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Esperanza has picked veteran Tommy Leach as its football coach, Aztecs principal Kelly Molina announced Thursday night.
Leach confirmed that his hiring was approved by the Placentia-Yorba Linda district board, which held a special meeting Thursday.
Leach has been a head coach for five different schools, including Chaparral, which he led to a CIF-SS championship in 2009.
“I am excited to share that Tommy Leach has been selected as the new head football coach at Esperanza,” Molina wrote in an email to Esperanza football families. “Coach Leach brings more than 30 years of high school coaching experience and a proven track record of building successful football programs throughout Southern California.”
Leach most recently coached at Jurupa Hills in 2024. The team finished 4-7.
Before the one-season stint, he led Roosevelt to seven playoff appearances, including two semifinals, in seven seasons.
Leach’s five-year tenure at Chaparral included winning the Inland Division title in 2009 and finishing as a section runner-up in 2006 and 2008.
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At Chaparral, Leach was known for playing a challenging schedule. His tenure ended with a controversial firing.
Leach also has coached at Etiwanda and Diamond Ranch.
He owns a career record of 105-77-1 and has earned multiple coach of the year awards.
Before becoming a head coach, Leach served as an assistant at Edison, El Modena and Westminster, his alma mater.
Leach replaces Esperanza interim coach Nick Heinle, who took the helm for JP Presley in late June just before the start of summer camp.
Presley submitted his resignation after four seasons.
“Every coaching transition is a new beginning, and we recognize that building a successful program takes time,” Molina stated. “We look forward to supporting (Leach), our coaches, and our student-athletes as we continue building a program our students, families and community can be proud of.”
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