High school notes: Taft football coach Sprague forced out
| Monday, Nov 21 2011 07:13 PM
Last Updated Monday, Nov 21 2011 08:43 PM
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Taft High School head football coach, Steve Sprague, gets ready for a water break during a recent team practice in Taft.
Steve Sprague is out as Taft's football coach, and he's not happy about it.
The coach, who led the Wildcats to playoff appearances in each of his first six years and won the Central Section Division IV championship in 2007 before they went 4-15 over the past two seasons, said he was asked to resign Thursday. He refused.
"They cited two things they weren't happy with and gave me a chance to resign," Sprague said. "And I may not be their football coach, but they're going to have to fire me."
Taft athletic director Marsha Eubank said the school had "decided to go in another direction, and that's an official action. Whether he wants to resign or not, that's up to him."
Eubank had no further comment.
The two reasons Sprague said the school gave him were (a) a lack of cohesiveness within the coaching staff and (b) that Sprague didn't connect well enough with youth-program coaches in Taft.
"Those were the two things," Sprague said. "That's pretty weak. This isn't about Xs and Os or anything like that. They had to come up with a couple of bulls*** trumped-up charges, and that's all they could come up with."
Sprague, who maintains his teaching position at the school, said he finds the issue with the coaching staff particularly galling because the school administration asked him to replace a veteran assistant with a new coach two years ago.
"It's hard to be cohesive when you tried to force people out," Sprague said. "It's hard to sing kumbaya with the boys when there's that division."
As for the youth-football issue, Sprague said he didn't go out of his way to reach out to youth football coaches in case they felt that would be "butting in." He said every coach in town had his phone number, and at least one called him.
Eubank said there was no timetable or pool of candidates for Sprague's replacement, but the district superintendent, Mark Richardson, told the Taft Midway Driller that the district would "initially look at internal applications and see if we have applicants there we feel comfortable with who can run the program."
It's clear Taft no longer felt comfortable with Sprague. He was 52-19 in his first six seasons, which he said his research proved was the best winning percentage in Kern County during that time.
"Steve is a really good guy," Richardson told the Midway Driller . "I think he served our program well for the eight seasons he was here. I'm sure this is difficult for him, but it's time for us to take the next step in our program and change it up a bit."
After a disappointing 2-8 season in 2010, the Wildcats started this year 1-2 when they hosted Coalinga for homecoming on Sept. 23. Taft led 28-20 in the final minute of the first half when lightning delayed the game.
Sprague said he, the Coalinga coaches and the referees were willing to reschedule the game, but Taft's administration -- and in particular, Eubank and Richardson -- told him that wouldn't happen.
"It's the blankest feeling I've felt in 30 years of coaching," said Sprague, who also coached at Avenal and Coalinga. "They refused to let a varsity team finish a homecoming game, and that's when the red flags rasied up. That was the first indication I got (that my job was in jeopardy.)"
Sprague, 57, said he doesn't know if he'll coach again.
CIF ruling on Centennial coach Nixon expected today
Centennial has appealed the Central Section on behalf of football coach Bryan Nixon, who was ejected from Friday's playoff victory over Clovis West.
CIF rules stipulate that any ejected coach or player is automatically suspended for the following game: In this case, that would be Friday's Central Section Division I quarterfinal at 10-0 Bakersfield.
Centennial athletic director Becky Porter and section commissioner Jim Crichlow both confirmed that the school had appealed the ruling, and both expected an answer today. A successful appeal would allow Nixon to coach Friday.
Crichlow, who has reviewed officials' reports and viewed available game video, said Nixon was ejected because of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
The first came when an assistant coach kicked an official's penalty flag and the second when someone on the bench voiced dissent with another call.
Crichlow said appeals can't be granted for judgment, but he said there might have been a misapplication of the first penalty.
"There's a chance that flag should have been applied directly to the assistant coach, not to Bryan," Crichlow said. "If that's the case, he would have only had one unsportsmanlike penalty."
Ridgeview QB Ferguson cleared for activity
Ridgeview quarterback Tyler Ferguson, out since Week 7 with a broken collarbone, has been cleared by doctors to begin running and throwing, according to Ferguson's stepfather David Reese.
Ferguson isn't cleared for contact and still isn't expected back before a possible Division III section championship game, if then. Ridgeview (10-0) plays host to Porterville (8-3) in Friday's D-III quarterfinals.
Advance tickets available
Advance tickets are available for Friday's Division I quarterfinal between Centennial (6-4) and Bakersfield (10-0) in the BHS ticket office from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. today.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and children.
