Former San Francisco sports talk show host Ralph Barbieri was famous for uttering the phrase “two things can be equally truly.”
Such a narrative can also apply to the St. Helena High football coaching staff. For openers, the staff is even more chock full of bright football minds -- and it already had plenty. Secondly, varsity head coach Brandon Farrell went from having no JV coaches to having coaches with varsity experience.
Farrell added Steve Vargus to his staff as the varsity defensive coordinator to go along with Matt Cia, Sam Licina and Will Densberger. Those three have been with Farrell since his first season in 2008. Vargus is widely known for his defenses leading Justin-Siena to six CIF North Coast Section titles in his 16 seasons paired with former Braves head coach Rich Cotruvo. Vargus also coached at Vanden, Vintage and Terra Linda.
Farrell confirmed that Ian MacMillan will teach math at St. Helena High and be the JV football head coach. The JV staff will also comprise Donnie Taylor and staff returnee Justin Kludy along with newcomers Richard Hoppe and Bobby Garrison. Hoppe, who is a 2013 St. Helena High graduate and former three-sport star, recently returned to St. Helena after graduating from Boise State University, where he played baseball for four years. Hoppe will help on both the JV and varsity staffs. Also pleasing to Farrell, he has four coaches that double as teachers at St. Helena High. Licina, Kludy, MacMillan and Farrell are also part of the St. Helena faculty. Farrell also teaches math. In his first stint coaching at St. Helena high, MacMillan taught math at Robert Louis stevenson Middle school.
The JV staff became a huge priority when David Bos resigned at the end of last season. Bos, who was the Saints JV head coach since 2014, is relocating to his home state of Michigan.
Having known MacMillan and Taylor for nearly 20 years, I can honestly tell you that Christmas arrived seven months early for Farrell. MacMillan has two stints as varsity coach, going 21-11 from 2004-2006 at St. Helena and 25-10 from 2011-2013 at American Canyon. MacMillan has also been a varsity assistant (2007-2009 and 2014-2016 both at Napa). He was also a JV head coach (1999, 2001-2003 at Justin; 2010 at American Canyon) going a combined 44-15-1. MacMillan was part of the entire Napa High staff that resigned along with former Indians head coach Troy Mott amid an alleged hazing incident.
Taylor has Upvalley roots that run deep as he is regarded as one of the best athletes Calistoga High has ever produced. The 1991 Calistoga graduated played five sports as a Wildcat before playing football at Butte Community College (Oroville, CA) and Texas Tech. Since returning to the Napa Valley, Taylor spent two different stints coaching Calistoga High along with the town’s youth football program, the Calistoga Cubs. He also coached the Carpy Gang, which is St. Helena’s youth program.
Taylor was the Calistoga High defensive coordinator in 2012-2013, during which time the Wildcats went 14-7 with back-to-back NCS Div. V playoff appearances.
With MacMillan and Taylor leading the JV staff, you are getting two tremendous teachers of the game. When I was a sports reporter in the newspaper industry, I seldom watched teams practice because of pre-occupation of giving other sports not named football their recognition. MacMillan and Taylor both played the game at the high school level, in Taylor’s case at the Div. I college level. However, I don’t given as much credence as some to their playing experience and how it translates to coaching. There are a zillion coaches that played the game but are lost in articulating their knowledge.
MacMillan and Taylor, however, are as good as you will find in teaching the game -- and both things are equally true.
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