{"id":17653,"date":"2026-06-25T04:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17653"},"modified":"2026-06-25T04:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:03:48","slug":"galen-diaz-jay-mericle-celebrated-for-coaching-run-with-esperanza-aquatics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17653","title":{"rendered":"Galen Diaz, Jay Mericle celebrated for coaching run with Esperanza aquatics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

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Read more Back-to-back powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela, causing widespread damage<\/a><\/p>\n

ANAHEIM \u2014 One of the most enduring and respected coaching tandems in Orange County aquatics has retired at Esperanza.<\/p>\n

Boys water polo and boys swimming coach Galen Diaz, and his longtime assistant coach Jay Mericle, completed their final meet for the Aztecs last month at the CIF-SS swimming championships at Mt. SAC.<\/p>\n

Prior to the meet, Esperanza honored the coaching duo with a celebration on the Aztecs\u2019 pool deck featuring alumni, families and fond memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur kids always played hard,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cThey\u2019re good kids. They followed the rules. What\u2019s great to hear is the stories now and how they\u2019re all good fathers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diaz led Esperanza boys water polo and boys swimming for 29 years after replacing Doug Kimberly, one of his mentors.<\/p>\n

From a CIF-SS Division 2 boys water polo title in 2003 to a North Hills League boys swimming championship in 2021, Mericle has been by Diaz\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

It was a partnership forged by respect.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Both were walk-on coaches. Diaz, 58, worked in law enforcement; Mericle, 71, in health care.<\/p>\n

Read more Ex-wife of slain Woodland Hills doctor promised $400,000 to gunman, according to court testimony<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe culture starts with him,\u201d Mericle said of Diaz, The Register\u2019s Orange County boys water polo coach of the year in 2003. \u201cThe kids come here to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, the talent pool included Diaz and Mericle\u2019s own children. Mericle\u2019s sons Jason and Brian played water polo at Esperanza as did Diaz\u2019s daughters Ashley and Jessica.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Ashley earned Orange County girls swimming co-coach of the year after helping guide Esperanza to the CIF-SS Division 2 title. Jessica coaches at Yorba Linda.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

As Esperanza\u2019s boys water polo coach, Diaz led Esperanza to playoffs 18 times, including two trips to the finals and four to the semifinals.<\/p>\n

The Aztecs won 390 matches and claimed three league titles in boys water polo under Diaz.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe stayed on and made a big influence on people,\u201d Kimberly said Diaz, his former assistant.<\/p>\n

Read more New Mexico governor calls for criminal probe of DEA allowing fentanyl shipments to hit streets<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The duo retired after leading the boys water polo and swimming programs for the past 29 years, including a CIF-SS title in 2003.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nGalen Diaz, Jay Mericle celebrated for coaching run with Esperanza aquatics - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17653\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Galen Diaz, Jay Mericle celebrated for coaching run with Esperanza aquatics - 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