A first: Curtis father and son coaches await Capo Valley vs. Crean Lutheran football game

Rick Curtis and his son Sean Curtis, shown after a scrimmage last season, will be coaching against each other Friday, Sept. 5. (Photo courtesy Curtis family).

Rick Curtis has coached against his son Sean Curtis in high school football scrimmages over the years.

But the two have never been on opposite sides coaching against each other as head coaches in an official game. That will happen for the first time when Rick Curtis, head coach of Crean Lutheran, coaches against his son Sean Curtis, head coach at Capistrano Valley on Friday, Sept. 5 at Crean Lutheran.

“The game came about as there was a mix-up at Capo Valley with the week two contract not being completed and with our week two opponent signing two contracts for week two,” Rick Curtis said. “Capo needed a game, therefore, we allowed Liberty out of the second year of our contract.” 

As for the game, Rick Curtis said: 

“Neither of us really wanted to schedule a game between each other as we are very competitive. We are treating it as another pre-season game. I am sure it will be emotional, however, we want a good clean game with no injuries as we prepare our teams for the upcoming league season.”

Sean Curtis added:

“We have scrimmaged each other for the last five years, so it’s not the first time we have been on opposite sidelines. However, this will be the first time it actually counts. It’s an interesting dynamic as we both root for each other and know a lot about each other’s teams. Most of my coaching philosophies come from my dad so he probably can put together a pretty good scouting report on us haha. We also went against each other during the spring and summer.”

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com