In Jesus we trust.
Such is the narrative at Napa High as of Wednesday afternoon. To put it charitably, the situation in the public domain surrounding Napa Indians football has been a hot mess. The hiring of Jesus Martinez as the Indians’ next football coach, however, signifies the bleeding getting stopped before it hemorrhaged.
The news broke both in traditional media (Napa Valley Register) and social media on Wednesday afternoon.
The program has been saddled with alleged hazing incidents and a subsequent power struggle between former head coach Troy Mott and the school’s administration. Without rehashing too many old details, the members of the coaching staff were cleared of any role they had pertaining to negligence to the alleged incident. However, the coaches were told they would have to reapply for their jobs but administration and school board would have the final say on which coaches were rehired. Such did not sit well with Mott, which led to his resignation and the remainder of the coaching staff. Keep in mind, most football coaches re-evaluate their staff at the end of the season anyhow. At recent school board meetings, vocal parents and community members went nuclear.
Martinez’s hiring was recommended by both principal Annie Petrie along with Mott and is pending school approval. The next meeting is June 1. The announcement of Martinez’s hiring also comes about a week after school officials said they would cancel the season at varsity, JV and freshmen levels if they did not land a coach by June 15.
Such a scenario would fall into the “if you think they are mad now, just wait” category. That look would have been horrendously bad. Thankfully, it appears we don’t have to look at that landscape.
Martinez has Blue & Gold coursing through his veins having been on the Indians coaching staff since 2006, nine as offensive coordinator for the JV and last season as JV head coach. Martinez, who played quarterback for an Indians team that reached the CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. I semifinals in 2003, graduated in 2004 and currently works as a police officer at Napa State Hospital. Martinez, who is known as “Chuy,” has scheduled a meeting with prospective student-athletes and parents for Thursday evening.
Mott will reportedly have a role in the program, presumably as a consultant/mentor to Martinez. If true, that role will be significant because as JV coach going straight to varsity, Martinez is jumping into the deep part of the sea. He needs the room to learn how to swim but having a lifeline like Mott as a line of defense is a plus.
In a letter to parents, Petrie stated that six candidates were offered the job, two internal and four external, all of which declined. The situation was so bad that parents of players had been contacting other schools in the Napa Valley about the possibility of transferring. There is no telling if anyone transferred but the fact that they contemplated such is very telling.
Thomas Sims, who will be the athletic director beginning in 2017-2018 replacing interim AD Kelly Van winden, told the Register that all of the coaches (on and off campus) are eligible to reapply to be on Martinez’s staff. With Martinez leading the way, some may have a change of heart.
There was a “circle back to Mott” crowd but I doubt that was ever realistic. Hiring Martinez was the best and most realistic choice the program could have made. Former assistants Ian MacMillan and Kirk Anderson each have varsity head coaching experience and would have been ideal replacements but have since joined the coaching staffs of St. Helena and American Canyon respectively.
What outsider in his right mind would step into an incendiary situation that also involved replacing a coach that went 94-35, leading the Indians to Northern California and state rankings? Not to mention, he would draw constant comparisons to Mott. Napa won five Monticello Empire League titles and the 2007 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title under Mott.
I know high school vs. college vs. professional is a different ball of wax but would you want to follow Nick Saban as Alabama football coach? Would you want to follow Mike Krzyzewski as Duke basketball coach? Would you want to coach the New England Patriots after Bill Belichick retires? Would you want to be the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs after Gregg Popovich retires? The answer to all of the above is, if you are an outsider, heck no.
The main point I bring up is, the best way to replace a highly successful coach like Mott is to do so with an assistant coach, especially if he is an alum. Martinez knows what he is walking into, he knows the lay of the land, and he knows the community. All of those things, give him built-in equity.
Look no further than Justin-Siena High, which mutually parted ways with Rich Cotruvo after 19 seasons. Sounds to me like he got Jim Harbaugh-ed but I digress. Brandon LaRocco, like Martinez, is an alum and former player at his school. Sure, the Braves going 3-7 in LaRocco’s first season was not a good look but a promoted assistant is not going to get eaten alive like an outsider will. You can be an outsider replacing a coach that was terrible and if you don’t succeed, it won’t be a black mark.
The biggest reason to celebrate the hiring of Martinez is that there is finally some resolution. The student-athletes and community can now make football the discussion. Where are the student-athletes mentally? Are they emotionally spent? Are the motivated? I would bet the latter because kids are often more resilient than adults. When October rolls around, the thoughts are all about, "can the Napa defense be disciplined against Vacaville's Wing-T offense?"
Martinez’s situation is semi-similar to the Indians previous four coaching changes that went from Les Franco to Bob Herlocker to Jerry Dunlap to Troy Mott. The common denominator is that the program may change some but not radically. The only difference is that the previous four were varsity assistants whereas Martinez is leapfrogging from JV to varsity.
Have faith in Jesus, pun intended.
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