Banning Booster Unhappy With Losses

I am writing this letter because of the concern I have for the Banning High varsity football program and Coach Edmund Paculba. I have been around Banning as a fan and a booster club member since 1958, when my father took me to my first Banning game. I am also a former vice president of the booster club.

I currently live in the Sacramento area. I still attend about three or four Banning games every year. When I do not come down for a game, I make a phone call to see if the Pilots won or lost. I am very disappointed when they lose, which has been happening often in the past two years under Paculba. I cannot accept the program being 12-10 in the past two years and 5-6 this year, the school’s first losing season since 1974.

At the few games that I attended, I could see that the problems start with Paculba. There was arguing among the coaches, including Paculba, and they were very disorganized. There are five or six players who will transfer to other schools if Paculba stays. I do not blame the players or their parents. Paculba is a losing coach. He will not attend meetings of the booster club, which has supported the athletic programs at Banning for many years. If he cannot handle the pressure of coaching a high-profile program, then it is time for Paculba to resign as football coach. Then the school can bring back someone who can handle the situation and return the program to the national power it used to be. If I was Banning’s principal, I would bring back (former Banning coaches) Chris Ferragamo and Joe Dominguez as the coaches of the varsity team. Then you would have a winning program and a financially stable booster club.

Although I now live in Sacramento, I still take pride that I graduated and played football at Banning. I was proud to be a Pilot and I still love the school and its tradition. But we have to replace Paculba with a better coach.

ED SITCHLER

Sacramento