CVC coach Mason Hughes closing in on 100 career wins
Central Valley Christian's Mason Hughes would be the first to tell someone he wasn't a very good high school head football coach at the beginning of his career.
Hughes' first four teams won just 12 combined games and qualified for the playoffs only once during a four-year stretch from 2009 to 2012.
During an offseason, Hughes had an awakening, swallowed his pride, and realized he couldn't do it all by himself, so he promoted then-junior varsity coach Nick Richardson to be his offensive coordinator.
That has resulted in a pair of Central Section championships (Division IV, 2018; Division III, 2021) and a nearly 72% winning rate since 2014.
Today, Hughes is one win away from reaching head coaching victory No. 100. According to Central Section historian Bob Barnett, Hughes has amassed a 99-64 overall head coaching record as he enters his 15th season.
CVC kicks off the 2023 campaign at home against Ripon Christian on Aug. 18 at Cavalier Stadium. The Cavaliers defeated the Knights last season 42-14.
"It's been great, man," Hughes said. "Because to start off really struggling at the beginning of my career, like, it was hard. Doubting whether I was a good coach or not. I was really selfish, thinking that it was all about me and that suffering, those losses were a failure. It was very humbling. That caused me to ask for help pretty much. Basically, Nick started that and just building a good coaching staff. You just learn from failure. You learn to be humble. You learn from experience. It's been fun to feel like a winner because, early in those first four years, I felt like a major loser, you know, and that's not to say I was a loser. I kind of learned that now. It definitely helps to have empathy for guys who are struggling. That's the thing you have to learn, 'I'm still a good dad even though I sucked as a coach. You'll get better and be better.' It's been fun. I still love coaching. I don't have any reason to stop coaching but it definitely seems like it's closer to the end than the beginning."
Hughes has transformed CVC into a Tulare County powerhouse that no longer competes in the smallest division in the Central Section playoffs.
At one point, the Cavaliers scrimmaged Woodlake, a base Division V team, but are now colliding with bigger programs like Clovis East. The Timberwolves, of the Tri-River Athletic Conference, are a base Division II team.
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CVC is a base Divison III program but was promoted to the Division II playoffs last season after a perfect 10-0 regular season.
What's it been like to see the Cavaliers elevate the competition?
"It's a little scary but I also think it helps the kids rise to the challenge," Hughes said. "I'm hoping to see that again this year. It definitely creates this expectation. When you play the bigger schools, the better schools, you tend to play better teams who have the resources, and they make you better. You have to be better. It challenges you in different ways. That's been fun. I'm excited."
Under Hughes, CVC has played in a section championship game six times (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022).
How have the Cavaliers been so successful in the last decade?
Just ask Hughes' son, Tyler, a senior offensive lineman who was named a team captain this season by his peers.
"I think the coolest thing for me and my family is that we know how much work he puts in," Tyler said. "Most of the time, I'm sleeping and he's doing work at 1 a.m., 2 a.m. He's doing film, preparing for the next team. We'll never be less prepared than a team we play. When I'm sleeping, I know he's doing work, just scouting the other team, or looking over our practices, just getting us better."
CVC senior offensive lineman Caleb Noeske has played for Hughes since his freshman year and is entering this season as a four-year starter.
Noeske, also a team captain, has been connected with the program for years. His dad, Todd, is the Cavaliers' running backs coach and his older brother, Josh, played for the Cavaliers from 2018-21. Josh is now playing at the NAIA level at Northwestern College in Iowa.
"The culture he's built at this school, it's just amazing," Noeske said. "The way he treats us. The things he does. The motivation he gives us on a daily basis, it's special."
Hughes has already left an impression on star senior running back Bryson Donelson, who joined CVC just last season after transferring from El Diamante.
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Donelson is an NCAA Division I prospect who has a reported half dozen scholarship offers.
What makes Hughes a unique coach?
"It's great, man," Donelson said. "It's different than any other school. We watch way more film. We're involved in the game way more. Mason Hughes, he's just a great dude. I love being coached by him. Great personality. He makes everyone on this team feel like he's one of his sons even though his son, Tyler, is on the team. We all feel like we are Tyler."
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: CVC coach Mason Hughes closing in on 100 career wins
