Matt Logan? No, totally content where he is.
Jim Kunau? Nope, just fine, thank you.
Harry Welch? He’s got books to read and countries to visit.
If Servite alums are expecting the school to make a splash with the hiring of its next football coach, they might be disappointed.
Servite will get a good one, no doubt, to replace A.J. Gass. Having resigned at Servite after two seasons coaching his alma mater, Gass is headed to Garces Memorial in Bakersfield to be the head coach there.
Some of the Friars faithful will be hoping a coach who has won a Trinity League championship in the past, such as Kunau or Welch, will get on board. Those two are not interested.
Kunau, who led Orange Lutheran to section and state championships and later spent a year at Canyon, is head coach and vice president at Rancho Christian in Temecula.
He said, “I have great respect for Servite, but I’m not interested. My hands are full enough.”
Welch, who took Santa Margarita to section and state championships, and did so at St. Margaret’s and at Canyon of Canyon Country, is enjoying retirement. Welch has a great laugh. It was heard again when he was asked if he had applied or would apply for the Servite job.
OK, what about Logan of Centennial of Corona? Logan, who just coached Centennial to a state championship, was pursued by Servite in 2005, before it hired Troy Thomas, and in 2013 when Thomas returned to Crespi of Encino.
“I have not applied and I don’t plan to,” Logan said.
Let’s check with former Oceanside coach John Carroll, who led the Pirates to 12 CIF-San Diego Section championships and two state titles. The stadium at Oceanside is named for Carroll, 58, who recently resigned at the school because of lingering effects from a head injury. He was an assistant coach at Servite in the early 1980s.
“I won’t be coaching anywhere,” Carroll said.
El Modena head coach Ed Drzanek spent most of his 30-plus coaching years at Servite. He is very popular among the alumni and many of the current members of the Servite staff, and he has been getting harangued about returning to the Friars
“I’m enjoying it here,” said Drzanek, who coached El Modena to a CIF-SS semifinal in 2014. “There’s still work to be done. I’m perfectly fine here.”
Another Servite alum who also was an assistant coach there, Rick Garretson, has been coaching quarterbacks at Chandler High in Arizona. Among his former Chandler quarterbacks are UCLA’s Brett Hundley and Utah State’s Darrell Garretson, Rick’s son.
“I have not applied and I will not apply,” Garretson said.
La Habra coach Frank Mazzotta, pleased with the good thing he has going with the Highlanders, said he has not pursued the Servite gig.
One, some or all of those coaches could be fibbing. People sometimes are not completely honest with reporters. Imagine that.
At least one current Orange County head coach has applied. We’re sworn to secrecy on the identity. Other county head coaches will submit their resumes before the Jan. 29 deadline, as will some head coaches and assistant coaches from all over California and beyond. (By the way, St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said nobody from his great group of assistant coaches would chase the Servite job.)
Maybe Servite will get a longtime public school coach who has enough tenure to retire now but still wants to coach. That’s a handsome double-dip: You get your public school retirement pay while collecting a good salary coaching at a private school. Welch was able to do so, as is his successor at Santa Margarita, Rick Curtis.
Logan expects Servite to get a youngish coach. Drzanek guesses there could be a current head coach who will emerge as the next Servite coach.
Upon leaving Servite, Gass explained his departure this way: “It feels great to have the opportunity to build a program from the ground up, that reflects my style of football, while having support from the top down.”
That last clause, “having support from the top down,” could be a gentle warning.
Like every big private school in Orange County, Servite has some parents who feel their tuition payments and fundraising entitles them to at least a say or even some control in the athletic department. The man who takes the Servite job is going to take it with the assurance that the administration will stand by him through any disputes with pushy parents.
Servite wants a coach who can win in the ultra-tough Trinity League and Pac-5 Division while understanding that the school’s mission of producing faith-filled leaders comes first. The football program has to be part of the school. It can’t be the other way around, that a coach thinks the school is part of the football program – oh, yes, that does happen.
Garretson got reacquainted with Servite while working at Gass’ summer youth camps the past couple of years. He said Servite’s goal of getting “a Servite guy” who will win, and win big, reminds him of how Michigan hopes it got “a Michigan guy” who will win, and win big, when it hired Jim Harbaugh.
“I don’t know, man,” Garretson said. “That’s a hard place to coach. It’s a tough situation.”
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
