Anthony Morales, a longtime public educator, administrator and coach, has been named the new athletic director at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria.
Morales, formerly the athletic director at Paso Robles High, replaces retiring Jeff Monteiro, who has been part of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District for 34 years, as a teacher, coach and administrator.
Monteiro, who has a 39-year career in coaching, helped open Pioneer Valley in 2004.
He was the school’s first football coach, and chairman of the social science department. He also coached wrestling and track and field.
Morales was the athletic director at Clovis East High before arriving at Paso Robles in 2016. He was a highly successful wrestling coach at Clovis East, winning a CIF State Championship, five CIF Central Section titles, and 13 league titles.
He’s been in involved in the CIF, serving on state committees for wrestling, cross country, swimming and diving, and track & field. He’s also worked as an announcer for major wrestling events in the state, including the CIF State Championships.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be at PVHS, with such an outstanding academic reputation and a phenomenal sports background,’’ Morales said in a statement.
“We look forward to Anthony guiding the athletic department to new heights over the coming years,’’ said Greg Dickinson, Pioneer Valley assistant principal and former football coach. “He brings a wealth of coaching and mentoring experience with him as an AD, and is well respected on both the Central Coast and Central Section CIF community, where he has served on various state CIF committees.’’
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.