Morfin named new coach

GLENDALE — Tino Morfin figured one job interview would be sufficient. He never counted on receiving two concerning different positions in the same school district.

Morfin did and he’s awfully glad that he’ll hold down two separate jobs at Crescenta Valley High beginning in the fall.

Morfin will teach Spanish and serve as the new boys’ soccer coach. He succeeds Randy Lilavois, who taught English at Crescenta Valley before resigning in early June so he could concentrate on obtaining his master’s degree.

The 28-year-old Morfin, who previously coached at L.A. Jordan in Watts during the 2005-06 season, said he originally applied for the teaching position. Then he saw another position that had just opened that intrigued him.

“I just applied to be a Spanish teacher,” said Morfin, who also served as an assistant boys’ soccer coach at L.A. Lincoln from 1999-2004. “Then I saw that they were looking for a new soccer coach.

“[The school administration] told me they needed a new coach and I said that would be great. I had put down on my resumé that I had also coached soccer, just in case. So, I had two separate interviews in two weeks.”

While Morfin prepares his lesson plans for the classroom, he said he’s also looking forward to the upcoming soccer season that will begin in late November or early December.

“It’s a great chance for me to teach and coach,” said Morfin, who taught Spanish at Sierra High in Baldwin Park. “I’ve learned a lot from coaching clinics, and it’s very exciting to already be planning training sessions.”

He will inherit a program that advanced to the playoffs last winter for the first time since 2001. The Falcons went 12-9-6 and 5-4-6 in the Pacific League for fourth place.

Crescenta Valley posted a 3-0 league home win against Muir in a play-in match.

That set the stage for a trip to the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs, in which the Falcons beat host Santa Ynez, 1-1 (6-5), in a wild-card match. They saw their season end with a 2-0 road loss to Paramount in a first-round contest.

In Lilavois’ two years with the program, the Falcons went 20-23-7 and 7-11-7.

Lilavois, who recently accepted the South Pasadena High girls’ varsity soccer coaching job, said he chose not to teach at Crescenta Valley anymore so he could pursue his second master’s degree.

“I still wanted to coach, but I also want to go for the degree,” said Lilavois, who will continue to coach several Crescenta Valley Soccer Club teams. “The players and parents at Crescenta Valley didn’t want me to leave, and I had a lot of support from them.

“I’d love to see them make the playoffs next year.”

Crescenta Valley assistant principal Peter Kim said Morfin proved to be an ideal candidate for the vacant coaching job.

“We looked to find a teacher who could also coach,” Kim said about Morfin, who was hired in early July. “He comes to us with a very strong soccer background, and he came with a very strong recommendation.

“He’s got a wealth of soccer knowledge and he’ll be a great fit.”

Morfin played sweeper for three years at Lincoln before competing collegiately at Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

He said that defense will be his primary focus in shaping the Falcons next season.

“My philosophy is to start from the goalkeeper and work your way out,” Morfin said. “If you can’t defend, you can’t win.

“I’m not going to promise a championship, but we will strive to win every game.”

 CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228 or charles.rich@latimes.com.