," said Price, who was 8-12 in two seasons with the Cougars. "With all the new high schools in California, its rare to find a one-high school town like Yucaipa has. I'm looking forward to working with the players, the parents and the whole community."

Price was a late-comer to the job, which has been advertised since John Hallenbeck was removed in early February. In fact, he drove down to Yucaipa the day before the ad for the job closed after receiving a layoff notice from his special ed teaching job at Granite Hills.

"I was reading blogs on the internet and saw that the Yucaipa job was still open," Price said. "I thought it was a great opportunity, so I drove down there, handed them my resume and interviewed this past Friday. I felt that there wasn't much importance being placed on keeping me around (at Granite Hills) and wanted to go somewhere where the high school football coach was valued."

Yucaipa High School also had a job opening for a special education teacher, which is what Price teaches. With that solved, it was a pretty easy decision for Yucaipa athletic director Mark Anderson.

"I like the attitude and the presence that Justin brings," Anderson said. "He's a good young coach who is eager to come in and be part of this community. I thought he was the right fit right away and once I knew that we had a teaching job open for him, it was an easy decision."

Price and the Thunderbirds, who went 5-5 this past season to finish fifth in the Citrus Belt League after three consecutive playoff appearances, will start spring practice next month.

Not that it's much of a shock, but LaTrina Duncan was officially named the permanent head girls basketball coach at Summit High School yesterday according to a text I received from her this morning. This was pretty much assumed to be Summit's course of action once Alexis Barile - who went on maternity leave in January - said that she wasn't going to reassume the position, but it's finally official.

Duncan, the all-Sun girls basketball coach of the year, was an assistant under Chris Stephens at Chaffey College and Los Osos High School prior to taking a job as Summit's JV coach this past offseason. She took over the SkyHawks on January 7 when Barile went into labor with twins 10 weeks premature and led Summit to a Sunkist League championship, the Division 1-A finals and the Division I SoCal regional semifinals.

The Yucaipa High School head football coaching position, which opened up in early February when John Hallenbeck was removed, is inching closer to being filled.

Thunderbirds athletic director Mark Anderson indicated that a series of interviews will be held April 23, with a possible recommendation coming from them.

"We have been patient with the process to make sure that we get the best possible candidates," Anderson said. "We'll sit down April 23 and see where we are at."

Yucaipa also is looking for a new girls basketball coach, as Anna Collins stepped down following the season. Collins, a newlywed, was teaching in Grand Terrace and the commute to Yucaipa was too much according to Anderson.

Things have been busy at Sultana High School lately, as the school recently hired longtime assistant coach Blake Robbins as head football coach to replace Zane Sweeney while seeing two-time defending CIF champion girls soccer coach Daniel Polmounter step down.

Robbins has most recently served as a defensive coordinator for the Sultans, who have a 21-game losing streak dating back to 2007. Robbins has seen success at Sultana, as he was an assistant on the 2005 Mojave River League championship team. He was hired three weeks ago according to a conversation we had yesterday.

Polmounter, fresh off a second-straight CIF-SS Division 4 title, stepped down to spend more time with his wife Stephanie and two children, 2-year old Bryant and 2-month old Camryn. Along with serving as an assistant coach on the football team and a baseball umpire, it got to be too much for the former Eisenhower kicker.

"I love coaching soccer and coaching these girls, but it didn't leave time for my family," Polmounter said. "I didn't see how I could continue coaching and still be there as a husband and father. It got to be too much."

Harold Strauss might not be done as football coach at Colton High School after all.

Strauss, who retired this past season to take on full-time duties as athletic director, is thinking seriously about throwing his hat back in the ring as football coach after issues arose in the hiring of his successor.

"We had 21 applicants, but we just laid off 141 teachers as a school district," Strauss said. "It's hard to hire a coach to a teaching position and justify it with that going on. It just might not be the right time to leave this position."

