Dear Parents, Alumni and Friends of St. Vincent de Paul High School,
St. Vincent de Paul High School has hired Trent Herzog as its Head Varsity Football Coach. The new coach was selected from a pool of 14 qualified applicants through a formal process that included parents, faculty, administrators and alumni. He will work closely with Principal Patrick Daly on all levels of the football program at the high school.
Trent Herzog will replace long-time coach Gary Galloway. Mr. Galloway has served the school for 34 seasons and the entire St. Vincent’s school community is grateful for his decades of faithful dedication. Mr. Galloway guided the varsity football team to twelve league championships and four CIF-NCS Championships —- 1984, 1993, 2005 and 2008.
For 21 seasons, Trent Herzog coached at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California, serving as the Head Varsity Football Coach from 2009-2016. In every year of his head coaching tenure, the school qualified for the playoffs, including three league championships. 28 of his players went on to play at the collegiate level with 12 earning full scholarships to Division I programs. He was recognized as the SCL Coach of the Year (2010), NBL Coach of the Year, Redwood Empire Coach of the Year and Max Preps Northern California Coach of the Year (2013) and Petaluma People’s Choice Award, Sports Coach of the Year (2016-17). He brings 22 years of coaching experience with 18 years of expertise as a strength and conditioning coach.
“First and foremost, we want to deliver an exceptional high school experience in the classroom and on the athletic field, for our students and their families. We anticipate a strong incoming freshman class and to be competitive this year,” Coach Herzog stated. “The football program will deliver on our commitment to an overall improvement in men’s athletics. Within 3-5 years, it is our intention to be recognized as one of the elite programs in the area and competing for section titles. Student-athletes from San Rafael to Santa Rosa will aspire to be a part of St. Vincent’s community.”
A common characteristic among successful Catholic high schools is the pairing of exceptional college preparatory academics with a strong athletics program. School leadership including the Pastor, Principal and Board of Regents have committed publicly to all school constituencies that St. Vincent’s will have very competitive men’s and women’s athletic programs. The students will be well-prepared for life beyond high school, in college classrooms and in intercollegiate sports programs.
Coach Herzog is the Western Region, Director of Scouting for National Preps. He will continue in this role evaluating football prospects for 220 colleges. This provides a unique opportunity for St. Vincent’s athletes to move on and play football at the next level. His most notable student-athlete is Elijah Qualls who, despite personally challenging circumstances, played football at the University of Washington and is currently a Defensive Tackle for the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. He is equally proud of his student-athlete Kahlil Keyes who earned a full academic scholarship to Yale, played football for the Ivy League school and now works for Major League Baseball. Coach Herzog stated, “My focus is to develop all aspects of the student-athlete, with an emphasis on their success as a student.”
Coach Herzog is in the advanced stages of hiring his staff. This will bring a mostly new coaching staff to the school’s football program. He already has eight, full-time coaches committed to the program; four of them have played college football. He expects 2-4 additional coaches anticipating a staff of six coaches for both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. The new coach will be reaching out to St. Vincent’s alumni and expects that one or two former players will be engaged with the program.
Larry Gondola, the former Head Football Coach at Marin Catholic and College of Marin, will be supporting the program as a consultant. “Many coaches put themselves ahead of the well-being of their players, Trent is not one of those coaches,” Mr. Gondola declared. “He is loyal, honest and a person of great integrity. Coach Herzog loves the game and has a genuine compassion for the student-athletes under his guidance. His intensity will make a positive impact throughout the campus.”
Coach Herzog expressed his thoughts on the desired outcomes for his student-athletes by stating, “We want our players to have a great high school experience, in the classroom and on the field. We want them to be prepared for life beyond high school. That likely includes attending a university and for some, the opportunity to play football at the next level. For others, learning life lessons they can apply throughout our community; as entrepreneurs, in military service, in their family business, or in the trades.”
Coach Herzog noted that the quality of the academic institution and the support of the administration were instrumental in his decision, where to apply his passion for coaching. “As a smaller, college preparatory high school, St. Vincent’s offers its student-athletes a unique community, a tradition of academic excellence and exceptional student life opportunities. For some, they may pursue new challenges such as participating in debate on the nationally-ranked program at St. Vincent’s. And for determined athletes, the opportunity to play two or three sports.”
Starting this summer, the new coach will offer additional programs on the St. Vincent’s campus. Camps will be scheduled for football, speed training and weight training. The offerings will include NFL players who have already committed to participate. He hopes to be able to accommodate up to 150 local, student-athletes from ages 8-14.
The high school draws students from southern Sonoma County and Northern Marin representing 22 different partner schools. St. Vincent de Paul High School offers Advanced Placement classes in twelve areas and for the past 10 years, 95% of the graduating class attended college. In the 2008 WASC report, the school was described by the visiting team as the “Friendliest School in America.”
As announced earlier, consistent with a renewed commitment to 11-man football, St. Vincent’s football program has exited the North Central I league and become an independent football program for the next two years. The Director of Athletics, Stan Switala said, “This new phase for our football teams offers a unique opportunity for our school to enjoy games in closer proximity to Petaluma. After two years, we expect to be in a new league, playing teams in Southern Sonoma, Napa and/or Marin counties. We are confident that Coach Herzog will lead the resurgence of football at St. Vincent’s, an important piece of our strategy to build exceptional offerings across all of our co-curricular programs.”
Coach Herzog continued, “Parents can expect a family atmosphere. They will be able to have a direct and personal relationship with me. The entire staff will deliver a genuine commitment to their student.” The new head coach added, “There will be an open door policy for our student-athletes, their parents and our alumni. We are going to build this program together.”
Trent Herzog is an alum of Casa Grande High School and a lifelong resident of Petaluma. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College and added, “I love this community and look forward to the opportunity to serve the mission of St. Vincent de Paul High School. I can’t wait to engage with the students and help them become a memorable part of the 100-year tradition of our school in Petaluma.”
Sincerely,
Patrick W. Daly
Principal, St. Vincent de Paul High School
