Posted on June 24 2011 by Sam Unwin

Coach Interview – Tom Sanchez – South Bend High School

Jim and I have been interviewing high school football coaches for almost two and a half years now In his last post, after visiting with South Bend High School Head Football Coach Tom Sanchez, Jim wrote about the close coaching fraternity in this state and undoubtedly elsewhere As an outsider coming to this fascinating world of high school football, I have come to understand that there are some really fine human beings coaching our kids at this level Every interview we do is new and exciting While they all seem to go about things a little differently, the common thread is that all of these coaches really care about the kids under their tutelage Tom Sanchez is another fine example of this outstanding fraternity We traveled down to South Bend on a stormy spring day and caught Coach wearing his Athletic Director hat prior to a big home track and field meet He graciously fit us in between phone calls The result follows below:

Coach Sanchez and Family

High School Cover 2: How long have you been coaching?

Coach Sanchez: Ive been coaching for 24 years Ive just finished my 18th year at South Bend High School Cover 2: Where did you coach before South Bend? Coach Sanchez: I was an assistant at Willapa Valley High School for 18 years where my dad coached for 26 years High School Cover 2: Did you play football after high school?

Coach Sanchez: Yes I played for two years at Lewis and Clark I really enjoyed playing, but I was also having fun playing around so that was the end of my football playing career I needed an attitude adjustment I guess When it came, it was too late, but football has always been a big part of my life High School Cover 2: It seems like you have quite a connection with Willapa Valley You played and coached there; your dad coached there and you have a son of the current Willapa Valley Head Coach on your staff here in South Bend

Coach Sanchez: Thats right Rob Frieses son Shaun is a teacher here and on the coaching staff I grew up with his dad He was one year older than me and we played baseball and other sports together He graduated a year ahead of me and went on to Eastern Washington University High School Cover 2: There seems to be a real coaching fraternity in this state Most of the coaches seem to not only know each other, but they also have some relationship; either directly or indirectly

Coach Sanchez: Thats so true When I was younger (I still think of myself as one of the young guys, but I guess Im not any longer), I was in awe of some of the older coaches Now that Ive been in it for a while, I realize how many of my fellow coaches I know and have worked with and admire In one way, my fellow coaches who Ive coached with and coached against are really special friends We all go through the same thing, so its a pretty special feeling High School Cover 2: When you first started coaching at South Bend, your dad was a part of your coaching staff Is that correct?

Coach Sanchez: Thats right My first year here, he was still coaching at Willapa Valley He resigned the next year, in 1994, and was an assistant for me in 1995 He coached the offensive and defensive linemen That was our first playoff team After that he stepped down I still wanted him around, but he wanted to be a dad and have more time to spend with the family High School Cover 2: His win record would be something to shoot for

Coach Sanchez: I dont think Ill get there His record is, I think, 181-94-4 Thats in 28 years Two of those years were at Soap Lake and the rest were at Valley He went to school in Detroit and then on to college at Sioux Falls College in South Dakota where he graduated In the summer of 1962, he and a couple of buddies piled into a car and headed out to the Seattle Worlds Fair He started his coaching career by coaching one year in South Dakota and working his way west Next he coached one year in Wyoming, two years in Twin Falls Idaho where I was born in 1964 and two years at Soap Lake before arriving at Willapa Valley in 1968 Thats about as far west as he could go High School Cover 2: South Bend is a small school How many kids do you typically have on your team? Coach Sanchez: We usually have a squad in the 30s I think our biggest team was 37 The smallest team we had was in my second year We went to Onalaska with 14 kids It was the last game of the year We had injuries, eligibility issues and attrition It was before we had convinced the student body that playing football was fun and the good thing to do It wasnt good I dont think that will ever happen again High School Cover 2: As far as your playing days, we understand that you played in the state title game Is that correct? Coach Sanchez: Yes I played in the 1979 game I was a safety That was the second year of Willapa Valleys title run We won the title in both 1978 and 1979 High School Cover 2: Now that a South Bend team that you coached has just won a state title, what gives you more satisfaction; winning a title when you were a player or now that you are a coach? Coach Sanchez: I think that just in the sense of being more mature and understanding whats going on I would say that winning as a coach was more satisfactory Obviously as a coach you are a lot more aware of the journey High School Cover 2: What caused South Bend in 2010 to go to state and win it all? Did you recruit new coaches; did you start using a new offense scheme; or did you just have a great group of kids last year?

