When CI started the new school year, Coach Jermiah Valoaga, aka Coach Mia, joined CI as the new head football coach, bringing his experiences and mindset to lead our team forward.
Coach Valoaga was once a student-athlete here at Channel Islands High School; he graduated in 2012.
“I graduated here, I grew up here,” Coach Valoaga said. “The spot was open and I took the chance.”
After high school he pursued football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as a defensive end. After college, the 6-foot-6, 275-pound lineman was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2017.
Valoaga recalls that his favorite experience in the NFL was the recording of his first sack against the Atlanta Falcons. Overall, Valoaga has played for many teams in the NFL throughout the years: Detroit Lions (2017), Miami Dolphins (2018), San Francisco 49ers (2019), Las Vegas Raiders (2019), New York Jets (2021), and the Memphis Showboats (2023) of the United Football League (UFL).
For now, he has made his comeback here at the Islands. In his first year as head coach, the Raiders had a challenging season — they finished 1-9 — but never gave up. They continued to work hard and are already preparing themselves to make the best of their next season.
It’s a unique change Valoaga made, from playing in the NFL to standing on the sidelines. He describes it as “a very fast transition, trying to teach what I know in regards to making the game simpler for the guys to understand what they have to do.”
Valoaga says that football has always been “second nature,” since he has played ever since he was a kid. He also had the support of his role models, his parents. He continues to have that support from them as he now coaches.
“They’ve given me all their help,” he says.
Valoaga’s strongest value, taught by his parents, was always putting your family first. To him this is special and important as he is in fact not only a son but an older brother to his two youngest siblings. That role can also be a motivation to him, as how his job has a a lot to do with connecting with young men and forming a team with them. Valoaga’s biggest satisfaction from this job has been seeing his football players get better and grow on and off the field.
“It’s a lot more than just the sport,” he said. “Seeing them do better day by day is a blessing.”
Coach Valaoga and his team made a change this year: They joined the Citrus Coast League and placed fourth. The Raiders also won their first game in 3 years against The Webb Schools, 21-12, a highlight of their season.
One of his Valoaga’s favorite memories with his team was their first win and his ice bath. But there have been challenges for Coach Valoaga, too. One of the biggest challenges so far has been patience.
“Being around the group of guys I was with this year,” he said, “I think they taught me a lot more than they think they did, and patience was one of them.”
To many of his players, the best thing about him is how much he cares to make them better.
“He’s a good coach to us; you can tell he cares because he puts in the work by supporting us when we need it or he sees us struggling,” says Jose Jasso, a junior.
One of the most special things his player JC Ceravantes can say is “the best part of the season was having him as our coach.”
As Valoaga receives important lessons from his players, he also gives them advice while playing on the field and that’s having a “short term memory.” This makes them understand that if anything goes wrong and takes a wrong turn, they have to forget and move onto what’s next.
CI Athletic Director Mr. Phyra Prum said of Valoaga, “He’s a good teacher. He’s patient with the kids. And he knows exactly the skill sets that they need to win and how to do it safely. He’s a passionate guy, but he is also a great teacher of the game.”
Finally, Coach Valoaga has two goals for himself and for his team. While doing this job and taking on this experience he hopes to learn to become a better person, better coach, and a better mentor to his future players. As for his team, he hopes next season they will continue to compete, have fun, and play football.