The Colton Unified School District is redrafting the ad for the position. Depending on the verbiage of the position, Strauss said he's "70-30" in favor of reapplying.

"I think I would have to reapply because the job has already been flown, but I don't know for sure," Strauss said. "Depending on what the school district releases, I'm interested in coming back. The new school opens in the fall of 2011 and when that happens, teaching jobs will come back and hopefully that will make things easier. But it might be a situation where an extra year or two is necessary."

One of the more notable basketball coaches in the county is stepping down, as Redlands boys basketball coach Brad Scott announced his retirement Wednesday night at the Terriers' postseason banquet. Scott took over the Terriers in 2001 and has won at least 20 games a season for the past seven seasons, including a 20-7 mark this past season.

Kevin Trudgeon's article in the Daily Facts can be accessed here. In working with Scott the last three seasons, I always found him to be extremely accessible and friendly, win or lose. The next coach at Redlands will definitely have some sizable shoes to fit into.

The search for Colton's next football coach is close to reaching its next stage according to Yellowjackets athletic director Harold Strauss. The job, which opened at the end of January, will say open until Tuesday, with interviews set to take place shortly after.

"It's going well," Strauss said. "I wasn't sure how much interest we'd get because of the economy, but we have a good list going. We have 2 or 3 out-of-staters -- one from South Carolina and a couple more from the East Coast -- which is surprising."

Along with the coaching position, Strauss indicated that senior cornerback Jonathan Mack will likely take official visits to Southern Miss and South Dakota State. Mack, who committed to UNLV, has not signed yet, as the Rebels are looking to see if scholarship room can be cleared for him. In the interim, Mack is pursuing other options.

Also, junior linebacker Rodney Hardrick is receiving heavy interest from USC, Oregon and Boise State according to Strauss, with the Trojans expected to offer a scholarship at their junior day later this month.

The Yucaipa football job, vacated with the removal of John Hallenbeck, will be advertised next week according to athletic director Mark Anderson. The job will be open to all applicants, with applicants within the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint School District receiving first consideration.

"We'll be opening it up pretty soon and see what kind of interest is out there," Anderson said.

The athletic director also shed a bit of light on the timetable in the removal of Hallenbeck, who was an assistant at Yucaipa before taking on the head coaching job two years ago and who remains a teacher at Yucaipa High. The decision to part ways was made late last week after a postseason review process.

"The athletic department ran its end-of-the-season review and the decision was made not to renew (Hallenbeck) as football coach," Anderson said. "John is a good person and it was a tough decision to make, but we decided that we needed to part ways."

Yucaipa football coach John Hallenbeck is out at coach of Yucaipa after two seasons, according to Hallenbeck. The coach did not go into details when I got a hold of him a couple of minutes ago, as he confirmed his departure and denied comment after that.

"There's too much going on right now and I can't say anything at this moment," Hallenbeck said. "Maybe it's something I'll be willing to discuss later, but not now."

Hallenbeck was 11-10 in two seasons with the Thunderbirds after taking over for Scott Pearne, advancing to the playoffs in 2008 and going 5-5 this past season. Yucaipa had a chance to make a fourth straight playoff appearance this fall, but fell to Carter 28-7 in the season finale.

In the midst of call-in chaos tonight I got a call from Rialto Unified School District Director of Communications Syeda Jafri saying that Don Markham has been approved to be the next Rialto football coach by the RUSD school board. So the double-wing genius is officially back. Clay Fowler will have a story on it in tomorrow's Sun.

According to Rialto Unified School District's Director of Communications Syeda Jafri, legendary coach Don Markham will be named the next football coach at Rialto High School pending school board approval.

"It's on the agenda for the school board meeting on Jan. 13," Jafri said. "Don Markham's name has been submitted for the job."

