McIntyre in, Anderson steps down

Two years was too long for Derek McIntyre to be away from coaching football.

He knew he had to come back to the game, and he has found his opportunity at Sage Hill School.

McIntyre, an athletic director the past two years at Justin-Siena High in Napa, has been named the Lightning’s new football coach, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.

Pete Anderson, who led Sage Hill to an 8-3 record last season, his first as head coach, has decided to step down, school officials said.

McIntyre, who last coached football at The Bishop’s in La Jolla, said he found out about the Sage Hill coaching opening through a friend three weeks ago. He was anxious to get back to coaching.

“[Coaching is] in my blood,” McIntyre said. “This is what I do. I definitely wanted to be out there again on Friday nights.”

Judith Glickman, Sage Hill’s head of school, had a hand in the hiring that actually came before the initial interview with McIntyre two weeks ago. Glickman, who held the same position at La Jolla Country Day, asked that school’s athletic director and football coach Jeff Hutzler if he knew of anyone interested in the Sage Hill job.

Hutzler called his friend and former competitor McIntyre.

“I look at this as a great opportunity,” McIntyre said. “I feel very confident about the situation.”

McIntyre is expected to meet with players and their parents Tuesday. But he will not move in the area until the second week of June, he said. For that reason, he said Sage Hill won’t have spring football practices this month as the Lightning usually do. He plans to start practicing with the team June 17.

“That just means we have to put more time and effort,” McIntyre said. “We’re starting a little bit behind, but we’ll catch up.”

McIntyre will be a teacher at Sage Hill, where he will also serve as an admissions officer.

Anderson is expected to continue to stay at Sage Hill as a math teacher and advisor.

The Lightning lost, 62-32, to Linfield Christian in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs last year.

“Pete Anderson was not going to have the time available to coach the team,” McIntyre said. “He did a great job with them last year.”

McIntyre said he was offered the job on Thursday. He has been contacting last year’s assistants to bring them back in the fall.

McIntyre coached at The Bishop’s and was co-athletic director there for two years before moving to Napa.

From 1996 to 2004 he coached football at Viewpoint School in Calabasas. He led Viewpoint to the Heritage League title in 2003 and was named the league’s coach of the year. He also coached basketball at Viewpoint for two years.

McIntyre played football at Cleveland High in Reseda, then Los Angeles Valley Community College before finishing his playing days at Cal State Northridge.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].