Contreras Succeeds Reardon as Rio Mesa Football Coach

George Contreras, a former head football coach at Westlake High for 11 years, has been named coach at Rio Mesa, succeeding John Reardon, who resigned in January after 26 seasons.

Contreras, 46, who served as an assistant at Rio Mesa the past five seasons, was a natural selection to replace Reardon, who hinted about retirement before the start of last season.

Contreras led Westlake to a 58-57 record from 1978-88, and his teams won a Frontier League championship in 1979 and Marmonte League titles in 1980 and ’82. Before joining Westlake, Contreras was an assistant at Thousand Oaks for eight years.

“Obviously, being here was a big plus in terms of just knowing the kids and the coaches who were on hand,” said Contreras, who has taught government at Rio Mesa since 1989. “There are a lot of things about being a head coach that are attractive.”

Contreras will face a rebuilding job. Rio Mesa (6-4 overall) finished fifth in the Channel League last season at 3-4 and failed to qualify for the Southern Section Division III playoffs.

The departure of Reardon, who compiled a 154-119-4 record over parts of four decades, created one of four coaching vacancies. Three other coaches left the program for unrelated personal reasons, Contreras said.

“One of the first things to do right now is to rebuild the staff,” Contreras said.

The Spartans last qualified for the Southern Section playoffs in 1991 and have not won a league title since 1985.

Rio Mesa won a section title under Reardon in 1971.