After 16 years at the helm, Rick Krist is taking a step back from his role as head football coach at Petaluma High School.
Krist, who has served in the program for 37 years and as head coach since 2010, has stepped down from his position, he told The Press Democrat this week.
Nick Emanuel, the Trojans’ defensive coordinator and special teams coach who has been an assistant in the program for the last nine seasons, has been chosen to replace Krist as head coach.
Under Krist, who took over the varsity program for Steve Ellison in 2010, the Trojans went 87-81 overall with nine winning seasons and made the playoffs 12 times. The last two years, they reached the second round of the North Coast Section playoffs and are coming off a second-place finish in the Redwood Empire Conference Valley Division this past fall.
Krist was one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the North Bay and has served on Petaluma’s football staff in some capacity since 1989. He’s set to retire from teaching in the next few years and felt now was the time for someone new to lead the program.
“I think the one thing I’m really proud of is that our program has been really consistent for many, many years,” Krist said. “I’ve had good coaches working with us, the students at Petaluma High have been consistent and I know that Nick will continue that, just in a new way. He’ll bring a new perspective to it.”
Krist plans on staying on staff to help run the offense and assist in the transition for Emanuel.
“Bottom line is I’ll be there for support for Nick,” he said. “Anything he needs in term of the administrative part of the job, I’ll be there to support him for that.”
Emanuel, 37, has served in numerous roles in the Petaluma football program, including as head coach of the JV team and leading the strength and conditioning program. A former standout offensive lineman for Casa Grande in his prep playing days, Krist has long viewed Emanuel as the heir apparent to the Trojans’ varsity program.
Petaluma High School defensive coordinator Nick Emanuel, center.
“I did my student teaching before starting coaching with Rick and I remember walking by the baseball field back then and he said to me, ‘Hey, you never know, you might be the head coach here one day,’” Emanuel recalled. “It’s funny how things work out.”
Emanuel will be just the third head coach at Petaluma since 1979.
“I’ve had a great experience and I’m just excited to take over and do my own thing with it but also keeping the same Petaluma tradition, as far as having a respectable program and upholding the same type of values that I’ve seen for the last nine years I’ve been coaching there,” he said. “I’m just excited to take the reins from Rick and follow in those footsteps of Ellison and Krist. Big shoes to fill, but I feel confident that I’ll be able to do that.”
Along with Krist stepping into an assistant role, Emanuel said he hopes to keep the current coaching staff in place.
“I made some calls and I’m trying to keep all those guys around for the consistency for the kids,” he said. “They’re just great people to have, so definitely trying to keep the consistency with the current coaches we have.”
Petaluma will be playing in the REC-Valley again for the next two years, but the league will look markedly different than its first two years.
Petaluma, Casa Grande and Redwood will all be returning members but will be joined by Vintage and Rancho Cotate dropping down from the top Adobe division and Maria Carrillo and Ukiah jumping up from the Bay division. Last year’s league champion, American Canyon, is making the jump up to the Adobe, while Tamalpais and Napa are dropping to the Bay and Justin-Siena is dropping to the Mountain division.
“I’m excited; I’m ready to go and see what the season brings,” Emanuel said. “I’m excited for the new league and different competition and I’m just excited to get going.”