By Tim Peterson
(Santa Fe Springs) – Rick Zepeda has been relieved of his duties as head football coach at St. Paul after 10 years the school announced Friday.
The Swordsmen went 4-6 last season and missed the playoffs. St Paul was 55-51 overall under Zepeda’s 10-year run.
St. Paul Press Release:
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Personally , I agree with you although there are some shades of gray between the two styles
It’s starting to get played out, an all out who can be loudest and most controversial battle on twitter, soon kids and parents will begin to seek real programs who preach hard work, loyalty and commitment over all the shenanigans going on these days. If I’m St Paul the only reason I would’ve ever gotten rid of Zepeda is if I have a done deal with Dusan Ancich, I wouldn’t let Matt V anywhere near St. Paul DELETED.
@Detached,
I call for some objectivity as opposed to simply being detached from such an analysis. Who says the new way is best? Who’s to say it won’t soon collapse upon itself? It will.
7 on 7 coaches are good recruiters , as that is their business . They aren’t necessarily great football coaches , but can win a lot of games with superior talent especially in leagues bereft of quality. Matt V at Sierra Vista, Maxie at Pasadena are conspicuous and vocal examples of this “coaching” style
Plus X hired such a coach …. Also need administrative support in scholarships, fee waivers , etc It’s a model needed to gain quick success , and some “old school” coaches aren’t on that track
It’s great to hear some gratitude for Coach and coaches out here . It’s a lot of consuming energy poured into each season !
Ten years is typically the longest run to remain successful at any school , given changes in administration, demographics , etc
Looks like MattV is promoting himself for the St. Paul job on Twitter. Why can’t guys just quietly go about their business anymore?
@Area word on the street is Whittier decided to drop the program. Budget concerns and no applicants for the job
From T. Peterson: Another miss. Keep swinging though. Eventually you might hit something.
St Paul finished? Even if hire an experience super successful head coach with great statistics . Better stats than all head coaches before he took over, and after he left
Henry ?? interesting but they did nothing at Pioneer, so unqualified for this position. Coach Juarez twice the leader than both Willigs combined. St Paul principal let Juarez go and jired St Paul men. Conclusion?\ unsuccessful and nice try.
What about Willig??
I wish one of the many Willig’s would apply. They have been so critical over the years about the program. Now it’s time to step up? Let see if the hard words they spewed over the years ( especially Chuck) will result in success. I doubt they would take a chance because everyone knows SP is finished.
Who did Whittier hire?
Not happening with the Ancich bros. Or has been Gonzalez even though he lives in the area.
Pay Dusan enough ? Who knows
i think, with zero thinking I know more than all of you , (Ha ha ? but?) . Although I must let you know Dusan and Visko are 180 degree opposites in ‘head high school coaching ability! By the way look out for WHS after great , great hire. Again my knowledge, not yours,
Well ‘Whittier Guy” ? NO i never claim smarter, more experienced at game, or a blogger is definitely wrong/ bad suggestion. Visco , if hired , i believe St paul football will stay the same or get worse. Why? He has been known to have zero personality, a non motivator, with few leadership or inspirational direction ( all top priorities to move players to peak performance) . NOW, his brother Dusan has all the above. With these super assets and leadership directing his team at Cal ,to me seemed inborn, not learned behavior. Sure knowledge of football , strategy , etc are ‘ learned’ , but this guy is excellent. Look what he did at Villa park! Any questions? Answer them with ‘scientific processes’; using before and after Villa Park success. Statistical analysis of data. Visko was super unsuccessful at Whittier, after being hired by only one man left responsible for hiring. A ST PAUL grad with less than zero athletic background. . This man was AP of Activities at WHS, ( again zero claim I very correct) who Claimed he was very much part of Yale University Crew Team. Tenor Sax at St Paul according to people who have been asked if this guy was athlete at SP. How does tenor sax in band , not one minute of sports in high school suddenly become part of one of America’s best college crew teams ? Coach Scott (hell of a guy ) may even had better stats head coaching Whittier before Ancich. The guy before Scott statistics were very good . ? Maybe school did not want win big? So he left for Mayfair and very successful. Oh yeah , name Fitch
Ma’long Brown has been contacted for an interview.
