Prominent California high school football team parts ways with head coach

The regular season for California high school football just concluded and a head coach has already been handed his walking papers.

According to High School On SI’s Tarek Fattal, Victor Santa Cruz has been dismissed as the head coach at JSerra Catholic after three seasons running the Lions’ football program. Santa Cruz finishes his time as the lead man with a 14-18 overall record from 2023-2025.

BREAKING: JSerra football coach Victor Santa Cruz is out after three seasons.

Cruz was 14-18 in his 3-year stretch as the head coach, including a 3-12 record in Trinity League play.

JSerra's opening will attract a lot of interest and big names.https://t.co/0SFHptjJxJ

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) November 1, 2025

Santa Cruz’s dismissal comes right after JSerra Catholic’s 41-14 loss to Santa Margarita Catholic in the regular season finale. After a promising 3-2 start to the season, the Lions took a nosedive in the second half of the season, losing five straight games to end the 2025 campaign.

What may have done Santa Cruz in was a couple factors, per the report, which included the disparity in the outcomes of the games this past season and his overall record in league play.

This season, JSerra Catholic was out-scored by opponents 402-223 and the Lions were a lowly 3-12 when it came to playing within the vaunted Trinity League, one of the toughest high school football leagues in the country.

If one thing is for certain, the JSerra Catholic job should attract a number of highly qualified applicants as the Lions would go up against some of the best competition in the country on an annual basis. Expectations though will be high as the program goes up against the likes of Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita Catholic and Sierra Canyon.

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