By Eric Terrazas, SGVN
twitter.com/WhittierPreps

St. Paul High School named Rick Zepeda as its new football coach, according to school officials.

Zepeda will take over a Swordsmen team that went 1-9 overall and 0-5 in the Mission League last season.

The Swordsmen, who were ranked No. 1 in the Daily News preseason poll, had gone into 2012 with high expectations. But they struggled through a dismal year that resulted in the firing of head coach Elijah Asante during the season.

Casey Morales, the school’s athletic director, took over the head coaching duties and finished the season.

Zepeda, who graduated from St. Paul in 1988, previously served as head coach at El Rancho for four years (2008-11) before working as the defensive coordinator at St. John Bosco last season.

Read more:  High School Football: St. Paul names Rick Zepeda as new coach