Tigers roar as they are celebrated in San Jacinto

Diane A. Rhodes Special to Valley News

It is hard to find something new happening at a school that is more than 100 years old but the Tigers football team at San Jacinto High School did it when they recently clinched the first-ever CIF Southern Section Division 6 title and the CIF State Division 3-AA Regional title. To celebrate this historic accomplishment, a parade and rally was held on Jan. 20 to celebrate the players, coaches, staff and supporters from the entire season.

Starting at the parking lot adjacent to the football stadium, the parade wended through the city in a one-block square route that was lined with many fans and well-wishers. Two flat-bed trucks carried the football players while they hoisted the trophies overhead for spectators to see. At the conclusion of the 30-minute procession, guests gathered at the school’s quad area for grilled hot dogs and chips provided by the San Jacinto Lions Club. This was followed by a ceremony where Head Football Coach Aric Galliano was presented with a few gifts and it was announced that he has been named Riverside County Coach of the Year.

Humbled to be honored, Galliano thanked assistant coaches John Norman Jr, Jeremiah Budnovich, Ryan Cogdill, Sean Wilson, Kevin Guilford, Rich Lunsford, Lowell Thomas and Anthony Fernandez. Besides the big wins, he said the highlight was “having my wife and kids, my family, and my coaches’ families present for the record-setting season.”

His wife, Amanda Galliano, began working at San Jacinto High School in 2011 and became its Athletic Director six years ago. Her role encompasses all sports on campus where she oversees clearance of athletes to include physical packets, academic and CIF eligibility, coordinating of practice schedules, supervision of events, scheduling of games, buses and officials and more. She is also the first point of contact with athletes when there are questions or concerns. She and Aric have four children, a 10-yearold son and a set of 7-year-old triplets.

The players were applauded for their amazing work on and off the field. They included team members Dereun Dortch and Dillon Gresham who were named Division 6 Offense MVPs and

Andre Taylor who was named D6 Defense MVP.

SJUSD Superintendent David Pyle said, “We are beyond proud. To hear the stories not only of the final scores but hearing about the boys being gentlemen on the field, shaking other players’ hands, helping them up when they were down, shows we’re raising good kids here in San Jacinto.”

Soboba Foundation President Dondi Silvas, SJHS class of 1988, said she was very honored to have been on the journey with the team, attending their games and going to Sacramento with her mother, Yvonne Silvas, to cheer them on.

Dondi’s late father, Charles “B-Bop” Silvas Sr., coached football and other sports at San Jacinto High School for 17 years. She told the team that she knows he’s very proud of them and that she really appreciated how they handled themselves. “I hear there’s a lot of colleges looking at you and that’s the next step so enjoy this time and we wish you luck in all your endeavors,” she said.

San Jacinto City Manager Robert Johnson said, “This is what building community is all about. What we’re trying to do is connect the community to City Hall but what you’ve done is connect yourselves to the entire community. It’s phenomenal what you’ve done this year. We are so proud. That’s something that helps us put San Jacinto on the map. We know we’ve got good schools, we know we have a good college and we know we’re getting new retailers, but now we also have championship football.”

Johnson explained that the celebratory event was also a team effort. He said he was approached by City Councilmember Phil Ayala about doing something special, like a parade, so the Tigers could be recognized by the entire community for such an outstanding season. Along with City Councilmembers Brian Hawkins and Phil Ayala, Johnson presented Coach Galliano with a commemorative crystal football trophy to share with the team.

Craig Shultz congratulated the team on behalf of Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District, which is known for creating a community of athletes in the San Jacinto Valley. “As proud as we are about you winning, we are even more proud to hear about all the class and goodwill that the players showed, because that’s what