Markham, who has won 309 games and five CIF championships during an illustrious high school football coaching career, will be making his second stop at Rialto High. He coached the Knights in 2000-2001, leading Rialto to a 13-9 record and the only two playoff berths in the school's history. He left for a six-year stint at Bloomington before spending the 2008 season coaching American Sports University in San Bernardino to a 10-4 record.

More on this to come.

Arrowhead Christian coach Wayne Cochrun has retired after five years with the Eagles and 40 years of coaching overall according to a press release sent out by ACA Wednesday morning.

Cochrun compiled a 191-183-3 overall record during his career, which saw him coach at Riverside Notre Dame, Santa Ana Mater Dei and Riverside Rubidoux along with ACA. Cochrun helped revive the Eagle program during the last five seasons, leading it to a 17-34 record - with 11 of those wins coming in the past two seasons. Cochrun led ACA to the playoffs in 2008 - earning the Christian League's coach of the year.

"He's been instrumental in turning our program around," ACA athletic director Richard Yaross said in the release. "It's been a pleasure having him here. He's returned our program to respectability and we're all going to miss him."

ACA is conducting its search for its new coach currently, with all inquiries to be directed to Yaross at ryaross@arrowheadchristian.com or at (909) 793-0601 ext. 185.

As far as longtime Victor Valley coach Leland Eudy was concerned, it was time for a change. The 56-year-old Eudy, who has been coaching in the High Desert since 1974, retired from coaching after the Jackrabbits' season-ending loss to Ridgecrest Burroughs Nov. 13.

Eudy had spent 35 years alternating between Victor Valley High School and Victor Valley College, spending 19 seasons as head coach of the Jackrabbits over three stints. Eudy started his most recent stint at VVHS in 2000, also heading the Jackrabbits from 1983-87 and 1990-93.

"It's time for a younger man with new ideas to come in here," Eudy said. "I told the players before the season that this would be my last season and wanted to keep it quiet besides that. I just came to the conclusion that this school and program needed a shot in the arm and some new ideas."

Eudy gave Victor Valley a shot in the arm in his final season. While the Jackrabbits were eliminated from the playoffs in the finale to Burroughs, but accumulated a 7-3 record and won two rivalry games -- The Bell Game over Apple Valley and The Axe against Barstow.

Eudy, who will remain at VVHS as a social studies teacher, has no regrets about leaving coaching.
"I've been blessed with a great life and have met a ton of people through coaching," Eudy said. "These past 35 years have given me lots of great memories and lots of lasting relationships. I'm lucky to have experienced as much as I have."

The Rialto Unified School District decided earlier this week not to renew the contract of Rialto High football coach Eric Rodriguez according to RUSD's Public Information Officer Syeda Jafri.

"Mr. Rodriguez was on a seasonal year-to-year contract and the prinicipal decided to take the football program in another direction," Jafri said. "Mr. Rodriguez is a valued employee and we appreciate the effort he has put out, but the decision was made to go in another direction."

Rodriguez coached the Knights for three years, accumulating a 3-27 record. Ironically, his last game - a 23-7 victory over Fontana High School this past Friday - was his first Citrus Belt League win. Attempts to reach Rodriguez for comment have been unsuccessful to this point.

As for the new coach, RUSD is accepting applications until next Wednesday according to Jafri. The applications will be evaluated after the Thanksgiving holiday.

San Bernardino High School girls basketball coach Damian Staricka has been put on administrative leave by the San Bernardino Unified School District according to Linda Bardere, the district's Director of Communications.

Cassandra Williams has been named the interim coach while Staricka is on leave, which is the result of an internal investigation according to Bardere.

"The investigation is a personnel matter that is separate from his duties as a basketball coach," Bardere said. "He's been put on leave until that investigation concludes and he is re-evaluated."

Bardere did not know when Staricka was placed on leave. At Tuesday's school board meeting, a personnel report indicated that Staricka had been approved as a coach at SBHS for the 2009-10 season as part of a standard annual review by the school district.

