Jack Willard resigns after a decade guiding Camarillo High football program

Jack Willard has turned to Jerry White to talk through countless decisions over the years.

So before he retired as Camarillo High head football coach Thursday, Willard made sure to bend his mentor’s ear one last time.

“His outstanding trait is Jack truly cares about the athlete,” said White, a longtime local baseball coach and administrator. “Camarillo is a small town. He gets to know them.”

A quarterback on the first Camarillo team to win its first 10 games of a season in 1975, the architect of the first team in Ventura County to win its first 15 games of a season in 2015, and an English teacher in between, Willard devoted decades to his alma mater.

“Jack’s an example of tradition at Camarillo High,” Camarillo athletic director Mary Perez said. “He went to school here, he played here and came back here and taught so many years.

“This one hurts a little more.”

With the decision comes the end of an era in Camarillo.

The Scorpions were 80-34 in Willard’s decade in charge, including two league titles, eight playoff berths and four seasons of 10 or more wins.

His winning percentage in the postseason (61%) was nearly as strong as it was in the regular season (69%).

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“It’s been a privilege to work alongside Jack,” Perez said. “He’s been such a good example for coaches, for teachers and for his athletes. I admire his willingness to do things the right way. If there’s a rule, he’ll follow it and he’ll make the best of any situation.”

Willard thanked parents, administrators, staff and players in a resignation letter posted to his Twitter account that read like an ode to the game.

“For over 50 years I have been involved in a football season, whether as a player or coach,” Willard wrote. “Even as I write these words, it is amazing how quickly the time has gone by. I love the game of football. I love the interaction with players and coaches. I love the competition and the challenges of building a team every year. I will truly miss all of these things.”

Also a longtime softball coach at Camarillo, Willard plans to continue serving as an assistant coach under Nichole Pinedo.

“He’s such a big part of our softball program, too,” Perez said. “At least he’ll be close.”

Willard’s 2015 football team was one of the best teams in county history. The first Ventura County team to win 15 games in one season broke the county record for single-season points with 731.

“Those kids really focused every week on the opponent that we were playing,” Willard said. “That’s one of the things that stands out to me about them, as they grew as a team. They were so focused on playing well that week.”

The Scorpions delivered the program’s third sectional championship, beating Thousand Oaks 55-27 in the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division title game. They fell 16-13 to Loomis-Del Oro in the CIF Division II-AA state championship bowl.

Camarillo scored 38 or more points in 14 of its first 15 games, but Willard remembers the outlier, a 27-13 win at Arroyo Grande in the third game, as being a pivotal win.

“We went up there and (won) a tough, knock-out, drag-out game,” Willard said. “It was kind of what we needed, to be able to punch back a little bit and see who we were.”

Jake Constantine, the team’s quarterback, posted a tribute on social media.

“One of the best to ever do it in THE 805!!” Constantine wrote. “Appreciate all the knowledge and life lessons you have given to this program to mold successful young men!”

Willard’s last game was a 31-28 loss at Downey in the Division 4 quarterfinals, which featured an 88-minute delay due to the failure of the lights at Allen Layne Stadium.

When the game resumed, the Scorpions nearly rallied from a nine-point deficit with 9:52 play, falling 6 yards short of their fourth straight sectional semifinal.

“We gave ourselves chances,” Willard told The Star after the game. “That’s because our kids are hard-nosed and they compete.”

Willard was the defensive coordinator in 2013, when he succeeded Dennis Riedmiller as the head coach.

“I am very excited about the opportunity,” Willard told The Star in January 2013. “(Camarillo) is a special place.”

Willard also served as the head coach at Channel Islands High and as an assistant at Rio Mesa, Newbury Park and Moorpark College.

Willard would encourage Camarillo hire an on-campus successor.

“We have people capable of stepping into that position,” Willard said.

Part of the reason Willard stepped down was the job became more difficult once he retired his on-campus teaching position.

“I’m not leaving because I don’t like doing what I’m doing,” Willard said. “I just think that doing this job would be so much easier if I was on campus all the time and a little more of a presence.

“The football coach should be a face that someone sees on campus regularly.”

Perez said Camarillo would do “a thorough search” and indicated support for an on-campus candidate.

“We want to do a take our time and make sure we find someone who meets all the characteristics of a quality coach to continue what we have going here,” Perez said.

Willard expects the job to be in high demand.

“I have total confidence that they’re going to find the right person and whoever they get is going to have a great situation,” Willard said. “Our facilities at Camarillo High are fantastic. … It’s a beautiful place to play.”

Joe Curley covers high school, collegiate and professional football for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Jack Willard resigns after 10 years as Camarillo High football coach