Cal High teacher Justin Santich-Hughes is a secret agent working with the San Ramon Valley High baseball team.
Well, not exactly.
Hughes began coaching SRV’s varsity baseball team and teaching social studies at the school in 2022-23 school year.
But because of budget cuts, he was relocated to Cal this school year to serve as a world history and ethnic studies teacher. But he has continued to coach for SRV.
Hughes doesn’t feel strongly about being in this peculiar situation, and he prefers to keep the two jobs separate.
“I focus on doing my job that I’m hired to do, which is why I’m a teacher at Cal, and I’m going to do my best job,” Hughes said. “I don’t think about leaving Cal or anything like that, or what’s next. I kind of focus on the task at hand.”
Hughes’ students aren’t too concerned about him coaching at a rival school either. In fact, some even find it fascinating.
“I thought it was cool because SRV is a good school when it comes to sports, and especially how he said he was the varsity coach at SRV,” freshman Hailey Phen said.
On the other hand, some students in his class strongly disagree with him coaching for the Grizzlies’ rival.
“Honestly, that’s mildly outrageous and upsetting,” freshman Jose De Nobrega said with a smile. “He’s interacted or somewhat supported our rival school in a way, and honestly, I feel betrayed by my sixth-period ethnic studies teacher.”
De Nobrega is a part of the minority in this conflict, because even Hughes’ players accepted the situation quite quickly.
SRV hosts Cal on Friday in the teams’ first meeting under these new circumstances. The game starts at 4 p.m.
With this new challenge of teaching at one school and coaching for another, Hughes’ players are more than willing to adapt for their coach and team.
“Even if he isn’t teaching at [Cal], we’ll still work hard to win,” SRV varsity baseball captain Mitch Nelson said.
It’s Nelson’s second year working with Hughes, and he has nothing but positive comments about the experience.
“Great coach, great leader, knows how to really work us during practice, and is great at managing teams,” Nelson said.
Even though Nelson and Hughes have a strong bond, he wasn’t aware that Hughes was teaching at Cal until he was interviewed for this story.
“Cal and SRV have went against each other for years,” Nelson said. “But it’s his job and you have to get food on the table somehow, and I’m happy for him.”
SRV varsity baseball player Cole Haugton said he has been on the team and with Hughes for three years. His respect for Hughes grows each year he’s been with him.
“I love him, he’s a great coach, he’s a great guy,” said Haugton, who never had Hughes as a teacher. “He just knows what he’s doing.”
Hughes began coaching at before earning his teaching credential, initially working as an assistant for San Jose State after playing for the Spartans. He then took a coaching position at Cal State, Monterey Bay.
Hughes earned his teaching credential 13 years ago and began working at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. He also started coaching baseball at Acalanes High in Lafayette at that time.
Hughes’ students understand that even though he’s coaching for the “enemy,” it’s just work at the end of the day.
“I don’t really mind having a new teacher here, but it is kind of odd having a teacher coach at another close school,” Cal JV baseball player Joshua Yousenasna said.
Hughes feels it’s not hard to keep the two jobs separate, as he’s done this before. He said that it would be stranger to be a teacher at SRV and Cal, rather than a coach at one school and a teacher at the other. He is also used to teaching at Cal.
Overall, Hughes is respectful toward Cal’s baseball team, expressing how they can go far in the league, how they are well-coached, and how they are always tough to play against, but a good challenge.
But that doesn’t mean he’s rooting for the Grizzlies.
“I’m not going to root for myself to lose,” Hughes said. “In football and basketball, or any other sports for that matter. Maybe I’ll just be the fan for whatever team wins.”
