EL CERRITO – One of the Bay Area’s top high school football teams will be without its head coach for the foreseeable future.
El Cerrito coach Jacob Rincon has been placed on administrative leave, multiple sources told the Bay Area News Group. The reason for and length of the suspension is not known.
Rincon did not respond to calls and messages left by the Bay Area News Group.
The West Contra Costa County Unified School District also has not replied to multiple emails seeking comment.
Rincon has been absent from the sidelines since the Gauchos were awarded a 6-0 victory at Oakland Tech on Sept. 13, a game that ended in the second quarter when spectators came onto the field.
Rincon’s absence is not believed to be related to the Oakland Tech game.
Since the victory over Tech, El Cerrito defeated Campolindo 49-0 on Sept. 20 and lost to De La Salle, the Bay Area News Group’s No. 1 team, 35-14 on Friday.
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After Friday’s loss, interim coach Tim Johnson told this news organization that he did not know why Rincon was absent.
“Whatever is going on, they’re keeping it in-house,” Johnson said.
This is not the first time Rincon has been put on administrative leave. He was suspended in 2021 after a video portraying a brutal tackling drill from a 2019 practice went viral and drew nationwide criticism.
Since taking over as head coach in 2017, Rincon’s program has gone 31-1 against Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division opponents and reached a NorCal title game in each of the past two seasons.
El Cerrito is 4-1 this year.