Gilroy High grad Jeff Patterson led Gonzales to 8-3 record, CCS
playoffs last year
MORGAN HILL – After a lengthy search, Sobrato High has found its man. And, he’s a local guy.
Gilroy High grad, Hollister resident and area coach Jeff Patterson was introduced as Sobrato’s first football coach at the high school’s Open House earlier this week.
Patterson, 30, served as Gonzales’ head football coach last season, leading the troubled Spartans program to an 8-3 overall record and a berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs. Patterson had also served as Gonzales’ Athletic Director since December.
Patterson, who was Gonzales’ fourth coach in three years, said the opportunity to start a new program from scratch without the baggage of previous coaches or athletic administrations was the primary draw.
“When I first heard (Sobrato) was opening, I wanted the job. I’m kind of going into this thinking this is a new beginning,” Patterson said. “It’s less of challenge taking over a new school than one that has problems. … It’s a chance to put everything together the way I want it.”
Sobrato principal Rich Knapp said Patterson was chosen from a “strong” pool of eight candidates because of his coaching background and because of his intention to be an on-campus coach. Patterson is still completing his teaching credential but taught at Gonzales on an emergency credential this school year. He will teach on a part-time basis at Sobrato until he completes his credential.
“I thought he would be a great person to start the program,” Knapp said. “We’re hoping to start a program here that emphasizes the right things.”
According to Knapp, the hiring was held up because federal guidelines required Sobrato to interview fully credentialed teachers before offering Patterson the job.
Knapp confirmed that there was at least one other coach that Sobrato administrators were interested in hiring, one of whom turned down the job, but he said no one else was offered the position.
“It’s very important to get (Patterson) on right now, and have him have contact with the kids and put together his summer program,” Knapp said. “(Football is) an important program because there’s a lot of kids involved and it’s very visible in the community.”
Patterson said he has no plans for spring practice because “all the kids are spread out in different places.”
But he said he plans to start his summer program on June 21. He said the program will use the Live Oak High weight room until the Sobrato facilities are ready.
Patterson grew up in Gilroy and played quarterback for Gilroy High before graduating in 1992.
He also attended Gavilan College and played football there, too.
Patterson transferred to San Jose State and graduated from there in 1998.
In 2001-02, Patterson coached at Gilroy High under current Mustangs head coach Darren Yafai. Patterson served as head freshman football coach in 2002.
Last season, Patterson succeeded longtime area football coach Pete Noble at Gonzales. Noble had taken over the year before after the previous head coach quit the job just before the season began with the program in disarray.
Patterson continued what Noble started, helping to turn the Spartan program around.
Under Patterson’s guidance, Gonzales won its last three games to finish second in the Mission Trail Athletic League behind league champion Pacific Grove and earned a berth in the CCS Division IV playoffs.
Gonzales lost to Pioneer in the first round of the CCS playoffs.
Patterson said he learned a lot about dealing with organizational details and athletic boosters clubs at both Gilroy, where he said support is traditionally strong, and Gonzales, where he said it isn’t as strong.
Sobrato’s fledgling athletic boosters club is just starting up and has been meeting regularly.
Sobrato’s football program will begin play as a frosh-soph team, playing a 10-game season against mostly freshman teams.
Sobrato will play its home games at Live Oak High. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play their first season opener against visiting North Monterey County at Live Oak on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Patterson said he’s confident the Sobrato program can compete very soon.
“We’re going to be successful,” he said. “Everything’s here to allow us to be successful. That’s one of the great things about a new school is that if you do a good job it will show and if you do a bad job that will show, too. It’s all about how hard you work.”
