On facing former schools ..
“Bishop Amat is a high school that I love, JW North is a school that I love, St. Paul is a school that I love,” Paredes said. “I would not go and seek playing them only because you have mixed emotions. Let me put it this way, if I have to play them, I will play them. If I don’t have to play them, I won’t play them.”
By Aram Tolegian
Story: Mark Paredes, who coached Bishop Amat to arguably its best-ever season in 1992, was named the new varsity football head coach at Damien High School on Thursday.
Paredes, who spent the past three seasons as the head coach at JW North in Riverside, replaces Greg Gano, who resigned in December after four seasons at the school. Gano has since been named head coach at Tustin.
“I toyed with the idea and really didn’t think I was in the ballpark, and finally it came to fruition,” Paredes said of being hired. “It’s one of those things that everything came to be in place. They wanted me and I wanted them, and I decided that it was a good situation. I’m excited about building a program and continuing the Damien tradition.”
After leading Amat to California’s first-ever 15-0 season in 1992, which included a CIF championship and a win in the now-defunct Reebok Bowl, Paredes left in 1994.