Manteca football coach balances intensity with humor, quick wit
FILE PHOTO: Manteca High football coach Mark Varnum (center) talks to his offense during a timeout. (James Burns/The Tower)
By ELIJAH STEVENSON
The Tower
Manteca High football coach Mark Varnum walks into the locker room and does his signature whistle, silencing the entire room.
Everyone is quiet, hanging on his every word. He expresses his love for football and cherishes every day he gets to coach these Buffaloes, a spirited hard-hitting group of sophomores, juniors and seniors.
“I’ve always been hot,” Varnum said. “Was the same way as a player. Stuff just comes to me, man, and when it comes, I got to say it sometimes.”
“Obviously, I’m not as red faced and loud when I’m not on the football field, but I’m always trying to crack jokes and rip with my buddies and all that. It kind of carries over sometimes but it’s all from a place of love.”
Now in his seventh season as the Buffaloes’ head coach, Varnum still directs the program with the same enthusiasm, humor and high expectations that have been the hallmark of his three Sac-Joaquin Section championships.
Varnum takes what he does very seriously but loves to have fun while doing it. Manteca High was the perfect fit for Varnum; he fell in love with the program as an assistant coach and coordinator under legendary coach Eric Reis, now the school’s athletic director.
“Man, when I came here 12 years ago, I knew it was a special place and a special program,” Varnum said. “What coach Reis built, I was just blessed to be a part of it.”
Junior varsity coach and former varsity offensive coordinator Brian Rohles appreciates the way Varnum can rally his players and the coaches, even away from the field. His quick wit and humor, Rohles said, soften his hard exterior.
“When it's just the boys hanging out, he’s not so fiery but he is super quick-witted,” Rohles said. “... It’s usually him that gets the guys all laughing and riled up.”
The Tower sat down with Varnum to discuss his personality, his coaching style, and his love for Manteca football.
THE TOWER: Have you always had the same personality?
MARK VARNUM: If you’re not having fun out there as a player or a coach, you’re not getting the most out of it, so you know try to make a joke. Occasionally, I’ll do that.
TT: Is your personality a coaching style or are you like this all the time?
MV: I mean, obviously, I’m not as red faced and loud when I’m not on the football field, but I’m always trying to crack jokes and rip with my buddies and all that. It kind of carries over sometimes but it’s all from a place of love, even for you.
TT: Why did you choose to coach at Manteca?
MV: Man, when I came here 12 years ago, I knew it was a special place and a special program. What coach Reis built, I was just blessed to be a part of it. I was like, “You know what, I want to keep this thing going. I want to keep the same thing he built. I want to keep the same type of atmosphere. The same kind of intensity. The same kind of quality.” Luckily, we’ve been able to do that.
TT: Is Manteca the first school you coached at?
MV: I coached in Salinas. ... I coached in Sacramento for a few years. When we got down to Manteca, I knew this was home for sure.