Esposito takes football head coaching job at Temecula Valley

Bert Esposito, who coached football at Paloma Valley High School for 13 years, is the new head coach at Temecula Valley. File photo

In bringing his career almost full circle, Bert Esposito might also become a trend setter among the football coaching ranks.

Esposito, the head coach at Paloma Valley High School from 2004-16, announced Thursday that he has been hired as the new head football coach at Temecula Valley High School. The move will bring him to a school adjacent to Linfield Christian, where he coached for five seasons in the 1990s, as well as to a school just three miles from his home in Temecula.

Even more than that, Esposito will be a walk-on coach -- a common occurrence in other high school sports but a rarity for a head coach in football. Esposito remained as a physical education teacher at Paloma Valley after he was removed from his head coaching position there prior to last season. He will continue to teach at Paloma Valley and coach at Temecula Valley.

"It's like I have the best of both worlds," Esposito said about the walk-on role. "I don't have to say goodbye to anybody at Paloma, all the friends I have there. I'll teach there all day and then coach at Temecula Valley on my way home. That is very rare, especially with football. I don't know anybody who's done it. But don't think it will be a problem at all."

Esposito said that Lenny Dykes, Temecula Valley's head coach last season, will remain as part of his staff. The presence of Dykes, whom he said is very popular with the students, will help provide continuity with the players.

In fact, Esposito believes his situation could be a model for other longtime head football coaches who for various reasons leave their coaching positions but remain at the school.

"A lot of coaches don't leave their school because they don't want to give up tenure," he said. "Also, not every school is willing to take on a walk-on as a head football coach. If we're successful doing this, it might open up doors for others."

Esposito said the walk-on situation was not a factor in the interview process. He pointed out that Temecula Valley has walk-on head coaches in basketball, baseball and track.

Temecula Valley finished last season with an 0-10 record, playing a lot of young athletes. Esposito said he is encouraged about the team's potential.

"They had 12 sophomores starting," Esposito said. "They have a lot of returning players coming back, and the lower levels looked pretty good. I'm excited."

Esposito won a CIF Southern Section championship as head coach at Southern California Christian in 1991. He also coached at Linfield Christian, Ramona, Rancho Verde and Sierra before arriving at Paloma Valley. In 26 seasons, he has a coaching record of 161-115-4.

"Paloma Valley has some of the best kids I've been associated with," said Esposito, who still keeps in touch with many of his former players. "We also had some of the best parents. I know some coaches say, 'Oh great, the parents,' but I had great relationships with the parents, to the point where I'm real good friends with a lot of them."