Who makes the coaching hire at a parochial school? Priests, alums, admins, the diocese, boosters, Fred Robledo?
The Mater Dei opening has brought a lot of coaches into the light of day for all to see who is ambitious. With that big job drama in Santa Ana reaching its final stages of decision, my guess is that St. Paul has contacted one of the castoffs and obtained a commitment from him to be their new coach. That’s why it took so long to toss Zepeda….they were waiting to snag a guy who almost got high school football’s best gig.
This is actually very smart: by taking a guy who has already been screened by the biggest recruiting mill in the nation, St. Paul has let the Monarchs do their work for them. We’ll soon see who they have and how it works out.
“Slightly Shocked”, I’m completely shocked by this! And you make some very valid points.
Rick Zepeda has always been a dedicated and LOYAL Swordsman since 1984. As a player, he was a leader. As an alum, he was faithful. Even when he coached at other schools, he always held St Paul Football near and dear to him. The positive influence he has made on my boys was life changing for them and we are forever grateful.
Whether he was an assistant coach under Marijon or as the Head Coach, he ALWAYS put the student-athletes first. It was never about ego or fame. He always flew under the radar when it came to notoriety. He just focused on developing young men into upstanding members of society through the experience he gave them as football players. He turned the football program into a family when some of these athletes needed family the most. Those who have been a part of his programs will tell you how committed he was and his family was. Mrs. Zepeda would spend countless hours preparing food for the players and their families. She may have loved these players more than he did. Together, they utilized every resource they had to make the high school experience a memorable one for these players and their families. When you part ways with Coach Zepeda, you lose a committed family that spreads for decades.
While no one is perfect, you can surely find dirt wherever you dig. But make no mistake about it, Rick Zepeda was and always will be considered a CLASS ACT in his approach to the lessons in life that he gave all the young student athletes he touched over the years.
Coach Zepeda, I’m sure you’ll sleep well at night because you’ve done it right!
The St. Paul fan base will no be happy with a coach not named Marijon Ancich.
Pete has burnt a lot of local ties over the recruiting incident between, Montebello, Schurr and Cantwell back in 2018.
Jude Oliva isn’t the upgrade many think it is, just because he has ties to Donald Bernard means nothing, Bernard was part of the Zepeda staff for years, not sure keeping the assistants around make any sense, St Paul needs to start new. He’s not going to bring anymore talent than Rick has, please don’t tell me he’s going to come in and win with the burrito league Whittier Redskins and Pico Dons. Where an ancich may be a possibility, visko is not an upgrade, Dusan would be who I would go after but wierd that you basically dump an ancich type for an ancich, doesn’t make sense.
Top candidates
Frank Mazzota
Dusan Ancich
Visko Ancich
Raul Lara
Jude Olivia was on campus today!!!
It’s about time!!! Zepeda and his tight pants needed to go along time ago. Word on the street is that the will go after former Coach Gonzales from Montebello. That would be an interesting hire….
Visko Ancich who left Whittier began talking with SP AD Avina, next thing you know Zepeda is out. Not sure if this has anything to do with it, I guess we will see if SP goes back with the Ancich family
How can you fire a coach when he already took a job at a better school. St. Paul looks even stupider than they normally do for this.
Zepeda has ties to the most revered man of St. Paul football, Marion Ancich. That’s why this is a tricky move, risking alienation of parents who remember that past. In today’s transfer-happy environment, however, the premium is on coaches who can sell their program to the top jocks, and that’s not exactly Rick. I used to think that because the SP campus is so run-down, football can’t come back big-time. Then I saw what’s happening at Pius X of Downey, and my mind was changed. It’s all about salesmanship and promoting one’s program, and that’s the kind of guy the Swordsmen will probably pursue.
So many job openings. I know in my area, booster clubs, entitled players and parents causing a lot of problems after Covid all over Southern California.
A little late to be firing coaches. Poor SP will not recover.
rumor has it , MIKE MOSCHETTI IS THE GUY!!! ALL AREA SCHOOLS SHOULD BE WORRIED!!!! ST. PAUL MATADORES!! LEGAL RECRUITING IN SANTA FE SPRINGS….. WHILE AMAT IS FALLING MAKES THIS EVEN BETTER…
From the look of things coaching changes are going to break a record this year.