Recently in Nick Matheny Category

I realize I probably haven't mentioned all of these on this blog, so here are the changes announced this week in area football coaches

Marcos Fino takes over at Bloomington, replacing Tommy Conner, who stepped down after the season. Fino had been an assistant at Bloomington. He had also been an assistant at one point at Yucaipa, where he graduated from.

Josh Henderson took over the Aquinas program as an ambitious 25-year old. When he left this spring, he had led the Falcons to two CIF titles, several Christian League titles and had established Aquinas as arguably one of the most consistent forces in the county since Henderson's alma mater - Fontana High School - was in the middle of its run under legendary coach Dick Bruich.

Henderson is now at Los Angeles Baptist and Aquinas is going back to the 25-year old Fohi well, as assistant coach Nick Matheny assumed the reigns shortly after Henderson left. And with a Falcon team that has won two Christian League titles at his disposal, expectations are high.

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.