Prep girls soccer: Orlando Ramirez resigns as Buchanan’s coach

Buchanan High’s Orlando Ramirez, 4 for 4 in Central Section Division I girls soccer titles, but stretched thin as a coach, has resigned.

“The way the Buchanan community embraced me, it was definitely a tough decision that was not made lightly,” said Ramirez, who went 78-17-9. That included a 19-4-5 mark this season despite playing without senior starters Taylor Ehreshman and Alyssa Damian because of ACL injuries.

All along, however, he has also assisted his father, Jaime Ramirez, at Fresno Pacific in the Sunbirds’ fall men’s soccer season. And that proved to be a bit much for Orlando Ramirez, 31, married and with two children.

“That’s August to March with five to six days a week of coaching,” he said. “Either place (Buchanan and Fresno Pacific) is close to my heart, but I needed to make a choice. I need to spend more time at home and take care of other things. Family takes precedence.”

Buchanan athletic director James Gambrell said: “Orlando did a phenomenal job, and with extremely high character, but I have to respect his personal life. He will be sorely missed by Buchanan’s women’s soccer and the community.”

Ramirez said he will continue to teach English and history at Buchanan feeder Alta Sierra Intermediate, and will likely stick with pops at Fresno Pacific — and with a vision: “It’s definitely a dream of mine some day to be a college head coach.”

Ramirez is a 2001 Roosevelt graduate who then became a two-time NAIA All-American in a four-year soccer career at Fresno Pacific. He also played one season with the San Jose Earthquakes of the Major League Soccer before returning to Fresno Pacific to graduate and earn his teaching credential.

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Prep girls soccer: Orlando Ramirez resigns as Buchanan’s coach."