Vacaville’s Papadopoulos state coach of the year
VACAVILLE — Vacaville High football coach Mike Papadopoulos is already gearing up for the 2012 season, but he’s still being honored for the Bulldogs’ 2011 success.
For leading Vacaville to its second Sac-Joaquin Section title in five years with a rousing win over defending CIF state Division II bowl champion Folsom, Papadopoulos has been named State Coach of the Year by ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports.
“I am just so floored by that,” said Papadopoulos, who is 70-15 in seven seasons as Bulldogs coach. “How do you find Vacaville? It’s so unreal.”
In his story on the award, Mark Tennis of ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports listed two reasons for the selection: the present in “the way that Vacaville won its title” and the past as a tip of the cap to former Bulldogs coaching legend Tom Zunino.
“Folsom was heavily favored, not just because quarterback Tanner Trosin was expected to break the state single-season passing record (he did),” Tennis wrote, “but also due to a nightmarish 75-6 win over Vacaville from the previous season.
“Papadopoulos’ boys completely reversed that score from 2010 by knocking off Folsom, 39-35. And prior to beating Folsom, Vacaville defeated 12-0 Buhach Colony of Atwater in the semifinals.”
The playoff run gave the Bulldogs a 13-1 record, matching their mark in their 2006 title run.
Tennis added, “The other reason we were inclined to go with Papadopoulos was also to partly offer a solemn salute to the Vacaville’s coach mentor and father-in-law, the late Tom Zunino. . . . We were never able to chose Zunino, who died in September of 2008, as State Coach of the Year, so choosing his son-in-law seemed like the next best thing.”
“I’m just so thrilled that they put the anchor of Tom in (the article) and about what’s going on,” Papadopoulos said. “What’s happening at school is a neat thing for me, an (acknowledgement) of what’s happened for our school and our staff. We all feel a part of that.”
While still basking in the glow of another section title, Papadopoulos is already looking ahead to 2012.
“You know what, each group is definitely different,” the coach said. “The thing that I’m excited about is we’ve got a group of young men that have definitely lived it, they know what to do in (terms of) leadership to get the next group together. We’re excited to see where the next group will step up from.”
The only other Solano County coaches to be named State Coach of the Year were Vallejo’s Colon Kilby in 1945 and Bob Patterson in 1949. Zunino played for Patterson at Vallejo in the 1950s.
The only other Sac-Joaquin Section coaches to win the award were Grant of Sacramento’s Mike Alberghini in 2008, Tracy’s Wayne Schneider in 1982 and Merced’s Ernie Busch in 1950.
Reach Paul Farmer at 425-4646 Ext. 264 or pfarmer@dailyrepublic.net.
Short URL: http://www.dailyrepublic.com/?p=122897
Posted by Paul Farmer
on Jan 3 2012.
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Wow, this is an incredible honor and well deserved. Congratulations!
Hats off to Coach P, but you should have a championship caliber team when you have players attending and playing for your school that should be attending another high school.
Jon Jones…Vanden has many players that “belong” in fairfield. The Rodriguez QB played at FF last year. There are a lot of students that come to fairfield from vallejo to attend school. There are at least three starters on Woods football team this year that “belong” at Vacaville HS. Parents send their kids for the best opportunity. I’ve heard VHS has some of the best test scores, extra curriculars, and opportunities of any of the schools in solano county. The school as a whole really has it together. Before you throw stones know what you are talking about. I’d send my kid to Vacaville HS!
Yep, you are right, i have no idea what i am talking about. No idea at all…
Yeah, not sure what your beef is? Unless there are some “recruiting” violations that I sure would know nothing about, so what? The team still has to be coached, disciplined and work together to achieve such lofty goals. For every success there is some sour ball wanting to toss a wrench.
I think sports are great, but we need to be more concerned with academic standards, our kids academic progress and preparing them for an increasingly doubtful future. I’m not the sort of person who enjoys watching the Cleaveland Cretins battle the Milwaukee Morons on Monday nights. I prefer “Jeopardy” or the Academic Decathalon. I once single-handedly won a volley ball match at the NCO academy by my masterful overhand serving. No opponent could return the ball. When it was over, my team mates dropped to their knees and bowed to me screaming: “were not worthy, were not worthy!”
No beef and no wrench being tossed, like i said in my first message, hats off to Coach P. You are right the team does need to be coached and he is a good coach, but there are things that have gone on that you know nothing about and I will leave it at that.
The coaches at VCS make sure academics come first. They offer study halls and extra help for players falling behind. They make sure their players keep their grades up all year long and stay out of trouble! As far as brains a few year ago their QB was the valdictorian and went to an ivy league university…my kind of school…true scholar athletes! Can’t wait for my son to be a bulldog