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I was a little taken aback when I was first told Amador Valley High School football coach Danny Jones was leaving the Pleasanton school and heading to Star, Idaho with his family.
Jones, an Amador graduate himself, has built a reputable program at his alma mater. Last year he coached the Dons to a CIF Northern California title and a berth in a CIF State Bowl game.
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Jones and his wife Lanni have three small children, with a fourth on the way. It’s not cheap to raise kids in California, and it’s getting less attractive to have a family in the state.
“I’ve always had a dream to live in a small town and raise a family,” Jones explained.
And now it’s going to come true.
How did this come to be?
“Last year after the season we talked about it, and I mentioned I’d like to move,” said Jones. “But we both liked our jobs and (Lanni) wanted to play it safe.”
Jones wanted to take a deeper dive into a potential relocation. He researched home prices, job opportunities and just about everything else associated with making the move.
“In February I laid it all out to (Lanni), how we would have no mortgage, and she would be able to stay home,” Jones said. “It got her wheels turning.”
At about the same time, one of the kids got sick and Lanni stayed home for a couple of days. With one of the parents being home, life seemed so much easier.
“After that, she said she was down with it,” Jones explained. “We pulled the trigger on the lot – it just seemed like a no-brainer.”
Currently, their new home is under construction in the Star area, with Jones initially teaching at Star Middle School. In Idaho, the middle schools have tackle football programs in seventh and eighth grade.
In 2029-30, the brand-new Star High School will open, with Jones looking to come in as the first coach at the school. In the meantime, Jones is looking forward to being an assistant coach for the middle school team, eventually coaching his sons.
Star seems the perfect spot for the Jones family. In the 2000 census the population was 1,795, and that grew to 11,117 in the 2020 census.
“It’s like at 15,000 now,” Jones said of the population of Star. “I think it will be about 22,000 when the high school opens. Star is like Pleasanton was in the 1980s. There are a lot of young families – from a lot of other states – moving into the area.”
For those of us who lived in Pleasanton – my family came in 1968 – we constantly harken back to growing up in the town and wanting to raise our kids in that type of community.
Those days have disappeared, but Jones and his wife seem to have been able to turn back time and find a similar environment.
Jones also has the incentive of one of his former coaches – Terry Butler – being in the town as well. Lanni’s family is from the Midwest and Jones’ family is looking for spots to move to the Star region as well.
Ideally in three to four years, Lanni will return to her teaching career as well. It does seem like a win-win all around. Personally, I am happy for Danny and Lanni.
However, for Amador, it will be a big hit.
It’s tough to find a quality coach who wants to build a program at a school, and to have one that’s an alumnus and wants to build the program that’s one of the elites in the area is even more unlikely.
I am a big proponent of former athletes giving back to their schools. Jones has done just that – in aces. It’s time for him and Lanni to finish building their family.
For Jones it’s not any easy decision, leaving some place that has been so special.
“Leaving Amador is hard,” Jones said, midway through what will be his final season in purple and gold. “We’ve built something here, and it’s something I will always remember.”
EBAL football underway
The Valley Division is down to four teams with the withdrawal of Dougherty Valley from league play this season. Granada, Livermore, Foothill and Dublin will battle for the title.
And looks like it will be a battle between all four, as each appears capable and has played well in the non-league campaign.
Livermore in 5-1 with the lone loss to 6-0 California, a Mountain Division team. Foothill is 4-2 and has scored 49 or more points in three games.
Dublin is 3-3 but took Amador Valley of the Mountain Division to limit before falling 17-14. Granada is also 3-3 and is highly athletic.
Out of the gate, Foothill travels to Granada this week, with Dublin at Livermore.
On the Mountain side, you’ve got Monte Vista, San Ramon Valley, California and Amador.
California, a program that lost a lot to graduation, sits at 6-0 in the non-league season. It’s been a mix of solid offense and defense to keep the Grizzlies unbeaten.
San Ramon Valley has been the program to beat the last few years, but the Wolves are a bit young this year. They are 4-2 but as usual, San Ramon Valley plays a tough non-league schedule.
Monte Vista is a little bit surprising at 4-1 but when you have an offense that has scored a minimum of 42 points, in its four wins, good things can happen.
Amador is 2-4, but Jones and the Dons have been hit the hardest by injury. They are starting to get healthy at the right time of the season.
The lone EBAL game this week has San Ramon Valley at Amador Valley in a 7:15 p.m. game. California is on a bye this week. Monte Vista hosts Campolindo in a non-league game.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation.
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