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Cross Country
Coach: Ron Garcia
Years of service at Centennial: 25 Years
Coaching background:
1994 - 1996 Freed Middle School Head Football Coach
1997 – 2014 Centennial High School Asst. Track & Field Coach
1997 - 2000 Centennial High School Freshman Football Coach
2001 – 2011 Centennial High School Head JV Football Coach
2012 – 2015 Centennial High School Asst. Cross Country Coach
2016 – 2022 Centennial High School Head Cross Country Coach
2015 – 2022 Centennial High School Head Track & Field Coach
Playing Experience:
Centennial High School Football (4 Years)
Centennial High School Basketball (4 Years)
Track & Field (4 Years)
Education: Minor in Coaching (1993-1996)
My Coaching Philosophy: Sports prepares student athletes for life,
teaching them about working as a team or as a team player, not as a
individual.
Off-Season: The Centennial XC team starts its off-season workouts at
the end of June. Centennial T&F begin off-season training during the
month of January. (Schedules will be provided at the 8th grade night
meeting)
Ron Garcia (719-248-0424)
Head XC &; T&F Coach
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Boys Soccer
Coach: Jeff Sterling
jeff.sterling@pueblocityschools.us
I have just finished my 25th year as head boys soccer coach and I am entering my 26th year as head girls soccer coach. I am also in my 21st year being a Social Studies teacher. All of these years have been at Centennial. I am married to my wife of 22 years, Michelle; and I have two wonderful daughters that I have had the privilege of coaching at Centennial. Throughout these years my philosophy has not changed. I believe in giving everyone an opportunity to play as I have a "no cut" policy. I am proud to say we have been the only program in the Pueblo area to offer a JV team every season in both boys and girls. I believe in life-lessons and preparing student-athletes to succeed after high school. I pride myself on being an educator and have seen the success of being in the school with my athletes. I check with many of my athletes daily and constantly keep track of their grades which is a huge advantage for our program.As far as soccer I focus on fundamentals and consider myself a great teacher of the technical side of the game. I earned my NSCAA National High School Diploma and have years of coaching experience at the club level. The success of our boys and girls soccer program is well documented but I do not gauge my success by wins and losses. I know I give my all to the athletes both in the classroom and on the field and that helps prepare them for life after high school.We will be offering our traditional summer workouts beginning in July. Please email me for exact days and times. I look forward to your son or daughter to attend one of the best soccer programs in Colorado and a fantastic academically focused school.
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Boys Tennis
Coach: Brad Gerler
bradley.gerler@pueblocityschools.us
I just completed my eighth season as the boys’ tennis coach at Centennial. Before I came to Centennial, I served as the women’s tennis coach at CSU-Pueblo and the boys’ coach at East High School. I have also spent time as an assistant coach at South and Poudre High Schools. I am also currently entering my second season as the girls’ tennis coach at East High School.
My ultimate goal as a coach is to teach life skills through athletics. In preparing my student-athletes to win on the court, I believe they are learning lessons that they can apply throughout the rest of their lives. I value team-work, communication, accountability, and hard-work. The thing that I consistently preach to my team is that we need to focus on the things that we can control; our attitude, our concentration, and our effort. The unique aspect about tennis is that there are no officials or referees on the court. Players are required to call their own lines and basically serve as their own umpire during the match. In doing this, players need to have the confidence to call their opponent’s shots out, but also the honesty and integrity to do that in a fair manner. It is my belief, regardless of a player’s success on the court, if they can learn the skills and lessons that tennis teaches, then they will be prepared to be high-functioning and contributing members of the community.
I am very proud of the 42 individual state qualifiers that I have coached in my tenure at Centennial. Our second place finish at regionals in 2019 and our league and regional championships in 2015 are definitely the highlights of my coaching career. But, the thing that I am most proud of is the fact that every player that I have coached at Centennial has graduated and I am so excited to see the people that my former players are becoming.
