MCFARLAND, Calif. — When sports teams finally are allowed to return to campus, the McFarland football and volleyball programs will have two new head coaches: Manny with football and Velores with volleyball.
Oh, yeah! These two also happened to be married. Not just to their games, but to each other.
"It's just It's awesome. I mean, knowing that I'm going to be with him. It's just it's comforting to know, too, because we're both supportive of one another," Velores Munoz said. "And, have to have him with me. He complains but I love it."
The Munozes have been connected through sports their whole marriage but now they get to share the same title of head coach at McFarland High School.
"We're both strong-willed, so when it comes to anything we compete so we're always competing, no matter what it is and that's, what I love but it keeps us alive, and it keeps us happy," Velores said.
A connected coaching duo that’s not new to them as they’ve even coached on the same football sidelines.
"We even had the opportunity to coach together where I was the head coach and she was my assistant which was pretty rough, it was It was crazy to have that ever happened but we tried it. And we actually did really well," Manny said.
Manny will be taking over the Cougars football program as Casey Quinn is now an assistant football coach for Bakersfield College while Verlores will be stepping in for Alyssa Medina as head volleyball coach. Both focused on making an impact in and out of the competition.
"I'm just wanting to honestly just for the community, just trying to be there for the kids, build character with these young men. And for me, life outside of football as well. It's not just about football," Manny said.
"They can use this not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. It's like an outlet, you know, and and whenever I think about that that's what I want to give them. I want to give them the tools that they can use to be successful," Velores said.
But when asked who is the better coach in the marriage both of them say Velores with a laugh. As she claims, "happy wifey, happy lifey."
Competitive by nature, you can still tell how in sync these two coaches are making sure to support each other even if their sports may keep them apart.
"You show up to work and it's still dark outside and you get back and it's still dark again, so we understand each other, we get it, and we support one another. And I think that's the main thing that holds us together, but we usually pick each other up and balance that out," Manny said.
"He's very supportive," Velores said.
Both feeling that after five years of not coaching at the high school level that they are ready to join forces again. Even if the pandemic has them waiting a little longer to get started.
"It also gives us time to really get the program straight and it will align everything out and give us the time that we need to start a new program because it takes a lot of a lot of work to do that," Manny said.
"When it does, we're going to be ready," Velores said. "Yeah, this is the time to get ahead. Yeah. We're ready," Manny said.
As Velores shares with a laugh that they will be even better after this.
If I had to bet on a quarantined coaching couple getting better while stuck at home, it would have to be the Munozes.
