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A strong desire to coach and several factors aligning at Fullerton High has Pete Karavedas headed back to the football field.

Fullerton principal Jon Caffrey announced Wednesday that his school has selected Karavedas as its new football head coach.

Karavedas coached Sunny Hills to the CIF-SS Division 8 championship in 2019 and was The Register’s O.C. coach of the year that fall.

After the 2021 campaign, he resigned after seven seasons to pursue opportunities in school administration.

“I got the itch and couldn’t stay away (from coaching),” said Karavedas, who has been serving as an assistant principal at Sunny Hills. “I realized I have a lot more in the tank to give.”

“You get the itch but it has to be the right situation,” he added. “It’s exciting.”

At Fullerton, Karavedas, 40, will reunite with Caffrey, who served as his athletic director at Sunny Hills.

Caffrey also hired Karavedas as his defensive coordinator at Whittier Christian when he was the coach and athletic director at the school.

“We’re thrilled to get him,” said Caffrey, in his first year as the Fullerton principal.

Karavedas said the presence of Caffrey helps make the position at Fullerton intriguing.

“Great school and great community and great leadership,” he said.

Last season, Fullerton finished 0-10 for its first winless campaign since beginning football in 1915.

In November, Richard Salazar resigned after seven seasons as the team’s coach.

Karavedas will transition back to teaching at Fullerton. He said his father Nick, one of his assistants at Sunny Hills, will be part of his staff in some capacity.

Karavedas posted a 51-28 record at Sunny Hills.

One bright spot last season for Fullerton was the performance of its teams on the lower levels. The freshman team went 10-0 and the JV posted a 8-2 record.

“We spent a long time attracting kids back to Fullerton,” Salazar said. “It showed at the lower level.”

Fullerton will remain next season in the Lambda League with Sunny Hills, Beckman, Marina, Kennedy and Valencia.

Please send football news to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy 

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