The Ray Myers era is officially under way at Pajaro Valley High this week after he was formally introduced as the new head football coach Tuesday afternoon.
The longtime local defensive coordinator was already in full spirits by sporting the green, silver and black colors at Grizzly Stadium prior to a meeting with some of the incoming players.
“Being a coach basically is just an extension of the classroom,” Myers said. “It’s just another chance for me to teach and help impact people’s lives. Not just in the classroom, but on the field, too. It’s a great opportunity for that.”
Myers, 42, will replace Casey Neligh after he was pink-slipped by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District following three seasons (2023-25) at the helm.
Neligh led the Grizzlies to the program’s first-ever winning season after they finished with a 6-4 overall record. They were runners-up in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Santa Lucia Division with a 5-1 record in league play.
Pajaro Valley Athletic Director Joe Manfre said he opened the position not thinking he’d find somebody extremely qualified for the position in such a short period.
That’s when Myers’ name popped up on the EDJOIN website.
“I was like ‘holy moly,’” Manfre said. “The Myers name carries a lot of weight in the city of Watsonville and Santa Cruz County.”
Myers has been a physical education teacher at Pajaro Middle School for the past 18 years. He received his master’s degree in strength and conditioning, and taught a weightlifting class for the Cabrillo College football team the past four years.
Myers played his first three years of prep football at Monte Vista Christian in Watsonville, followed by his senior season at Gilroy High and two years at Cabrillo College.
In 2007, Myers got his first gig as a defensive line coach at Soquel High under his dad, Ron, who spent 47 years on the football sidelines, and was the mastermind behind the Black Death defense at Watsonville High in the 80s.
“I think it’s kind of cool that Ray’s wanted to step into that space, and make a name for himself a little bit, too,” Manfre said.
Myers was promoted to defensive coordinator for six more years until he jumped ship with his dad for his second stint at Watsonville from 2014-19.
He took two years off during the Covid-19 pandemic before making a return to his alma mater at Cabrillo College as a defensive line coach for four years (‘22-25).
Myers now will have a chance to lead a program for the first time in his career, and he’s bringing his mentor, Ron, along for the ride as one of his assistant coaches.
“I feel like [Ray Myers] brings a wealth of knowledge, and he’s a teacher too. He knows how to deal with kids,” Manfre said. “I think it’s going to be a really good fit.”
Myers will become a physical education teacher at Pajaro Valley, and run a weightlifting class for the football team. He said a benefit to being an on-campus coach is having contact with players for constant grade checks.
Myers also mentioned building relationships with teachers on campus is critical because he wants to make sure students are passing classes outside of athletics.
“The goal for us, and it always has been, is if you play four years of football you’re going to be able to graduate to be eligible to do that,” Myers said.
Myers can already see the bigger picture, which starts with recruiting as many student-athletes as possible to join the Grizzly football program.
After that, he’s hoping to create a pipeline to send those same players to the next level whether it’s at Cabrillo or another school of their choice.
“I want it to be a positive experience for them,” Myers said. “I want to have that positivity spread to the school. [Casey Neligh] did a great job with the program. I’m not inheriting a program that is down, it’s a program that is on its way up, and he’s done a really good job of getting the place ready.”
