BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Golden Valley High School’s football team is celebrating the reinstatement of their head coach, James Cain, for another season. Cain, who was let go last week due to not being a credentialed teacher, expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from players, families, and the Bakersfield community.

“I’m grateful for everyone that stuck up and stood tall for us, my players, the families, Bakersfield in general,” said Cain.

The decision to remove Cain had sparked protests and petitions from students, families, and staff, with some football players even demonstrating at the Kern High School District to voice their frustrations.

Carlos Nunes, a player on the team, shared his emotional response to Cain’s return. “I was emotional, I cried,” said Nunes. He recalled how Cain supported him through a difficult time after he tore his ACL, saying, “He made me feel like I’m still in this team, feels like a father figure, and now I’m ready to play.”

Cain, who has been coaching at Golden Valley for seven years, described the experience as a rollercoaster of emotions. “From being sad and mad and disappointed to I see my guys out there, and I see the families out there, our Golden Valley students and everybody just, you know, it kind of, you know, made me smile, you know, and made my family smile,” he said.

Despite the possibility of facing future challenges if a credentialed teacher seeks his position, Cain remains focused on the present. “I’m not going to focus on that. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” he said. “For the most part, I’m going to focus on finishing the job.”

Under Cain’s leadership, the team has won two league championships. He emphasized his commitment to guiding young athletes, saying, “I got into this, because I want to be to these young people as someone was to me when I was their age as an athlete.”

He further explained what one of his main goals are as a coach “I’ll try my hardest to help them be successful as a person or as an athlete or whatever they want to be. And at the end, if they take something, if just one thing, from us as program they can use later on, that’s a success story.”

Cain’s dedication to his players and the community has clearly left a lasting impact, as evidenced by the support that led to his reinstatement.