On Nov. 2nd, Bonita Vista High (BVH) Head Football Coach and Athletics Director Tyler Arciaga won Chargers Coach of the Week in San Diego County. After being nominated alongside two other high school coaches in the county, the BVH community voted on the Chargers website, helping T. Arciaga win the title. T. Arciaga was nominated after the BVH Football team won their final game of the season against Otay Ranch High (ORH). 

“I got an email Monday and it was totally unexpected. [I’m] happy for the win, happy for the kids and the seniors [to] send them out on a positive note,” T. Arciaga said.  “[I’m] in a different mode, working on collecting gear, making sure the banquet is good. So to get that [email] was kind of shocking, it was the last thing on my mind,” T. Arciaga said. 

The Chargers Coach of the Week Selection Committee nominates three high school coaches from San Diego County, Orange County and Los Angeles County for coach of the week. Coaches are nominated based on the performance of the team and the biggest upsets of the week in that county. In other words, T. Arciaga caught the committee’s attention since BVH were the underdogs in the football game against ORH. 

“If you did a computer simulation, [ORH] would beat us pretty bad. They played a tough schedule and tough teams; and for us to come in there and [win], it’s an upset for sure. We haven’t beat Otay in six years so for us to do it at homecoming was a really neat deal,” T. Arciaga said.

After the three nominated coaches are announced, coach of the week is put to a fan vote. BVH’s staff and students used Twitter, Instagram and sent out school-wide messages encouraging the community to vote for Arciaga. 

“I get kids I don’t even know say ‘I voted for you.’ It’s really cool. You could have done other things with the clicks or your thumb, so it’s really humbling to see that. It’s appreciated,” T. Arciaga said.

In addition to the coach of the week title, T. Arciaga will also receive a $1000 grant for the BVH athletics program. He explains that this grant is useful because athletic equipment of any kind is expensive so this money will greatly help students in the athletics programs. 

“It’s definitely a nice gesture and [it] will be put to good use. It’s great to see that the Chargers, even though they moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, still support San Diego causes,” T. Arciaga said. 

Physical Education (P.E.) Teacher, Department Chair of P.E and T. Arciaga’s wife Heidi Arciaga is very proud of her husband and of the community for helping T. Arciaga win coach of the week. She explains that despite his humbleness, T. Arciaga deserves the title.

“He goes to bed after midnight every single night after coaching. He is diligent and never wants the spotlight for himself. He would rather it be on the kids or his assistant coaches. He puts in a lot of time behind the scenes that most people don’t see,” H. Arciaga said.

T. Arciaga explains that this award is a reflection of not only the work he puts into coaching, but also of the students and assistant coaches he works with. He shares this accomplishment with the football community, but H. Arciaga points out how this also comes with a catch.

“Win or lose, he’s the first one to get congratulated on the win, he’s the first one to get blamed on a loss. That comes with being the leader of the program,” H. Arciaga said. 

Regardless of the ups and downs he faces, T. Arciaga makes an effort to put students first. He went into this school year with a goal of shaping his students to have life-long skills, not simply high school football players. 

“The goal was to create a team-like atmosphere [where] the kids work together to achieve a common goal on a regular basis, instill some life lessons they can carry on when they graduate Bonita Vista High and help them transition from being a kid to a young adult,” T. Arciaga said. 

Prior to this year’s football season, T. Arciaga opened his home to senior BVH football players to talk about leadership going into their final year. T. Arciaga also has a coaching staff of BVH alumni who played for him in the past. Despite the benefits of winning Coach of the Week, it is these relationships that T. Arciaga works to create as a coach.

“Coach Arciaga is overall a big family man. Family meaning the community. He will do anything to help the community even with things outside of school,” cornerback, strong safety and senior David Kabongo said. 

As a BVH Alumni, T. Arciaga saw a lot of success in the athletics program when he played for BVH. He was an MVP and an all star player, so he wants to create that same great experience he had in high school for his players today.

“He is a really good guy and an amazing coach so I understand why he got [the award]. It makes me very happy because it’s well deserved. It was a good feeling knowing he won,” Kabongo said. 

Overall, Arciaga measures his success as a coach not through material “wins and losses”, but in terms of the characteristics he instills in his players. As a coach he wants the players to develop lifelong leadership skills and create a community that his students can come back to. 

“Winning is great, but at the end of the day, if you make the kids come back and they’re teachers, coaches, lawyers and they support the golf tournament or say thank you or send a note, that’s when I know I did my job,” Arciaga said.