Former San Bernardino High School defensive assistant coach Jeff Bees was in front of the San Bernardino Unified School District School Board on Tuesday night, trying to figure out why he was fired as a volunteer assistant coach last Wednesday.

Bees, a 1989 Cajon High School graduate, was removed due to allegations of depriving kids of water and because of derogatory remarks -- both charges that Bees, 37, denied.

Hesperia High School will hire Jeremy Topete as its next head football coach, pending school board approval at the upcoming meeting on May 18.

Topete, 36, served two stints as an assistant coach for the Scorpions, most recently as a wide receivers coach this past season. He was also an assistant for the Scorpions in 2005.

"I'm excited," said Topete, a University of La Verne graduate said. "We have a good thing going here at Hesperia and I'm looking to keep it going and build on what we have. We just had our first spring practice (Monday) and I'm just ready to get started."

Topete replaces Robert Kistner, the 2007 All-Sun Coach of the Year, who left to take the head job at brand-new Oak Hills High School. The Scorpions compiled a 21-3 record over the last two seasons under Kistner, including a school-record 11 victories and a Mojave River League title this past season.

"We have a lot of seniors out there who are hungry to keep the MRL title and win "The Key" for a third straight year," Topete said. "Everyone in the program has high expectations and we feel we have the parts in place to do those things."

Prior to his stints at Hesperia, Topete served as an assistant at San Dimas High School and Chaffey College. He was a quarterback coach at San Dimas from 1998-2000 before spending a four-year stint at Chaffey -- one as a QB coach and three as a running backs coach.

After spending a year at Hesperia, Topete went back to Chaffey as the offensive coordinator in 2006-07, a move he said was important in preparing him for a job like Hesperia's.

"It was a great opportunity I couldn't pass up," Topete said of the Chaffey offensive coordinator job. "It really helped me become a better coach and a better teacher. Our main goal is to not only teach kids plays and techniques, but why we run them a specific way."

Topete said that the Scorpions will be running a lot of the single-back formations that they did under Kistner while looking to free up senior wide receiver Jay Waddell -- an all-Sun second-team selection a year ago.

Had a brief conversation with Jeremy Topete, who confirmed to me that he will be the next head football coach at Hesperia High School pending approval by the Hesperia Unified School District. According to a quick Google search, Topete has been an assistant at Chaffey College.

We'll have more later.

Aquinas wasted very little time filling its head football coaching position, hiring Nick Matheny Tuesday to replace Josh Henderson, who left to take the job at Los Angeles Baptist last Friday.

Matheny, a 2002 graduate of Fontana High School, has been an assistant coach at Aquinas since 2004, mostly coaching the offensive and defensive lines while serving as defensive coordinator. He has also been a full-time physical education teacher at the school.

"Nick is a good young coach and I think he's the perfect guy to keep this going," said Aquinas athletic director Chris Ybarra, who is also a Fohi graduate. "We have a pretty good thing going here and Nick keeps the stability."

He also continues the Fohi legacy at Aquinas, as Ybarra and Henderson, a 1993 graduate, were also Steelers. Matheny hopes to continue a lot of what Henderson - who won two CIF titles and won the last two Christian League titles - has established at Aquinas.

"Josh did a great job and I really am thankful that he recommended me," said Matheny, a Cal State San Bernardino graduate. "I want to continue the emphasis of hard work and Christian ideals that this program has established and am I dedicated toward keeping Aquinas as a winning program."

A more detailed story will be published in Thursday's Sun.

Aquinas football coach Josh Henderson, who has led the Falcons to two CIF titles in his career, resigned from Aquinas Thursday to take the head coaching job at North Hills Los Angeles Baptist.

Henderson, who won CIF titles in his first season in 2000 and in 2005, took the L.A. Baptist job because it included a full-time physical education teaching position, something that Aquinas could not offer him. He broke the news to his players this morning.

