Moreau coordinator moves up to head coach

In one season as the head coach at Windsor High, Rob Gatrell could not have achieved much more. The team went 14-0 and won a North Coast Section championship.

But Gatrell did not have a full-time job at the school.

When Moreau Catholic offered him a job and a chance to coach under his former high school teammate Andrew Cotter, Gatrell left the wine country for Hayward.

Fast forward six years: Cotter stepped down this spring to take over as head coach at Freedom, and Moreau on Wednesday named Gatrell as Cotter’s successor. He takes over a program that has finished first or second in the Mission Valley Athletic League each of the past four seasons, including an undefeated league record last fall.

Reminded that he set a high bar for himself with that one season at Windsor, Gatrell laughed and said, “Hopefully everybody forgets about that.”

Kidding aside, he added, “That was a different program and was the right time with the right bunch of kids. This is another opportunity to develop great young men and make them as good of football players as we can.”

Given his familiarity with Moreau’s program and players, Gatrell anticipates a smooth transition as he moves from offensive coordinator to head coach.

“We have a great group coming back,” he said. “We’re very athletic in a lot of our skilled positions. We have a lot more experience on both sides of the ball. We have a great opportunity in front of us.”

With James Logan’s football team rejoining the MVAL this fall, Gatrell will be one of three new head coaches in the league, joining L.C. Mincey at Irvington and Ricky Rodriguez at Logan.

Basketball recruiting

Bellarmine’s Kendall Stubblefield, a second-team all-Bay Area News Group selection, will continue his basketball career at UC Riverside, Bells coach Patrick Schneider said.

Jake Wojcik, the Bellarmine star who reopened his recruitment after Siena coach Jimmy Patsos resigned, has made visits to USF and Holy Cross and will visit Richmond and Drexel, according to Schneider. Wojcik is a two-time WCAL player of the year and was a firstteam all-BANG selection this season.

Wrestling

The Gilroy Unified School District made Daniel Cormier’s hire as Gilroy wrestling coach official at its board meeting last week, principal Marco Sanchez said. The UFC light heavyweight champ takes over from Greg Varela, who stepped down in March.

Boys tennis

Bellarmine’s tennis team certainly has its share of talent this season, with Luke Casper, Geoff Golan, Josiah Myers-Lipton and Anthony Teciorowski ranked among the top 70 in Northern California boys 16-under, and it has showed. The Bells won the WCAL’s regular-season championship with a perfect record, clinching the title against rival St. Francis. The season continues this week with the league championships, followed by the CCS championships.