Saint Stephen's football program hires former assistant Chris Valcarcel as its head coach
SARASOTA — He learned organization and attention to detail from Joe Kinnan, intensity and connecting with kids from Josh Hunter, motivational skills from Tod Creneti, and defensive know-how from Jim Phelan.
Chris Valcarcel plans to bring all of these qualities to the sideline of the Saint Stephen’s football team. The 47-year-old son of former Bayshore HIgh head coach Mario Valcarcel was named on Wednesday as the successor to AJ Brown, who will remain at the school as PE teacher and head coach of its track program. Last year, under Brown, a program-record 12 Falcon athletes advanced to the FHSAA state championships.
Under Brown, who succeeded Creneti during the 2020 season, the Falcons continued flying high. Creneti won back-to-back Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAC) titles. Brown’s Falcons followed that by winning the 2022 state title, and finishing runner-up in 2023.
Coaching change: PREP FOOTBALL: Creneti steps down at Saint Stephen’s
Chris Valcarcel, a teacher at Saint Stephen’s, last coached high school football four years ago, when he served as linebackers coach at Manatee High. He then took the next four years off to help his wife, an attorney, and coach his kids in girls lacrosse, boys basketball, and flag football. “I had to step back and take a little time with my family,” he said.
But when he learned Brown had stepped down, Valcarcel, after consulting with his wife, decided it was time to get back in the game. “This has been really fast,” he said. “I didn’t even know I wanted to get back into it until it started to happen. There was an opening and we talked about it and we’re like, ‘Let’s do it.’
“I’m really excited about it. This is maybe my last chance to have an opportunity to do this. It’s a program that I helped start with Tod. I was his defensive coordinator after his first year there. My best times in coaching were there.”
Valcarcel said he’s working on getting a staff together. “I feel really confident,” he said. “I’ve been doing this long enough, even with the break, that I feel pretty confident in what I bring to the table. I think with my four years off has tempered me. I think I’m a little bit less hot than I used to be. I think I’ll be able to be a calm presence on the sideline when I need to be, but also get fired up and get the kids going as they need it.”
He hopes to have close to 30 players out for spring football, but in all likelihood, that number will be closer to the low 20s. Valcarcel plans to have a combine this year during which a player’s height, weight and speed will be measured.
“I think we’re going to bring a good team to the table,” he said. “I think we’re going to have a good product. I’m super excited and I think it’s going to be something I’m going to be able to do well, especially if I surround myself with good people.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Saint Stephen's hires Chris Valcarcel as head football coach
