Ryan Teicheira has orchestrated spread and Wing-T offenses with great success over the years.
So, which will he go with in his return to Sierra High?
Well, why not both?
This summer, Teicheira and his staff have introduced the Gun-T, a shotgun variant of the Wing-T that implements the run-pass option typically used out of the spread.
“It’s a happy medium with what I have installed at Lathrop and what Sierra has done well with in the past,” Teicheira said. “We see there are kids that have been in the program and have thrived in the spread, but this offers a different type of element for Sierra athletes. Our liners are adjusting great with what we want to do in the run game. We want to be physical in the match-ups up front, and merging the two is tough. We’re taking it one day at a time. They’re getting the information and applying it. We’ll see how it all goes, but the mentality is changing up front, and that’s what I love seeing.”
The 2001 Sierra graduate is the fifth head football coach in the school’s 31-year history. He brings 15 years of coaching experience, which includes a previous stint with Sierra (2010-17) in which he served as offensive coordinator for the 2015 Division IV-A state championship team.
Teicheira later joined the Oakdale staff as assistant, where he was schooled in the Wing-T. He brought the run-based system to his first head coaching gig at Lathrop, and the Spartans quickly earned a reputation for their physical ground attack on the way to back-to-back Western Athletic Conference titles and two straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division V semifinal appearances. Lathrop went 40-16 in five years under Teicheira.
His coaching staff at Sierra includes a mixture of holdovers from the program’s previous regimes, assistants from Lathrop and newcomers with Timberwolves DNA.
Mikes James is back at defensive coordinator, a position he held when Sierra won its last SJS championship in 2019. Tony Jimenez and Jay Muschott also return. Mark Rangel and Jeremy Towner arrive from Lathrop but with history at Sierra. Willie Juarez and Derek Rosendin are coaching the JV and freshman teams, respectively.
Notable newcomers include alumni Joe Rohles (2003) and Jake Pruitt (2014).
Rohles was head coach at Lodi the past three years and previously served as lower-level head coach and varsity assistant at Manteca. He’ll coach the linemen along with Towner.
Quarterback coach Pruitt was Valley Oak League Offensive Player of the Year in 2013, setting single-season and career passing records at Sierra. He went on to play for Division II Northeastern State University in Oklahoma.
Seven coaches program-wide played at Sierra.
With little changes to the coaching staff, Teicheira does not view this as a complete rebuild of the program. He said the transition has been “seamless” because of his and the returning players’ familiarity with much of the assistants.
“There’s excitement in getting to work together again, and we all believe our program can be special,” Teicheira said. “With the knowledge that we have and with college-level athletes coming back to coach, it’s great for our kids. Most of our coaches have been here and were part of winning seasons, playoff runs and section championships. This is not a revamp type of situation, it’s just a reset.”
Teicheira has been pleased with the turnout for summer workouts, with about 45 varsity participating daily. Numbers continue to improve at the lower levels, as players finish their baseball season.
Sierra has dueled with Heritage, coached by Sierra alumnus Nick Wisley, in a 7-on-7 and will compete in a passing tournament at Pacheco on Saturday.
The SJS Summer Period ends on June 30, with the No Contact Dead Period starting July 1. Official practices may begin on Aug. 3, and the Timberwolves kick off their season Aug. 28 at home against Enochs.
“Everybody is on board,” Teicheira said. “The coaches and players have been great taking in the changes and the implementation this summer. It’s an exciting time.”
