King named REV football coach

Kristian King, 31, has been chosen as the new Redlands East Valley High football coach, King said.

The hiring was revealed in a district letter to REV students, families, and staff. High Desert educator Chris Fore first reported the hiring on X.

“I’m a Wildcat through and through,” King said. “I was a Wildcat at 8 years old playing Junior All-American (youth football). This is something that’s needed at the school and I want to bring back the glory days.”

King played at REV, graduating in 2011. He received a scholarship to Western New Mexico University where he played defensive back and inside linebacker. He also made the Academic All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team.  

“I have a good work ethic and I’m battle-tested from my previous experience (playing for) Kurt Bruich and (coaching under) Citos Marinez for nine years,” King said. “I learned a lot from some great coaches and now I’m ready to showcase my own abilities.”

King was the defensive coordinator at Rowland High last season under Marinez. Before that, he also assisted Marinez (a former REV assistant) for eight years at Jurupa Hills High in Fontana.  

In addition to running the defense, King was the special teams coordinator.

“Kristian became our defensive coordinator in 2018,” Marinez said. “He was a coordinator for six years and he ran our social media and designed our uniforms. People are going to be surprised at how prepared he is to take this roll on.”

King formerly worked in the private sector but acquired his teaching credential and has been teaching math at Rowland. He will also be a math teacher at REV, as soon as his replacement at Rowland is found.

Marinez knows King well, having served as his defensive back coach under Bruich at REV. Bruich is now the coach at Citrus Valley.

“Kristian got a scholarship out of REV and played all four years at Western New Mexico and acclimated well there and got a degree,” Marinez said. “He made the transition to an unconventional (out of area) college and to becoming a teacher so easily. Then he played a role as an assistant coach that most don’t.”

Said Rowland assistant coach David Peterson who is also a former REV player, “Kristian is an alum and has a great football mind. He wore a lot of hats as an assistant coach, and he relates well to kids. Kids love playing for him. They play hard and he gets the most out of them. He is hoping to bring REV back to prominence, to do everything he can to make it like it was in our heyday.”   

Summit of Fontana coach Nick Matheny knows King well from his SkyHawk teams competing against Jurupa Hills in Sunkist League play.

“The toughest defenses we had to prepare for were Jurupa Hills,” Matheny said. “So we had a friendship going back, but it was from across the field. I love Kristian – he’s cool and is young and intelligent and has a way of building up players’ football IQ. He’s an alum (of REV) and is a good man, teacher, coach, father and husband. I think it’s a great hire for REV.”

REV won a CIF-State Division II football title in 2014 but has struggled lately with Citrus Valley High opening to give the city three comprehensive public high schools.

REV went 1-9 last season under coach Gavin Pachot, although it upset rival Redlands High in the Smudge Pot Game.

The Wildcats are 8-47 overall and 3-27 in league since 2018 went they went 7-4 overall and 4-1 in league.   

Now the school has a new coach, in addition to a still-under-construction football stadium that recently erected home bleachers and a press box.

Asked how he can combat the program’s recent struggle, King said: “I want to revitalize the program and showcase the school. With the addition of Citrus Valley, the dynamic has changed, but there are still a lot of successful athletic and academic programs at REV. With someone like me there with a vested interest as an alum who takes pride in the school, I think I can revitalize things and build some buzz.”