"It was an unbelieveably tough decision," Henderson said. "Aquinas is a great place filled with some of the best kids you'll find. It will be hard to leave them, but it would have been even harder had I been on campus. I missed teaching and LA Baptist provides that opportunity."

Henderson leaves behind a loaded squad for the next Falcon coach. His younger brother Jake, who will be a senior, was a first-team All-Sun selection at linebacker last season while his nephew, incoming senior wide receiver Jim Jones, led the county in receptions and receiving yards en route to first-team All-Sun honors.

Henderson was also a standout linebacker under Dick Bruich in Fontana, graduating in 1993. Look for a more detailed story in Saturday's Sun.

Hesperia football coach Robert Kistner comfirmed just now his plans to leave Hesperia High School - where he coached the last six seasons - to take the job at brand-new Oak Hills High School, which will open its doors this fall. It was supposed to be approved at a school board meeting today, but the meeting was postponed. But pending board approval, Kistner will be the first coach of the Bulldogs.

"It'll be an exciting challenge to open up a new school," said Kistner, who was the 2007 All-Sun Coach of the Year. "It's going to be a big challenge, but it's something that will be fun to do. The opportunity to start your own program is something that I'm excited about."

Kistner leaves Hesperia after six seasons, including a 2008 one where the Scorpions went 11-1 and won the Mojave River League championship, setting a school record for victories in a season in the process. Kistner compiled a 43-22 record in his tenure at Hesperia, including a 21-3 mark and first-round playoff victories in each of the last two seasons.

"I had a great run at Hesperia and this move has nothing to do with any ill feelings toward that school," Kistner said. "I enjoyed my time there a great bit and it meant a lot to me personally."

Kistner was hired by Oak Hills athletic director Darren Goodman, who is also leaving Hesperia for the new high school. Tuesday's Sun will have a more detailed story.

Arrowhead Christian girls basketball coach Barbara Grainge is leaving the school to become the head women's coach at College of the Desert, according to ACA athletic director Richard Yaross.

Grainge, who turned ACA into a consistent contender in the Christian League, announced the decision to Yaross last week.

"Barbara did a great job in this program, but she felt it was time to move on," Yaross said. "It's a disappointing loss and I hate to see her go. We've won four or five league titles and been to the semifinals a couple of times under her, so it'll be tough to fill her shoes."

The open position will be a walk-on position that will first be floated within the school before it is opened up to out-of-school candidates.

Former Eisenhower High School football coach John Rice, who resigned in December after three years coaching the Eagles, has found a home on Jeff Steinberg's staff at Miller, joining the staff as a defensive assistant.

"Jeff and I have talked in the past about being on the same staff together if the opportunity presented itself and it was something we were both interested in," Rice said. "He's done a great job of building that program and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Rice, who has served as a defensive coordinator in previous coaching stops, has worked with Steinberg before, albeit briefly. Rice assisted the Miller defensive staff when Steinberg coached the San Bernardino All-Stars in the 2008 Inland Empire All-Star football classic.

Eisenhower coach John Rice resigned as head football coach because of a desire to spend more time with his family. The resignation was tendered last week according to Rice.

"I made the best decision for myself and my family," Rice said. "The Eisenhower administration, faculty, staff, and students are a fantastic group of people, I wish them the best. At this point, I'll probably seek an assistant coaching position somewhere."

Rice, 47, has been in coaching for 25 years, starting in the San Diego area. He spent time in the Denver area, as a defensive coordinator at Louisville Trinity High School - one of the premier programs in the nation - in Indiana and as a defensive coordinator at Moreno Valley Canyon Springs High School in 2004-05. He became the head coach at Eisenhower, leading the Eagles to an 11-19 record.

Ike was 1-9 in his first season in 2006 and 5-5 the last two years. The Eagles have increased their league victories in every season under Rice, going from 1 in '06 to 2 in '07 to three this past season.

There will be a more in-depth story in Wednesday's Sun.