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Volleyball
Coach: Paul Arriaga
Centennial Girls' Volleyball Program Coaches
2006-present
Varsity Paul A. Arriaga;
JV Mike Medina and C-Team Frank Romero
Coaching background for Paul Arriaga:
2021 Selected to Coach 4A All-State Team
South Central League Coach of the year 2013
South Central League Coach of the year 2016
South Central League Runner-up Champions & Regional Qualifiers 2013 & 2016
Team USA High Performance Coaching Cadre 2010-Present
Court coach USA Boy’s National 18’s Elite team
Court coach USA Girl’s National Holiday camp
Court coach High Performance Regional Tryouts
Coach Southern Colorado Precision Volleyball Club 12’s, 13’s, 14’s; 2014-2017
Coach Pueblo Steelers AAU 'Centennial Volleyball Club' 14’s, 15’s 16’s 17's ; 2012-Present
Assistant Coach Metro State Volleyball Club 2015
Assistant Coach CU-Denver Volleyball Club 2014
Coach Southern Colorado Volleyball Club 15’s, 17’s & 18’s 2000-2011
Head Coach Pueblo DHPH girls’ volleyball 2008-2010
Head Coach Pueblo Central girls’ volleyball 1996-2001
Colorado Volleyball Officials Association (CVOA) Area 4 member 35 years, Area Director 2 years and inducted into CVOA Hall of Fame 2006. Officiated D-II and Junior College volleyball 6 years
Certifications
Level 1 Certified Volleyball Coach (USA Coaching Accreditation Program-CAP)
Volleyball Conditioning Specialist (USA CAP)
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Member. Including mentor in the AVCA Coaches Mentoring Program
American Amateur Union (AAU) Volleyball Coach
USA Volleyball Increased Mastery and Professional Application of Coaching Theory (IMPACT) Coach (USAV-Rocky Mountain Region)
USA Positive Coaching Alliance Double Goal Coach
National Federation of High Schools Fundamentals of Coaching
USAFA Coaching Training
National Federation Interscholastic Coaches Education Program
Kaepa National Volleyball Coaching Training
Team USA SafeSport Training
Concussions in Sports
1st Aid. AED and CPR Training
Art Of Coaching Clinic CSU Ft. Collins
Art Of Coaching Certification
Coach's Playing Experience:
Coach Arriaga was the founder and captain of the Pueblo Steelers VBC. During the 70’s and 80’s the Pueblo Steelers’ men’s and women’s teams dominated local volleyball and advanced to the Rocky Mountain Region where they reached the pinnacle and were in the top 10 in the Colorado/Wyoming region. There highest finish was fourth palace in the highest level at that time- AA division. And this was accomplished with an average height of 5’8”! The team was noted for their tenacious defense. Most recent the men's team won four consecutive Colorado State Games titles at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Education
Masters of Arts in Organization Management University of Phoenix
BS Business University of Colorado
Coaching Philosophy/Vision
Coaches are Double Goal certified thru the Positive Coaching Alliance #1 coaching for winning (don’t practice to lose); #2 And more importantly, coaching to use sports to teach life lessons. Our program is a safe haven both mentally and physically for students. We believe in teamwork, trust and respect amongst players, coaches and parents. We believe students participating in competitive sports in high school demonstrate more confidence, leadership and self-respect, while improving health and fitness.
Summer Program
Open gym Mondays and Wednesdays May-August.
June-team scrimmages at Centennial for Var/JV/Freshman
July-Var/JV/Freshman team potential camp opportunities: Adam State; Fowler ; CSU-Pueblo; Colorado State Games; Manitou, Otero Community College
August Centennial team tryouts begin with morning & afternoon practice
We plan a parent/team meeting in May/June to review additional program details. Any questions regarding the open gym or summer schedule should be directed to the coaches:
Coach Paul A. Arriaga- Varsity - Mobile Phone 250-6557
