Football:

After a successful run at Maranatha, Rand Holdren announced this weekend that he’ll be taking over the responsibilities as the new head football coach at Village Christian.

Holdren proved his value and tenacity early in his tenure at MHS.

After the program had been somewhat gutted by the outside poaching of key players, Holdren took over after a shortened (three-game) COVID season.

And things got off to an understandably rough start.

The Minutemen went 1-7 in 2021.

They finished dead last in the Olympic League.

And Maranatha was outscored by a combined margin of 313-108.

Perhaps a lesser man or coach would have second-guessed whether success was possible after such a brutal first year.

That wasn’t the case for Rand Holdren.

He surrounded himself with a quality staff, and with one full year to implement his brand of football, Holdren and the Minutemen flipped the script in 2022.

Maranatha went 11-1-1.

They outscored their opponents, 555-290.

MHS cruised to a Cottonwood League championship, going 5-0, and outscoring Santa Rosa Academy, Whittier Christian, Desert Christian Academy, Hamilton and Vasquez by a combined margin of 207-64.

MHS defeated Santa Rosa Academy (41-22) and Jurupa Valley (49-47 in OT) before falling to the eventual champions from San Gabriel (52-42) in the semifinal round of the CIF-SS Division 13 playoffs.

Holdren would never make excuses for the semifinal loss, but who knows if things would have been different had MHS’ leading tackler, Carter Shupper, had been healthy.

Shupper’s 102 tackles was 30 more than his next closest teammate, Jacob Neely.

In his five years at Maranatha, Holdren and the Minutemen went 32-20 overall and 15-8 in league games.

That total included a pair of league championships.

This writer can confirm that Village Christian is getting a really good football coach and a better man.

Rand Holdren is all about the kids, and that includes their growth as athletes, young men and making sure they take care of their business in the classroom.

Within a day of being named the Maranatha football coach back in 2021, Holdren reached out to this reporter to foster a relationship in his desire of doing whatever he could to get his athletes the positive publicity they earned.

It was about helping them get to the next level.

On Saturday mornings, Holdren would watch the film, take down stats and send me a comprehensive and detailed game report about how the game went the night before, and that included individual player and team stats.

He faced the same drama that all football coaches do, but he tried to make decisions that set a precedent and held his players, staff and even himself accountable.

Oh, and for the record, in 2023, Holdren also led the boys’ volleyball program to their first winning season.

They finished 12-7 overall and 6-2 in Olympic League matches.

Ironically, they placed second, one game behind Village Christian.

The administration has expressed their appreciation for all that Rand accomplished and the way in which he went about his business.

They also wanted to make it clear that Maranatha football is here to stay and the search for a new coach will be a top priority.

For those interested in applying for the open position, please contact athletic director, Alicia Vessey.

Her email is: a_vessey@mhs-hs.org.

Quotable:

Maranatha AD, Alicia Vessey: “We are so grateful for the hard work, expertise, leadership, and love that Coach Rand Holdren has poured into our football and boys’ volleyball programs since joining Maranatha five years ago. He impacted our young men positively and helped many of them achieve their dreams of playing at the next level. We wish him all the best in his new role at Village Christian.”

Maranatha CIF-SS championship baseball coach, Matt Shupper: “Rand has been a great friend since he started at Maranatha. He loves the kids he coaches and puts everything he has into his teams. I loved talking to Rand about life. We spent more time talking about our families and life than about our teams. I wish Rand success and happiness always.”

Three-time CIF-SS championship coach, Mark Carson (RHP): “Rand did a great job elevating Maranatha’s program. His teams were always dynamic and fun to play. We have a great relationship of mutual respect and I always enjoyed our games with Maranatha. He’s going to do well at Village.”

U of San Diego football player, Carter Shupper: “I am so thankful for what Coach Rand has done for not just me but the entire Maranatha community. Since he stepped foot on Maranatha’s campus, he impacted my life in a way I didn’t think was possible. He not only brought me to the game of football, but continues to be an amazing mentor and guide through the recent years of my life. The grit, perseverance and humility I learned from him is a big part of where I am today, and where I will be in the future. I’ve seen it with others too, he has a way of inspiring people to be better versions of themselves. He is amazing at coaching, but better at making boys good men.”

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Rand Holdren at Maranatha:
2025: 7-4 overall, 4-1 in Mesquite League (second place)
2024: 4-6, 1-4 (fifth)
2023: 9-2, 5-0 (champs)
2022: 11-1-1, 5-0 (champs)
2021: 1-7, 0-3 (fifth)
Totals: 32-20 overall, 15-8 in league, two league championships