MidValleySports.Com

By Alex A. Gonzalez

Whenever there is a new head coaching hire in the San Gabriel Valley, it’s customary for staff at the Mid to have a sit-down with the new hire and pick their brain to learn their coaching philosophy. 

Getting to know the Jimmys and Joes before we talk about the X’s and O’s, am I right? 

That’s what I did this week when I had a sit-down with San Marino’s recently hired head football coach, Dujawn Jones. The former Monrovia Wildcat has been in and around the area, coaching at the high school level for the last seven years. 

And when the opportunity came for him to apply for the vacancy, he took it and got it.

So let’s see what else he has to say about the position and what the San Marino community has in store for the future. 

Gonzo: “Head Coach Dujawn Jones. When you hear that, what goes through your mind?:

Jones: “It’s been surreal. On the day that I got the position, I was finishing up class and gathering my paperwork to submit. And then as I’m doing that, the principal walked in, and he never walks in my classroom, so when I saw him, I was like,

‘Did I do something wrong?’

But he just walked over to me, and said: “I want to offer you the position, and I took it without hesitation.” 

Gonzo: “What was your initial reaction after you heard the news?”

Jones: “Speechless. I called my wife, told her the news, and then I told her about it. And then after that, I don’t think I said anything else the rest of the day.” 

Gonzo: “Let’s talk about X’s and O’s now. Talk about program building and strategy. You’re stepping into a San Marino program that went 3-7 last year, and you’re the fifth coach in seven years to hold this position. What is your plan for developing the program in your first year?”

Jones: “Really, the first year is about making connections, right? There are some kids we have to try to talk into coming back to the program who are unsure whether they want to continue. You have had so many head coaches in three years. Football is very time-consuming, so I’m not here to waste anyone’s time. So the first year is really just building connections with students, the admin, the staff, and the community. Again, maybe because I’m an alumnus from Monrovia, but we just think differently, we walk differently, we kind of have this mindset where we know we are good, so on the field, it will speak for itself.” 

Gonzo: “Who are your coaches and what are they going to be doing, and how are they going to structure your offense and defense?” 

Jones: “My Offensive Coordinator, Steven Batista, will work with me. I really enjoyed calling plays the last couple of years, so we will work together. He was the quarterbacks coach at Gabrielino last year, and when you talk about technique and developing guys, the work he did with our quarterback for one year was amazing. And then on our defensive side, my guy, Coach Jesus Chue Pasten, is at DC. He was at Monrovia for a while, then at Eagle Rock, and he developed some of the best defenses that Monrovia has had. 

Gonzo: “It’s interesting. You’re going to be calling offensive plays, but with your background, you’re a defensive back at heart. Is that a weird feeling?” 

Jones: “So I experienced that last year at Gabrielino. When I first moved to offense, just watching the defensive backs, I was like, I would change that, I would do this, but that’s not my position anymore. So watching it from afar is very difficult. But even though I’ll be focusing on offense, I’ll be focusing on the whole team. I’m a DB at heart, but just watching people like (Robert) Maxie and Chris (Williams), two African-American dudes on offense, where they said, offense is supposed to be harder and for smart people, watching those two dudes carve up defenses week in and week out, I was like, I want to do that.”  

Gonzo: “How are you going to develop players who have little to no experience?” 

Jones: “We are currently teaching. But again, it comes to connection. If a player thinks that you believe in them, they’ll do whatever for you. A lot of it is just building connections. So really it’s just giving them that football knowledge, speaking football to them, teaching them what it’s supposed to look like. We are teachers at the end of the day, so we have to teach.” 

Gonzo: “When we get into the regular season, obviously you want to go undefeated, and obviously you want to set a winning mindset. But when you struggle or when the team struggles, how would you right the ship and stay on course?”

Jones: “Again, you got to go back to those connections you formed. You got to get this team to believe in each other. Because if they believe in each other, then they will fight until the end for each other. I’ve seen that at Gabrielino, I’ve seen that at Colony and I’ve seen that at Monrovia. The best years we’ve had, those teams were really close.” 

Gonzo: “You’ve been with a lot of coaches over the years. Is there one coach that you could say you learned the most from, or is it a collective pot that you learned from everyone?” 

Jones: “Probably Pete Gonzalez at Montebello. I have so much respect for him as a man. He took a chance on someone who has no idea about it, and you give me the keys to the whole group, like here, take it, and go fail. He believed in me. He let me fail so I could be a better coach. That man has done so much for me in my personal life. He has done so much for me as a coach. He showed me how to structure a team, what it should look like, how to talk to staff, and how to navigate difficult situations. He’s really like a mentor to me. There’s nothing I can say that can be paid back because that man has done so much for me.” 

Gonzo: “How is the schedule looking for you right now? Spring is here, so what does the next couple of months look like?” 

Jones: “Right now, we are just lifting and running. We are slowly installing the offense. A lot of our guys are multisport athletes, which I’m a big fan of. I love multisport athletes… so I just told them to do your thing, and I’m rooting for you. I love how they want to do things other than just play football. I think that makes them better football players.” 

Gonzo: “I’m going to get you out on this. What do you have to say to the community of San Marino, the faculty, and everyone around this school.  What is your message, so that they know that San Marino hired the right guy?” 

Jones: “First, I want to say thank you. The support I’ve gotten from the faculty, from the community, from everyone that I’ve gotten into contact with, even the former mayor knew who I was. It speaks a lot. Like, people are paying attention and want to see this program succeed. So I just want to say thank you first and foremost for the support I’ve received. And then I want to say, they hired the right guy. Again, that attitude that I have is going to follow me here. I’m going to change things around. It’s not going to be if, but it’s going to happen. We are going to be successful not only in building young men, but the wins will follow. You build it right, the wins will follow. 

Just stay tuned. 

San Marino will start the 2026 campaign on Week Zero, hosting Marshall on August 21. 

San Marino 2026 Staff

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Coach Steven Batista

Frosh/Soph Head Coach/Running Backs – Coach Matthew Wilson (SM Class of 2006)

Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receiver – Coach Dreu Rhodes

Offensive Line – Coach David Clinco (SM Class of 2005)

Offensive Line – Coach Robert Bush

Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Coach Jesus “Chuy” Pasten

Defensive Line – Coach Richard DeLuna

Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Line – Coach Robert Lee

Defensive Back – Coach Teddy “Ted” Pamplin