There is a commonly uttered adage of “you can never go home again.”
Just don’t tell that to newly hired Vintage High varsity football head coach Dylan Leach. Vintage’s hiring of the 42-year old Leach was confirmed in Sunday’s online edition of the Napa Valley Register. On March 30, Kyle Hofmann resigned after three seasons amid allegations that he provided supplements (specifically Creatine) to players that can legally be purchased at stores but per the California Interscholastic Federation, coaches are prohibited to provide to players.
Though I like Hofmann personally and wish him the best, I do not want to get into why he is no longer there because I don’t believe that is my place. The coaching vacancy was advertised on EdJoin.com. Leach’s hiring did not become official even sooner because it was pending Napa Valley Unified School District school board approval. The job closed on April 12. The board approved the hire at a meeting on Thursday evening, April 21. The Register also reported that Vintage High principal Mike Pearson hopes to have a teaching position available for Leach this fall.
Though he has donned the Blue & Gold of archrival Napa the past five years as the Indians defensive coordinator under head coach Troy Mott, Leach has Burgundy & Gold coursing through his veins. Leach graduated from Vintage in 1992. He was on the varsity coaching staff from 2003-2009 under Les Franco and Billy Smith. Leach served as defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, strength and conditioning coordinator and defensive backs coach. He was also the JV defensive coordinator for three seasons.
As a player, Leach was All-Monticello Empire League, All-Napa County, most inspirational player, team MVP and captain in 1991 for Vintage as an outside linebacker-tight end. He played two years for Solano Community College at inside linebacker, was a team captain and All-Bay Valley Conference.
Vintage High’s administration appeared to have their guy in mind all along and he was the leader in the clubhouse. There are two ways to look at that. On the downside, you could say, did Vintage move too fast without looking at other options? On the plus side, you could say, Vintage knew what it wanted, saw that its ideal choice was right under its nose so why not move fast to snatch him up?
The easy angle for saying this is a good hire is that Leach is an alum. That quality is an easy sell to initially get parents, alums, boosters, etc. on board but that alone does not make someone a good hire.
Leach will have his challenges. Some parents expressed their displeasure with Hofmann’s departure on social media and presumably some kids echoed those sentiments. However, I would not view that as a concern because a) Kids are more resilient than you think and b) Leach knows Vintage High football history. He could tell you about Crusher legends like David Illsley, Steve Buccellato, Sean LaChapelle and Conrad Alvarez just to name a few. That knowledge alone is worth credibility points.
He steps into to lead a program that has been middling for most of the past decade and a half. As far as the Monticello Empire League hierarchy, the Crushers have been a ‘tweener: not good enough to be Napa or Vacaville but not bad enough to be Armijo. Vintage has not won a playoff game since 1986, when Leach was a ball-boy.
Vintage has tried numerous approaches in its coaching hires. They went with the experienced approach three times: Dave Shipp (1991 and 2011) and Les Franco (2000). Jim Costan (1995) was the younger, fresh face from outside the program. Smith was promoted after years of being the JV coach after Franco stepped down in 2006. Hofmann was technically an outsider from Arizona but was a Crusher by osmosis. Hofmann and his family lived in Napa and grew up going to Vintage games before moving to Arizona when he was 11.
The good news is that Leach does not inherit a program that needs reconstructive surgery. However, it is important for Vintage followers to remember that it is going to take time and stability to reach Napa and Vacaville’s level. Hofmann appeared to be the man to give them the latter but because of certain events, things played out differently. I would also contend that when and if (hopefully the former) Vintage becomes elite, Hofmann will have had some sweat equity in the Crushers’ future success.
Leach’s hiring also makes the Napa-Vintage football rivalry more compelling, something it hasn’t been on the field lately. Napa has won all but one head-to-head meeting since 2002, most have been in decisive fashion. The lone Crusher win came in 2005.
I have no doubt that Leach is ready to be a head coach after nearly two decades of laboring in the vines as an assistant. Since my beats were outside of the City of Napa, I only saw and/or interacted with Leach occasionally but I know the man well enough to say that he leads and speaks with conviction. That quality will serve him well.
The wild card is which assistant coaches does he add to his staff? I can’t speak for him but surely he would covet members of the Napa staff he is leaving. The question is, would anyone of them join him? How much of Hofmann’s staff does he keep?
Though most people fixate on head coaches, assistant coaches are vital. On a local level, I know you won’t get any argument on the matter from the active Napa Valley football head coaches: Troy Mott (Napa), Rich Cotruvo (Justin-Siena), Larry Singer (American Canyon), Brandon Farrell (St. Helena) and Mike Ervin (Calistoga).
Looking back at Vintage Crusher history, look no further than the man that pioneered the program, Burl Autry. Talk to any ardent Crusher fan and they will tell you how much Autry valued having quality assistants.
Welcome home, Dylan. The same room you once had in the house is still yours.
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