O’Connell to Coach Football at Tesoro

Tesoro High School, which will open this fall in the Capistrano Unified School District, has named Jim O’Connell as football coach, Principal Dan Burch announced Wednesday.

O’Connell was defensive line coach at Capistrano Valley last season, his 18th season coaching high school football. O’Connell, who graduated from Pacifica High, Golden West College and Long Beach State, spent nine years coaching at Fountain Valley, five at Aliso Niguel and three at San Bernardino Pacific.

Burch also announced the hiring of John Gipe as coach of the boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams.

For the last 20 years, Gipe has coached the girls’ team at Capistrano Valley. His teams won more than 200 matches and six South Coast League titles. He also was boys’ coach at Capistrano Valley from 1982 to 1989.

Tesoro will field junior varsity and freshman teams during the next academic year and begin varsity play in fall 2002.