BVH varsity football head coach resigns after two seasons
Sam Kirkland works with the football team when he was first hired during the 2017-2018 school year. He now no longer coaches at BVH.
Bonita Vista High (BVH) varsity football coach, Sam Kirkland III, officially stepped down from his position on the morning of Feb. 24 after leading the program for the last two seasons. This year, Kirkland coached the team to a 3-7 overall record, landing the Barons in last place of the Metro Mesa Football League. In addition to his position as head football coach, Kirkland withdrew from his position as facilitator of the student help center, ceasing his affiliation with BVH. The reason for his resignation remains unknown.
Athletic Director Tyler Arciaga, scheduled a lunch meeting in the school gymnasium to convey information about Kirkland’s resignation with the football department. All throughout the bleachers of the gym, an array of shocked expressions disseminated onto the faces of both players and parents, as the news was unknown to most.
“I understand that kids could be upset, and I think probably what’s concerning to them the most would be that [Kirkland] didn’t have a meeting to tell them,” Arciaga said.
Several players also questioned their ability to play during the off-season without a head coach at the lunch meeting. This is attributed to the rules established by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) – the Californian sports governing body – which clarifies that unless a high school football team is part of a club, participation in any squad practices or meet-ups outside of the first interschool contest and the CIF playoffs is illegal.
Sam Kirkland works with the football team when he was first hired during the 2017-2018 school year. He now no longer coaches at BVH.
“We just need to make sure we’re doing things right,” Arciaga said. “Any off-season activities with coaches need to have their Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) paperwork on file with the ASB and also with the district office because it is technically illegal to work with your players out of season, unless you’re part of a club.”
Kirkland had planned to engage his team in the National Football Association’s (NFA) Elite 7v7 West Region Tournament during the month of march in the off-season, giving the Barons the ability to continue competing outside of high school. However, the lack of a head coach eliminates participation in the competition, therefore BVH needs to find a replacement according to Arciaga. Additionally, Arciaga stated that a coach would be hired once a contract is negotiated with BVH teachers and the district office.
“It’s a 10 day process from when [the contract is] posted online [for teachers]. [10 days after that], the contract is [released] to external applicants, meaning off-site coaches, then we can interview and go from there. If there’s somebody qualified on campus that wants to take the job, and [BVH Principal] Dr. Del Rosario wants to hire them, then [the contract] doesn’t need to be posted externally and [a coach would be hired] within the next 10 to 12 days,” Arciaga said.
Regardless of the current situation arising in BVH’s football department, Arciaga expressed that he is confident that the department can move on, continuing to develop as a whole.
“I need to see what the plan is going forward so that we can see if there’s a coach that can do some of the off-season stuff,” Arciaga said. “Ultimately, Bonita kids are resilient and a two to four week hiccup isn’t going to break any season.”
I am currently a senior at Bonita Vista High School and this is my first year as a staff member for The Crusader. I intend to utilize my creative writing...
Sebastian Mendoza • Apr 21, 2020 at 2:35 pm
To being, I want to congratulate staff writer Mathias Medel on writing the article “BVH varsity football head coach resigns after two seasons”, I found this article to be well written, especially as the topic can be sensitive and this is an issue that will reverberate throughout our school community. I found this article to be obviously informative about coach Kirkland’s resignation but I really would have if the writer could have gotten an interview with Kirkland or at least mention that Kirkland was reached out to and was found to be unavailable, this is a minor detail though. Another missed opportunity from the writer, in my opinion, was the lack of quotes from individuals close to Kirkland, especially his players; integrating the voices of those who saw Kirkland as a mentor and leader would have provided a more balanced portrayal of the event, as the pathos appeal would have been insightful and interesting to the reader while adhering to the concreteness of the News section. I firmly believe that Kirkland’s exit will create a feeling of sorrow in our school community, given that his style of leadership created unity not only in his team but also in the community as a whole, given that he displayed a positive attitude even when his team did not perform as wished; a mentality that could have been emulated by students and community members for their benefit.
Eric Helle • Feb 27, 2020 at 9:47 pm
Mr. Medel, thank you for this brief report. I’m very surprised by the sudden resignation. I’m hoping you can update this with player reactions.