Hail Alma Mater: Coaches Who Played in Cowhide

68 games, thousands of players, and an all time record of 38-30-1 for Redwood. The true tradition of Cowhide is unmatched, and its vast amount of history has led to players and coaches holding onto the traditions of the game forever.

By: Erik Rico

Varsity Head Coach Kevin Scharton, ’86, Defensive Coordinator David Clements, ’92, and Junior Varsity (JV) Head Coach Mike Luna, ’93, all represented the Rangers both on the field and now through coaching.

Scharton, who played in Cowhide in 1984 and 1985, was a running back for the Rangers. His record in the game was 1-1 with the Rangers winning in his junior year and losing the game his senior year. His most memorable moment in Cowhide as a player was, “coming out in 1984, it was the Fog Bowl, and so when we came out on the field we couldn’t see the crowd, it was just fog, but we could hear them. It was absolutely amazing, and then as we warmed up the fog lifted, and then you could see the crowd, it was amazing, a lot of energy.”

Scharton also talks about his first game back at Redwood in 2019. Scharton says, “the first Cowhide that I coached in, we came away victorious (49-19), and getting that first Cowhide win under my belt as a head coach was something I was really proud of.” 

Scharton goes on to speak about the differences between being a player and being a coach preparing for the week, saying, “As a player, you’re more focused on the game plan, your mind is on the plays, and executing and being a team. As a coach, its more overseeing that, and making sure the kids have plenty of rest.” The week of Cowhide has always been very eventful for both Redwood students and players, and is one of the best rivalries in the Central Valley.

Clements, who played in the 1989, 1990, and 1991 editions of the Cowhide, was an inside linebacker for the Rangers. His record was 2-1, with the team losing in ‘89 (29-23), but coming away with wins in ‘90 (17-13) and ‘91 (35-0). Clements most memorable moment playing in Cowhide was, “The ‘90 Cowhide, I had an interception and that was a major upset. Mt. Whitney was 9-0 and we were 5-4 and we upset them and beat them in that Cowhide.”

Clements also sees the huge difference between being out there on the field and coaching, saying, “Playing Cowhide, I was much more relaxed because it was just another game. Coaching Cowhide is just nerve-racking, there’s no first snap, first hit, so you are just nervous the whole game.” Most of the time after a player gets that first hit, throw, run, or catch they start to calm down, but as a coach you have to rely on your players to make those plays and win you the game.”

Clements has a more negative memory as a coach, saying, “The memory that I hate the most is losing the game we should’ve won [in 2021].” He is also a very active coach during the week of Cowhide, saying, “The work really never ends, you’re constantly looking at film, creating scripts, thinking about practice plans, so it’s a lot more work.” Clements has now also played in and coached the only 2 Cowhides to ever go into overtime, playing in the ‘89 overtime Cowhide and coaching the 2023 overtime Cowhide.

Luna, who played in the ‘91 and ‘92 Cowhides, was a Tailback for the Rangers. His record was 2-0, with the team winning easily in ‘91 and ‘92 (47-9). His most memorable moment playing as a Ranger was, “Senior year, the play call was 28 toss pass. A 50 yard completion to my receiver David Grey for a Touchdown.” Luna went on to score 4 touchdowns in that game in what would go down as one of the most historic offensive games in Cowhide history.

Luna had coached at Redwood before returning to the JV head coaching job last year, as he was a positional coach for former Varsity Head Coach John Yavasile for many years in the 2000’s. Luna talks about the true tradition of Cowhide and what it means to him and to teach it to his players, saying, “Continuing to build on tradition is important here at Redwood. Players learn very quickly that they are playing not just for themselves, but for every alumni that attended these two schools.” 

Luna also speaks on the excitement of the week of Cowhide as a player, saying, “All the activities on campus made everything about Cowhide fun.” Almost every student you ask at school would say the week they look forward most to is Cowhide week, where it’s more than just classes, its memories made and traditions built.

Luna ends it off by saying, “Tradition and respect for our opponent is greatly important, as records are thrown out the door, and both schools are playing for pride and bragging rights for the year. Go Redwood Rangers.”

Tags: Erik Rico, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, redwood sports, rhs, visalia ca