Irvington plans to have JV team in 2026 after canceling varsity season earlier this week
FREMONT - Just four days after announcing that it would not play a varsity football season in 2026, Fremont's Irvington High told football parents on Friday afternoon that it plans to field a junior varsity team next season.
In an email to parents, outgoing principal Stan Hicks said Irvington plans to begin rebuilding the program "from the ground up" by bringing in a new JV coach with an eye toward returning to varsity football in 2027.
Hicks wrote that the school intends to have the new coach move up with the team to the varsity level next season after playing one year as a JV-only program.
He added that Irvington hopes "that the coach can work with the athletic director and school administration to identify and mentor a successor for the JV program once he moves up to the varsity level."
Hicks noted that Irvington has received interest in coaching from a school alumnus "who is committed to helping restore the football program," but stopped short of naming the potential coach.
Albert Sandoval, a former JV assistant who has been voluntarily running spring workouts without a varsity coach in place, told the Bay Area News Group that he is the coach Hicks referenced.
Sandoval said the news provided an uplifting message at the end of a challenging week for those associated with the Irvington program.
"I’ve been blasting it all over social media, getting all the kids with our group chat to try to spread the word," Sandoval said. "Everybody’s very excited. Everybody perked up. I texted our JV group chat from this past season, and I have like 50 text messages that are like, ‘Oh my God, let’s go spread the word.'
"Everybody’s pumped up. People are wanting to be part of this history to save the program."
There is still likely to be at least some attrition from Irvington's returning varsity players, as seniors generally do not play junior varsity football. Sandoval said a number of rising Irvington seniors already plan to transfer, but he does not know of any rising juniors who plan to do so.
Mission Valley Athletic League commissioner Thomas Thomsen told the Bay Area News Group that to the best of his knowledge, seniors would need to obtain a waiver to play on a JV football team. The waiver would need to be approved by the school’s principal, athletic director and Thomsen.
Irvington's varsity-eligible players have been told they can transfer immediately to two schools within the district, Washington and Kennedy, under a hardship waiver if they wish to continue playing football.
They may also transfer to schools outside the Fremont Unified School District without consequences as long as there is no pre-enrollment contact from the new school, according to a letter Hicks gave to students earlier this week.
Hicks concluded his message on Friday by asking parents to share their interest in playing JV football, noting that the league has given the school until Wednesday to decide whether to move forward with junior varsity.
"Your response is extremely important," Hicks wrote. "Please also encourage your friends and classmates to check their email and complete the form if they are interested."
Sandoval, who said that he has not yet been officially interviewed for the job, has transitioned to an all-out effort to get potential players to sign up.
"I’ve always let it be known that I was here to help the program, and to make sure that it stays," he said. "I’ve been trying to promote this and get everybody to click that link, sign up and show that interest in it. That’s where we’re at now. Hopefully we flood that inbox with interest."
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 5:15 PM.