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Marina has hired Santa Ana’s Charlie TeGantvoort as its football coach, the school announced Thursday.
TeGantvoort spend the past nine seasons at Santa Ana, turning a struggling program into a consistent winner.
He led the Saints to a CIF-SS championship game in 2016 — their first finals appearance since 1986 — and playoff appearances each season with the exception of the coronavirus-shortened spring campaign that didn’t have a postseason.
He also guided Santa Ana to four league titles — two in the Orange Coast League and a pair in the Golden West League.
TeGantvoort, who played at Fountain Valley and Golden West College, said his familiarity with Marina, the Huntington Beach Union High School District and the potential of the Vikings’ football program drew him to the school.
His Saints played Marina in nonleague games in 2016 and 2017, winning both seasons.
“I really felt like they are a football program that has always been on the verge of being great, and I’m excited at the opportunity to help them reach that consistent greatness,” TeGantvoort said of Marina.
TeGantvoort replaces Jeff Turley, who resigned after nine seasons for personal reasons.
The Vikings finished 1-9 this fall and 3-7 in 2021. They claimed a second consecutive Big 4 League title in the coronavirus-shortened spring season of 2021.
Turley highlighted his tenure by leading Marina in 2019 to its first CIF-SS championship. The Vikings defeated Muir 18-9 in the Division 11 final and finished the season 12-3.
TeGantvoort posted a 76-26 record at Santa Ana. His best season was in 2016 when the Saints went 13-1 and finished as the CIF-SS Division 13 runner-up to Rancho Christian.
Santa Ana wen 8-4 this past season and reached the second round of the Division 10.
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He called leaving Santa Ana one of the “hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.”
“I am very proud of the success we were able to bring to the Santa Ana Saints program and the pride we were able to bring to the city,” he said. “The players to the athletic director to the support staff are all amazing people and I will miss them all very much.”