New, old blood on high school football coaching sidelines this fall as three local schools retool staff
CONCORD, CA (June 23, 2023) — Concord’s oldest two high schools have hired new head football coaches while its most famous football program is bringing back an old (in terms of tenure at least) coach to help its program this coming season.
Clayton Valley Charter announced that Nick Tisa is the new head coach after Tim Murphy stepped down last month following an impressive 11-year run in charge of the Ugly Eagles. For the past few years Tisa served as co-head coach before removing the “co” from his title a few weeks after Murphy’s announcement.
At Mt. Diablo, Fetuao Mua is the new football coach, succeeding Donald James who left the school after running the Red Devils program for five seasons, including the unbeaten 2020-21 season that resulted in the school’s first football championship in decades.
And at perennial power De La Salle, Justin Alumbaugh announced that long-time assistant coach Terry Eidson is returning to the staff serving as special teams and safeties coach, part of the responsibilities he held under friend and head coach Bob Ladouceur. Coach Lad retired after the 2012 season with Alumbaugh taking the reigns as he heads into his 11th season in charge this fall.
Eidson stayed on the staff through the 2019 season and has been helping on game nights while also teaching at the Concord school. Alumbaugh explains that with the Concord resident having his teaching responsibilities lessened he has more time to devote to the Spartans football team. He was defensive coordinator and special teams coach for many years under Ladouceur.
Alumbaugh made some staff changes after his three-year defensive coordinator Nate Kenion asked to leave the staff to pursue collegiate coaching opportunities. Alumbaugh will assume Kenion’s role on the defense and he tabbed fellow DLS alumnus Kevin Fordon to take over play-calling duties, which Alumbaugh has done the past 10 years.
Tisa taking over successful program
Tisa has been with the CVCHS football team since 2018 and became co-head coach after Murphy first announced his retirement in 2019. Murphy was talked into staying on board for three more seasons before finally fully stepping away this spring.
Tisa has 17 years of coaching and teaching experience. He served as co-head coach, Tisa has served as the co-head coach alongside Murphy for the past four years concentrating on the defensive side of the ball with Murphy handling the offense. He was part of the staff which won the 2019 California State Division 2AA championship with the defense leading the way in the state title game.
Discussing his opportunity to lead the Ugly Eagle program, Tisa stated, “I’m coming into this job with great enthusiasm and gratitude for the chance to lead the CVCHS football program. I have learned so much from my time as co-head coach alongside Tim Murphy, and I’m thrilled to be part of the Clayton Valley community and its successful winning program.”
Before joining CVCHS, Tisa served as the head coach at Dougherty Valley High in San Ramon, where he further developed his coaching skills. There, he credits Principal Dave Kravitz, a former head coach at San Ramon Valley, and Jason Krolikowski, former head coach for Lowell High, for providing him with keen insights to the game.
Tisa also gained experience as a varsity assistant coach at California High in San Ramon, working alongside renowned mentor Tony Sanchez, former Bishop Gorman and University of Nevada Las Vegas coach. Tisa compliments Sanchez for sharing his coaching knowledge and player development skills.
Red Devils get new leader
Mt. Diablo High alumnus Mua is working as supervisor on the Concord campus and has been able to become familiar with his returning players over the past several months.
The 2005 MDHS grad went on to play football at Diablo Valley College and then Division II Tusculum College in Tennessee. He stayed on at his college for one year as a student assistant. He also coached linemen at Mt. Diablo the year after his high school graduation.
In recent years Mua has been coaching with the Concord Cobras youth football program which has given him a glimpse of young players in the area.
Mua says he expects to have a solid roster come fall with a couple transfers and incoming freshmen bolstering his group of returning players.
His football coaching resume describes him as “a driven football coach who understands and embeds the values of both winning and receiving a good education. My goal is to allow players to utilize football as a tool to reach the collegiate level. I emphasize camaraderie and building a tight knit relationship amongst players that lasts a lifetime.”
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.