Chris Casillas is no longer head coach of Thousand Oaks High’s football team.
“It was time for a change,” Casillas said in an interview with the Acorn. “I feel bad for the kids who went winless for the past two years. I did not want that to happen. At the same time, I’m relieved that they get an opportunity to improve on that with better or different guidance. I will definitely still be there to support them.”
The coach was officially notified that he would not return to the sidelines at 10 a.m. Nov. 22. Casillas, who will continue to teach history at the school, told his players in person at 2 p.m. that he would not coach them next season.
Multisport athletes who do not attend Casillas’ afternoon class found out the news in an email from Thousand Oaks Principal Eric Bergmann.
Casillas, a 1994 T.O. graduate, had an 0-20 record in two seasons guiding the Lancers.
“It was really rough on him, but we saw it coming,” said Miles Briers, a junior wide receiver, quarterback and safety. “Obviously, losing 25 games in a row, it’s not fun.”
By the end of the season, there were only three varsity coaches, including Casillas. The squad started the fall with four coaches.
“He was trying to coach everyone,” Briers said. “I don’t think anyone can coach every position in football.”
The Lancers’ season ended with unceremonious fireworks.
Casillas and assistant coach Eric Porter were involved in a physical altercation on the sidelines during the Nov. 1 regular season finale against Bishop Diego at Santa Barbara City College, a 41-6 T.O. loss.
“Coach Porter was being asked to remove (himself) from the sidelines for talking to the other team and to the referees. That’s something I tell all my players and assistant coaches: No one is allowed to do that. Unfortunately, he didn’t take a liking to that,” Casillas said. “(Porter) literally got in my face. I told him to get off the sidelines. He knocked my headset off. I tried to protect myself, and that’s when they finally got us separated.”
Did Porter leave the field?
“I was too busy coaching the game,” Casillas said. “It’s unfortunate. We only had two days to prepare, and they weren’t good practice days. The fires messed up the rest of the week. It happens. . . .
“It’s something I did not want to happen, but it did.”
Briers said the adults in the program undermined Casillas.
“At the end of the season, there was a lot of complaining from the parents on the team,” Briers said.
Casillas will cheer the Lancers from the stands. His son, Payton, is a junior linebacker who also sprints for the track and field team.
The older Casillas can’t quit his craft: He’s assisting his daughter Morgan’s youth basketball squad.
Casillas, however, might be done guiding high school athletes, and he will not assist at another high school team while his son plays for Thousand Oaks.
“My initial thought is that I’m done coaching high school sports. Right now, I can’t coach at T.O.,” Casillas said. “I’d rather sit back and watch my son. I like the idea now of being a parent, being there to support my son.”
Players spoke highly of Casillas, who is admired for his tireless work ethic and loyalty. He spent 12 years assisting at Thousand Oaks before earning a promotion to head coach in 2018.
“I have nothing but respect for Coach Casillas,” said James Stuver, a junior cornerback. “He helped me get better as a football player and as a human, too.”
Stuver was 5 when he met Casillas; Stuver and Payton Casillas played on a Boys & Girls Club basketball team together that Chris Casillas coached. Stuver, a former three-sport athlete who played prep basketball for two years, will continue sprinting for the track squad in the spring.
Briers started playing football at age 7 with the Titans youth team; Casillas was a coach on Briers’ first team.
“He’s a great guy and a great coach,” Briers said of Casillas. “He knows all the X’s and O’s. If any player had a question, he’d know the answer right away. He’s very smart, and he worked really hard. . . . He really loved to bleed green. I really appreciate that. No one should look down on him because of his record.”
In July 2018, Casillas told the Acorn that coaching Thousand Oaks was his dream job.
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” Casillas said at the time. “This is where I want to retire. This is where I want my legacy to be built.”
The Lancers will look for another coach, but the job requires major work. The junior varsity squad played only four games this fall before canceling the rest of the season.
Lancer players seek a return to glory on the gridiron.
“I have high expectations next year, regardless of who’s coaching,” Briers said. “As long as they’re a coach and they bring a coaching staff, we’ll be expecting a winning record. We want to win league and go to the playoffs.”
Follow sports editor Eliav Appelbaum on Twitter @EliavAppelbaum.