Four months after making the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs for the first time in program history, Cardinal Newman’s football team will seek new leadership.

Richard Sanchez, who led the Cardinals for the past four seasons, has stepped down as head coach to take over as the head coach at the University of La Verne in Southern California, a Division III program that plays in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Sanchez has coached at the college level before, but this will be his first head coaching job with a university.

Sanchez informed his players of his departure at a meeting Monday afternoon.

Cardinal Newman Athletic Director Monica Mertle told The Press Democrat that the school will begin a nationwide search for its next head coach.

“We want to congratulate Richard and commend him for everything he’s given to the community,” Mertle said. “He’s been a tremendous leader here and he’s done an amazing job over the past four years. We’re really happy for him. This is a great opportunity for him to be a head coach at the college level. It’s been a dream of his and we’re grateful and lucky to have had him here for the past four years.”

Sanchez is set to depart for Southern California in a few weeks. His coaching staff will continue to run the team’s offseason program when he leaves.

“There isn’t going to be a drastic change,” Mertle added. “We’re going to continue with our training as is.”

In four seasons under Sanchez, the Cardinals compiled a 37-13 overall record, made three trips to North Coast Section title games and were selected for the NCS Open Division this past season for the first time in program history. During his tenure, the Cardinals also had one of the best individual seasons from a running back in area history in 2023, when Zack Homan ran for 2,428 yards, the fourth-best all-time in the Redwood Empire.

In a release announcing Sanchez’s departure, the school said there has already been “strong interest from qualified candidates and will take the time needed to find a coach who shares our values and vision.”

Mertle said that they hope to hire a new head coach “the sooner the better” but said they aren’t going to rush through the process.

“It’s more important that we do this right,” she said.

“We expect to have a lot of good applicants,” she continued. “We’re in a great place right now with our football program. We have an amazing coaching staff that are still very active and very supportive of the kids. We’re going to make sure that we find the right person for the job.”

Sanchez was hired late in the summer of 2021 to replace longtime head coach Paul Cronin, who just finished his second season as the head coach at Ukiah High School. Cronin will be a popular name to return to his alma mater, but he told The Press Democrat on Monday that he’s not interested in the job.

In 2023, a former player filed a lawsuit against Cardinal Newman and several school officials including Sanchez, alleging retaliation for complaints he made about the coach. The school has denied the allegations in legal filings and the suit is ongoing in Sonoma County civil court.

You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JustGusPD.