Crespi Alum Fauria Returns Guiding a Team on the Rise

Lance Fauria, who played football at Crespi High and went north in search of his first head coaching job, has his team headed in the same direction.

In his first season at Santa Maria St. Joseph, Fauria has guided the Knights to a 2-1 record entering a nonleague game against St. Bonaventure (3-0) at 7 tonight at Ventura High.

“I’m paying my dues right now, and I think we’ve got a good thing going,” said Fauria, 34, who graduated from Crespi in 1983 and went on to an injury-plagued career as a tight end at Washington.

Nine knee surgeries derailed aspirations of playing professionally like his younger brother Christian, a tight end with the Seattle Seahawks.

Inspired by mentors like Bill Redell and Don James, his coaches at Crespi and Washington, Fauria decided to go into coaching.

“It was definitely something I was interested in,” said Fauria, who was offensive coordinator at Chaminade last season.

St. Joseph, which finished 5-5 and was 1-4 in the Los Padres League last year, began this season with victories over Santa Maria and Bishop Diego before losing to highly regarded San Luis Obispo last week.

The Knights are ranked No. 10 in Southern Section Division X.

“The progress has been great,” Fauria said. “We’re headed in the right direction, and the entire community has really gotten behind us.”

The Santa Maria community has long included the family of Mark Brunell, quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars and a St. Joseph graduate.

Brunell’s father, former athletic director at St. Joseph, hired Fauria. Mark’s brother, Matt Brunell, is the wide receivers and defensive backs coach for the Knights.

“It’s great,” Fauria said. “He wants to watch the Jaguars and I want to watch the Seahawks.

“So I just say, ‘Why don’t you come on over to my house and we’ll just watch both of them.’ ”