The high football season is over and multiple teams in the Daily News area are already looking toward next season with new leadership at the helm.
Here are a few coaching hires that took place in recent weeks:
WESTLAKE
Brothers Rick and Casey Clausen didn’t take much of a break from coaching football. They resigned from Alemany in early November and were hired at Westlake in mid-December, pending CVUSD School Board approval.
Rick will serve as head coach and Casey will be an assistant.
“I am excited for the opportunity to catch at Westlake High School while adding to the long history and tradition of excellence within the school, program and community,” Rick Clausen said in a statement released by Westlake’s athletic department.
Rick Clausen has coached for over 14 years at the college and high school levels. He won two CIF Southern Section titles at Calabasas and made a Division 2 championship appearance with Alemany.
“His approach will emphasize pride in the Westlake community while being a high-character, well-rounded student-athlete,” Westlake said in the statement.
Rick Clausen will be the third coach in as many years at Westlake. Athletic director Carnell Henderson served as the head coach last season after Jesse Craven, the school’s original hire, left the program due to differences with the school’s administration.
EL CAMINO REAL
Rick Hayashida, who has over four decades of coaching experience, was named the head football coach at El Camino Real on Dec. 18.
“We are placing the program in the hands of a great man, a great coach and a future Hall of Famer,” El Camino Real athletic director Richard Russell said in a statement from the school. “There is no doubt that coach Hayashida will lead this program in the right direction and continue to build on El Camino Real’s rich athletic tradition.”
Hayashida has won four CIF L.A. City Section titles as a coach or a player across three different sports: football, girls flag football and girls soccer. He led the Royals to a Division II girls flag football championship in their first year as a program this season.
He also underwent a 12-hour double lung transplant surgery in 2020 after being diagnosed with interstitial lung disease.
“My foundational coaching focus is on developing character and sportsmanship while working as a member of a team in a competitive setting,” Hayashida said in the statement. “I understand the dual role the student-athlete plays in achieving both academic and athletic success.”
ALEMANY
Bishop Alemany announced that former Harvard-Westlake coach Aaron Huerta will take over as head coach for the coming season.
Huerta will serve as the football team’s head coach as well as an assistant athletic director.
In addition to coaching at Harvard-Westlake, he won two league titles at Notre Dame of Riverside and reached the CIF Southern Section playoffs in four out of six seasons.
He was also a defensive coordinator and assistant coach at Corona del Mar.