After leading Hughson to section and state titles, Shaun King named Bee’s Coach of the Year
Hughson High’s football program entered last off-season with some uncertainty.
Many felt last season’s senior-heavy team underperformed after a first-round playoff exit against Rosemont and coach Shaun King, a first-time head coach, was not sure if he’d be back. Hughson had not been past the second round of the playoffs in his four seasons and with the majority of last year’s team graduating, expectations were low.
“We felt the pressure of succeeding this year because the community wanted it so much,” King said. “Hughson is a football town. There’s a lot of pride here.”
With the backing of principal Loren Lighthall, King and his coaching staff entered 2022 looking to improve on what many deemed as a disappointing season.
In his fifth year, King led the team to a 13-2 overall record and a second place finish in the Trans-Valley League with a 5-1 record. The Huskies were seeded second in the Division VI section playoffs and defeated No. 1 Summerville in the title game. The postseason success did not stop at the section level as the Huskies won their first CIF State Championship game in school history, beating Muir for the Division 5-AA title.
After leading the Huskies to their first Sac-Joaquin Section championship in 22 years and the first wins in the CIF State Football Championships, King is The Bee’s Coach of the Year.
The players were just as motivated to have a successful year as the coaches. King says the seniors led the charge for a team that has a sophomore quarterback and multiple underclassmen playing key roles.
“There was a lot of hype with the team the year before,” King said. “These boys, though, they put the work in in the off-season. I’ve never seen a team work so hard in the weight room. We just wanted to take it one game at a time. The way they bonded and came together over the summer and during the season was the first time that I actually saw what a team can be when they all play together and not as individuals.”
There were high-pressure situations during the historic playoff run. The Huskies won by an average of 2.4 points a game. Their largest playoff win was a four point victory over Orestimba.
Through it all, King and his staff didn’t yell at their players. It is a strategy he feels is why the team was able to bounce back from slow starts and recover from missed assignments.
“We’re not yellers, and we’re not shouters,” King said. “We just stay calm and the boys play off our calmness.
“There’s nothing I can say that could change the outcome. We want them to know they can make mistakes; we want them to play without the added pressure of a coach yelling down on them.”
The expectations heading into this off-season are somewhat different from what they were one year ago. With a number of key starters returning, some expect great things from the 2023 Huskies team. Others, however, look at box scores and believe Hughson will not be as good next season.
“The way we came back and won all the playoff games, we’ve heard we are the luckiest team ever,” King said. “People believe it was a fluke, which is great motivation going into next year to … show it wasn’t a fluke and that we learned how to win.”
