CHULA VISTA – Valley Center High School football coach Bill Dunckel was easy to spot along the Jaguars’ sideline Saturday afternoon at Southwestern College. He was the guy limping about in a walking boot.
“Stress fracture,” said Dunckel. “From the stress of football. Nah, just getting old.”
Despite Dunckel wearing a hat and headset, from behind you could see that ‘VC’ had been etched into his hair. As a reward for reaching the CIF-San Diego Section Division 4 championship game against Eastlake, Dunckel let the Jaguars carve what they wanted.
Sophomore Joe Teter enjoyed the honor of shearing Dunckel’s head.
“Worst job ever,” joked Dunckel. “Had to correct it, make it bigger and wider. He did a terrible job.”
After beating Eastlake 21-14 for Valley Center’s first section championship since 2011, Dunckel was posing left and right with players and coaches, taking off his hat, modeling the ‘VC.’
In 1986, when he was a star wide receiver at Fallbrook, the Warriors won the 3A championship. Their coach, Tom Pack, had ‘CIF’ etched into the back of his head to celebrate.
Said Dunckel, “I’m trying to carry on the legacy of my old coach.”
CHULA VISTA, CA – NOVEMBER 29, 2025: Valley Center’s Joeisha Ryan Tirado, left, and Jesse Morales hold the trophy for pictures as they and teammates celebrate after their 21-14 win over Eastlake for the CIF Division 4 championship at Southwestern College in Chula Vista on Saturday, November 29, 2025. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Pass the pickle juice
After rambling into the end zone from 2 yards to score Valley Center’s first touchdown, Joeisha Ryan Tirado took a seat on the bench, then made a dash to the Jaguars’ black players’ bags along a chain-link fence.
Tirado scurried to at least half a dozen bags before finding his and pulling out … pickle juice.
“Pure pickle juice,” said the physical, 5-foot-10, 205-pound Tirado. “I cramp a lot. I sweat too much.”
Tirado worked up a sweat, carrying 32 times for 156 yards and the one TD, plus checking in regularly at outside linebacker.
Two-way star
Valley Center sophomore Josie Kuhn performed a beautiful rendition of the national anthem, then kicked into gear as a Jaguars cheerleader. A member of the school choir, Kuhn echoed many singers’ opinion, saying “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a tough task.
“The different range,” said Kuhn. “You’ve got to go from low straight to high.”
Fullback/linebacker/violinist
El Centro Central Union senior Matthew Lizaola is versatile. Going into the Division 3 championship game against Christian, Lizaola led the Spartans with 837 yards rushing, 17 TDs and 80 tackles.
As a hobby, Lizaola plays the violin.
“It’s the exact opposite of football, which is chaotic,” said Lizaola. “’The violin keeps me calm.”
Cathedral Catholic’s head coach Sean Doyle is doused in water after the Dons defeated Carlsbad during the CIF San Diego Section Open Division finals at Southwestern College on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Survey says
We asked the 12 coaches that steered their teams to the section’s Open Division to Division 5 championship games who they think is the best head coach in the section. All head coaches were eligible, not just those in the title games. Coaches could vote for themselves; their picks, if they wanted, were anonymous.
The final vote tally was: Cathedral Catholic’s Sean Doyle (3), Lincoln’s David Dunn (2); Shane Walton of Bishop’s (2); and one each for Santa Fe Christian’s Jon Wallace, Morse’s Tracy McNair; Granite Hills’ Kellen Cobbs, Grossmont’s Anthony Lawrence and Carlsbad’s Thadd MacNeal.
Cathedral Catholic’s 20-16 win over Carlsbad gave Doyle his 12th championship, moving one coach to say, “The guy just collects championships.”
Doyle, take II
Doyle is now 250-115 over 30 years at USDHS/Cathedral Catholic. making him the second-winningest coach in section history. Doyle surpassed Oceanside legend John Carroll (248). Former Oceanside/El Camino coach Herb Meyer is the section’s winningest coach with 339 victories.
If he coached nine more years and averaged 10 wins per season, Doyle, 63, would be at 340 wins, eclipsing the late Meyer.
Doyle said he probably won’t coach nine more years.
“Everyone asks me when (I’ll retire),” Doyle said. “When I’m tired, I’m done, but I’m having a great time.”
Regarding moving to No. 2 on the wins list, he said: “I’ve been blessed to have a lot of great assistants and a lot of great kids.”
Brothers at heart
While the coaches said they could vote anonymously, Dunn and McNair were willing to go public with their selections. Dunn voted for himself, as did McNair.
Asked why he deserved the nod, McNair said, “Because I’m in the inner city. We deal with on-the-field issues as well as off-the-field issues. Kids not living with their parents, kids who need rides, kids who need food, who need mentorship. I think we use the word coach too loosely. A coach is more like a father figure in the inner city.”
Like McNair, Dunn cited the challenges of coaching in the inner city as why he voted for himself.
“People say they’d love to coach at Lincoln, but they really don’t,” Dunn said. “It’s very hard to coach in the inner city.”
Dunn and McNair played football together at Morse, graduating in 1990. They played together at Fresno State. Dunn is the godfather of McNair’s oldest son, and McNair is the godfather of Dunn’s oldest son.
Said Dunn, “We’re like brothers.”
Food review
We opted for the carne asada nachos. Meat perfectly grilled. Guacamole, sour cream and cheese were tasty. Still wiping cheese off my shirt. Gringo passed on the jalapenos. On U-T five belch scale, nachos come in at 4.5.