Piedmont High assistant coach Ricky Rodriguez has been selected as the new Encinal football coach, Rodriguez said late Friday night.
“I’m ecstatic,” the Washington-Fremont High grad said. “I’ve busted my (rear) for seven years under three terrific coaches and now I think it’s my time; I’m ready.”
Rodriguez has assisted under Ken Wittmer at Washington, Tim Murphy at Clayton Valley and Scott Coats at Piedmont.
“He’s a good coach,” Coats said of Rodriguez.
Said Rodriguez: “I just really want to pay tribute to those three head coaches I was under. They were mentors and role models.”
The new Jets coach said he will run both a double-wing out of the shotgun and a Pistol offense at Encinal. He also wants to increase the numbers in the program and improve the grades of the players.
Rodriguez said his eventual goal is to make Encinal the “best D3 public school in Northern California.”
At just 28 years old, Rodriguez also figures to be one of the younger coaches in NorCal.
Rodriguez will replace Joe Tenorio who resigned after last season, citing a desire to become an on-campus coach after he completes his master’s degree.
Tenorio, just 36 when he resigned, coached the Jets for eight seasons, compiling a 64-26 record, including four consecutive Bay Shore Athletic League titles from 2008 to 20011 and the 2008 North Coast Section D-III title.
Encinal went 8-3 last season, with a 4-1 record in the West Alameda County Conference-Foothill.
