Monte Vista Christian is looking for a new head football coach after Spencer Ferrari-Wood advised the school he will not return for a fourth year with the program.
Ferrari-Wood confirmed with The Pajaronian on Wednesday afternoon about his resignation. He made it clear to MVC’s players he wasn’t running away, but rather there is a new and unique desire to be near family.
“We didn’t want to leave here just for anything, we really want to leave if it was the right place for us, and we feel like we found that place,” he said. “It’s bittersweet. We loved Monte Vista.”
Ferrari-Wood will be the next head football coach at Delaware County Christian School in Philadelphia. He is moving with his wife Natalia and two daughters—18-month old Lorena and two-month old Sienna.
Ferrari-Wood’s parents live in Atlanta, while Natalia’s family resides in Brussels, Belgium.
“It’s a little bit of a leap of faith, almost like when we came here,” Ferrari-Wood said. “It’s a new adventure for us but we feel God’s called us there.”
MVC Director of Athletics Dustin Mones said Ferrari-Wood was an unbelievable coach that knew his Xs and Os on the chalkboard.
“But more than that, he’s been an absolutely wonderful mentor for our kids,” Mones said.
Ferrari-Wood accumulated a 15-15 overall record in three seasons with MVC.
Mones said as a coach, Ferrari-Wood had players bought into a system that included a fast-paced spread offense where they weren’t afraid to pass the ball.
“It’s a lot of fun to play under his way of playing, kids really are interested in that,” Mones said. “It also bodes well for kids who want to play at the next level.”
Some of those former standouts that played for Ferrari-Wood included the tri-county record-breaking tandem of quarterback Dom Pierini and receiver Nico Downie.
Downie, who currently plays at Monterey Peninsula College, hauled in 2,907 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns on 163 receptions in two years under Ferrari-Wood.
Pierini, who is now at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, tallied 6,847 passing yards and tossed 67 touchdowns in two seasons.
Ferrari-Wood said he feels like they’ve established a healthy culture at MVC, and the program is in a great place since arriving in Watsonville three years ago.
“I think we brought a pretty exciting brand of football to Monte Vista with a lot of offense in particular,” he said. “It’s been a fun ride. I think the players feel the same.”
