Column: Two veteran coaches fired from their old schools are on the verge of winning championships
If it’s December, it’s time to fire a high school football coach for failing to live up to expectations. Or it’s time for a coach to resign. Or it’s time for a principal to announce, “We’re going in a different direction.”
Yes, high school football has become not so different than college or the pros. Winning keeps your job. Losing puts you in a vulnerable position.
So it’s only fitting that two previously fired football coaches, Dean Herrington and Jim Kunau, are on the verge of winning CIF state championships next weekend while coaching at Lancaster Paraclete and Temecula Rancho Christian, respectively.
It’s almost laughable to think someone fired them. But it happened. Herrington got the boot at the end of last season at Mission Hills Alemany, where he won seven consecutive league titles, took his team to the Division 1 semifinals twice and produced the likes of Steven Mitchell (USC), Vernon Adams (Oregon) and Devin Ross (Colorado).
Kunau was fired five years ago from Orange Lutheran, where he had coached for 19 years and won a Division I championship and state Division II bowl game in 2006.
Both had teams miss the Division I playoffs for two consecutive seasons, and both were dealing with new administrations seeking, perhaps, a different vision.
“It’s the world we live in now,” Kunau said.
Orange Lutheran announced last week that Kunau’s successor, the highly respected Chuck Petersen, would not be returning after five seasons. Westlake Village Westlake fired Tony Henney after two seasons. Henney won three Southern Section titles at Ojai Nordhoff and Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills.
As of this past weekend, there were 29 head coach openings in Southern California, according to Chris Fore, who keeps track of the openings. There were 118 last season. Expect the openings to grow.
Herrington said he still has “no idea” why he was let go at Alemany, but he’s grateful Paraclete immediately hired him. The Spirits will play for the Division 3-AA championship on Saturday at Antelope Valley College against Atherton Menlo-Atherton.
“We’re having a great time,” Herrington said. “The kids bought in and are working super hard.”
Herrington, known more for his offensive strategies, is also serving as defensive coordinator this season.
“It’s been a tiring season,” he said. “I’m definitely going to have a defensive coordinator next season.”
Of course, he’s getting moral help and a little advice from his brothers, Mike, the head coach at Newhall Hart, and Rick, his former defensive coordinator.
Kunau also seems to have found a new home at Rancho Christian, having created the program from scratch three years ago. He’s also the co-executive director of the K-12 school, meaning it will be hard to fire himself.
“I think I might get a one-year extension,” he said. “I’ll have to talk with the other executive director.”
Rancho Christian is set to play Sutter Creek Amador for the 6-AA championship on Saturday at Murrieta Mesa.
Kunau said he understands what coaches are facing.
“It’s certainly a challenge,” he said. “I feel for a lot of coaches in high-profile places.”
So prepare for more resignations and firings. But also remember there could be a good coach or two emerging from the annual coaching demolition derby.
Twitter: latsondheimer
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
