No one at Stagg expected it.
On Jan. 27, fresh off an 8-3 season, a 6-1 league finish and Stagg’s first eight-win campaign since 2013-14, the coach who helped orchestrate the turnaround announced he was leaving for Edison.
Players were hurt. Coaches were caught by surprise. Fans were irate.
Stagg had spent a season building something. In an instant, its future felt uncertain.
Someone had to stabilize it. Someone had to rebuild trust.
Enter Sopeter Mao.
“I was hurt,” senior cornerback Kemonnie Eskridge said. “That’s my guy and my mentor. I look up to him. But we’ve got to keep the train moving and keep the show on the road. Fortunately, Stagg hired Coach Mao, and I know we’re in good hands.”
Senior running back Darnell Holmes added, “It was a little
heartbreaking. I have the highest respect for him and the standard he brought. It’s just like football. We’ve got to move to the next play, and we have the perfect coach for that next play.”
Turns out, the coach for Stagg’s “next play” was already in the building.
Sopeter had joined the staff as the running backs coach, drawn to Stagg by the opportunity to coach track and field and work alongside Eric Crocker.
"We've all known each other for a very long time," Sopeter said. "Our older brothers played together at Lincoln, and his brother was part of the 2000 championship team. I ran into him at a track meet, we got to talking and he knew I was ready to leave Lincoln. He said, 'I need a running backs coach.' It all happened pretty simply. Then, just as quickly, it was over."
Like Crocker before him, Mao never envisioned becoming a head coach.
His high school coaching career had only started a year before he arrived at Stagg, coaching running backs at his alma mater, Lincoln, where he played varsity in 2002 and 2003.
Then the Stagg job opened.
Players and parents encouraged Mao to apply, and with the program searching for someone it could “trust,” he saw an opportunity that was too good to pass up.
"Stagg is a good representation of Stockton," Sopeter said. "The struggle. The hustle. The grind. The grit. We've got to work for everything here and fight to make a name for ourselves. Last year, I came in and helped Crock build the program. Now it's my turn to take over and continue that success. We saw what Stagg football can be. I want to keep that going."
He won't have to start from scratch.
Holmes is back after rushing for 1,657 yards and scoring 25 total touchdowns. Eskridge returns after committing to Sacramento State. Senior defensive lineman Elias Mao is coming off an 80-tackle, 5.5-sack season, while senior cornerback Amari Lambert returns after being named the SJAA Defensive Back of the Year.
“Croc leaving, it’s just the business,” Elias said. “He was a great coach. He elevated our game and set the standard. Now we’re chasing after that. Coach Mao is making us work and getting us ready. What happened is in the past. It’s pedal to the metal from here.”
Leaving was an option for them, too.
They stayed.
One breakthrough season wasn’t enough to make them feel finished.
“This is home,” Holmes said. “I’ve been here since my first year. Coach Mao came in last year and helped me get better, so having him take over as head coach was exciting. I still get to have him by my side.”
Eskridge added, “I’ve been at Stagg going on four years. I’ve seen some of my guys transfer, but I wanted to stay close to the soil. I want to make a name for myself here. I want to be legendary at Stagg. I couldn’t see myself being legendary anywhere else.”
There are holes, though.
Stagg lost two middle linebackers who combined for 268 tackles and seven sacks, a defensive end who had 11 sacks and its top two receivers, who combined for 1,027 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Yet, there doesn’t seem to be much concern about who fills them.
“We’ve got a few secrets that are going to pop up in our first game,” Mao said. “They’re names people are going to know this year and for years to come.”
Through it all, the goal remains the same.
Take back the “Chavez vs. Stagg” rivalry trophy. Win a league title for the first time since 2015. Deliver Stagg its first playoff victory since 2013.
“That team on Windflower Lane, we’re going to get at them,” Eskridge said. “It’s going to take all of us buying in and staying healthy. Come Week 10, man, we’re on them. We want to beat them, win the league, and win some playoff games.”
Elias added, “They’re just a team across town. They can talk. We’re going to show it.”
And someday, a state championship.
“It could be this year, it could be next year,” Sopeter said. “That’s the expectation for me as a head coach. I’m going after rings, medals, and championships.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stagg football's turnaround enters new chapter under Sopeter Mao