Coach Sanchez: (laughs) Well no, were running the exact same stuff We had a good bunch of kids Weve been close for a number of years Weve been to the quarter finals and blown it so getting over the hump was a big thing confidence wise This group has been there before When they were freshmen we graduated 17 seniors (an especially large class at a small school) so these kids had to play a lot from that time on They went to the quarter finals a couple of times and gained a lot of confidence After they finally got through the quarter finals this year, it felt like smooth sailing for them Now that weve finally gone all the way and know that we can do it, weve established a belief system The kids now believe that they can do it again If you believe you can, even if you probably cant, it increases your chances I think it also helped other sports teams at the school to now believe that they can win High School Cover 2: How competitive do you think football is in Southwest Washington? Coach Sanchez: From the time that Ive been involved with it, I believe that football in this area is the most competitive in the state Lets put it this way, Ive won more state championships here at South Bend than outright league championships

High School Cover 2: Before you arrived at South Bend there was a lot of losing on the gridiron How did you turn that around?

Coach Sanchez: When I first got here, kids didnt play football and it was a tough hoe Once we got kids to turn out, we had to teach them to win a little bit First you have to teach them to compete and then convince them that they can win It takes a while You also find out that in small schools things run in cycles High School Cover 2: How is South Bend going to do in the upcoming year? Coach Sanchez: Well be okay this year Weve got some kids back If we can find two or three offensive linemen, well be fine If we can get the defense going, it should be a good year But after this year, its going to be tough for a couple of years

High School Cover 2: Who is the most impressive player that youve ever coached? Coach Sanchez: I can name a couple Our running back from last year, Ryan Vongmixay, was one Despite his small size, he was able to make the tough yardage There were two others that we had last year One was Terrell Boyes, he was about 62 and 195 lbs We had him at split end and outside linebacker Hes probably the best pure athlete that Ive ever coached Hes going to the University of Montana on a track scholarship Probably the most impressive player that Ive had is a middle linebacker named Myron Smith He was about 510 and 175 lbs He would play five nights a week if given the opportunity He was state wrestling champion this year at 171 lbs He finished his career with 500 tackles He played a lot as a Freshman High School Cover 2: How did the town of South Bend react to the state championship win? Coach Sanchez: Theres kind of a side-story to that It was announced that our prospective starting quarterback would be transferring to Napavine at the end of the last school year He was a great kid and our players followed his leadership That meant to replace him we would be using a converted fullback at the quarterback position There was a lot made of that in the community and our kids felt a little betrayed and really wanted to play Napavine It turned out that we met them in the quarter finals and beat them That was the first big game where the community started to really believe that we could win it all After that, each step along the way the crowds at our games were bigger Looking back at it, it was probably a positive thing losing him the way we did It forced other kids to step up so it turned out as a positive High School Cover 2: How is the school administration support of the football team?

Coach Sanchez: Ive never had any problems with school administration Anything that Ive asked for, if they can do it they will We were really struggling in my first few years here and they allowed the program to grow I tell my kids that wins and losses take care of themselves, but we need to do three things: we need to be disciplined, we need to represent our community well and we need to play hard So if they do those three things and project a positive attitude in the community we will be all right I think thats what allowed me to stick around in the beginning, for the school administration to not fire me when we werent winning as many games as they would have liked High School Cover 2: Do you have pay for play in South Bend?

Coach Sanchez: We dont, but there are a few schools in our area that are going to that High School Cover 2: Who was the best player that you ever coached against?

Coach Sanchez: Kalin Makaiwi was pretty good So was Brian Wilson of Willapa Valley Then there was Jared Moore from Wahkiakum When he graduated, he was the leading career rusher in the state Theres always been some very good players from this area High School Cover 2: Do you have any aspirations to coach at a higher level?

Coach Sanchez: I really dont The thought of college recruiting doesnt appeal to me It would be nice to coach that kind of talent, I guess, but the other issue is the stability You could be in Ellensburg one year, go to Tuscaloosa AL for two years and then go to California next Thats not how I want to raise my kids The fan in me says that it would be a lot of fun, but Im in my 40s and its becoming a young mans game Im realistic enough to know that, after my kids are grown, it probably wont happen Both my wife and I grew up in this area and its home I dont foresee myself going anywhere Im very happy here High School Cover 2: Our final question is: in more urban areas, kids have numerous opportunities to go to football camps to improve their game Do the kids down here in South Bend have similar opportunities?

Coach Sanchez: In past years when there have been coaches around weve done passing camps in conjunction with other local area schools We trade off, one week it might be at our place and then at another school Theres also a small school camp that we go to in Seaside, Oregon, every year This year we will be going there in July, from the 16th through the 20th Its good for us, its not very far away, just an hour and a half, and it doesnt cost $30000 per camper, just $14000 We are able to stay in the barracks Its actually located at Camp Riley, the home of the Oregon National Guard You go right past it on highway 101 We like it better than going to one of the college camps where they show you how to run their stuff This way we get to work on things the way we do them

Similar Posts:

Share

Leave a Reply