Officer by night, coach by day: Jon Scofield leads junior varsity football in Lincoln to success

Being a police officer is a very difficult job. So is being a football coach and leading a team to a 28-2 record over five seasons. Jon Scofield has managed to do both as his law enforcement career spans nearly 20 years and the last seven years have included being a football coach in Lincoln. Taking the time to coach can be difficult as Scofield is also a Placer County Sheriff's Office lieutenant assigned to the corrections division at the South Placer Jail in Roseville. Not to mention, he also has a family. "When I started coaching football, I was a patrol deputy sheriff with the Placer County Sheriff's Office and I had the ability to do shift work," Scofield said. "From the months of May through January, I would work Saturday to Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. I would head home, sleep for a few hours and go to practice right after school. It's easy to fall into a trap thinking you are making time for your family but in reality, you're not. I'm lucky that my family supports coaching and they will also hold me accountable, including my daughter, if I don't make time for them. I was recently promoted to lieutenant and my boss works with me and my practice schedule. I also have a great work partner that covers for me if I need to leave early for a game, etc. I'm extremely thankful to the Placer County Sheriff's Office for always being flexible and supporting my coaching. One of our core values states 'we are involved in our community and seek to become a part of the world we serve.' I truly feel lucky that I work for a sheriff who supports community involvement by all of his employees." Sheriff Wayne Woo offered some kind words for Scofield and what he means to the community. "I am extremely proud of Lt. Scofield," Woo said. "He understands the importance of our position in the community and realizes that our relationship with the community is key to our success and great quality of life. This philosophy is ingrained in our organization, which is why it is listed in our CORE values. Lt. Scofield is not just working as a coach; he is building relationships and acting as a mentor and role model for these young men. He is truly helping to shape the future of our community." Scofield grew up in Antioch playing varsity football at Deer Valley High School and sports in general have played a large role in his youth, teenage and adult years. He was the freshman coach at Lincoln High from 2015 until 2018 when he took over as the JV coach. Scofield served in that role from 2018 until spring 2021 before moving over to Twelve Bridges High later that year. "What draws me to coaching football is the ability to instill the value of hard work in teenagers and to hopefully be a mentor in their lives," Scofield said. "I've noticed that when student athletes struggle with school or life in general, some feel more comfortable opening up to a coach than a parent. Being able to guide them through the tough teenage years is difficult but very fulfilling." Scofield got the opportunity to coach when he and Chris Bean, the current Twelve Bridges High varsity head coach, were Lincoln Junior Zebras board members and Bean mentioned that he didn't have a freshman coaching staff. "I met him at a boosters meeting and his first initial thought was wanting to get involved," Bean said. "He has been really good at learning and taking in what we are teaching. Jon asks the right questions and he plays within our system really well. He works tremendously hard outside of football as a lieutenant but he works really hard here as well and it's beautiful for us to say that the JV staff is in good hands." As a JV coach, Scofield lost two games in 2018 but hasn't lost since as the Zebras went 10-0 in 2019, 4-0 in the shortened 2020 season and now the Rhinos are undefeated at 9-0 as of this writing. The Rhinos were 8-1 in 2021 as a junior varsity team but Bean was the head coach and Scofield was the defensive coordinator. "Our culture is formed around a foundation of love for the game and the love for our kids," Scofield said. "Robotic coaching isn't successful anymore. If you have a coach that doesn't care about his players and does nothing but yell at them all practice, telling them why they aren't good, the kids will never be successful and the program will go downhill. You need to have a personal connection with your players and that is something I demand from myself, my staff and all staff in our program. If you don't take the time to get to know these kids, they will never give you 100 percent in anything." As an officer for nearly 20 years and being with the Placer County Sheriff's Office for 10 years, Scofield has seen his fair share of gruesome crimes and horrible events. Having the opportunity to come out and coach helps Scofield deal with his job stress. "I'm able to get lost into the mental side of preparing for a Friday night game and not think about the things I see at work," Scofield said. "Being around my coaching staff and my kids on our field is nothing short of therapeutic. We often call the field our church. There have been a lot of occasions I have come to the school and just sat in the bleachers looking up at the lights. There is just something about the lights that keeps me coming back." The Twelve Bridges High JV football team has only given up 33 points defensively in their first nine games and have defeated opponents by an average of 33.5 points per game. They have been led offensively by sophomore Braeden Ward who has 470 yards rushing and eight total touchdowns. Ward explained what makes Scofield a special coach. "Coach Scofield has a very great coaching style listening to all players' concerns and pushes us to be better," Ward said. "For those of us that wish to play in college, he also provides us and our parents guidance to help achieve that. I feel that coach Scofield, along with all our other coaches, have spent countless hours outside of practice going over plays offensively and defensively so we can come out and win on Thursday and Friday nights." Scofield will continue to coach the Rhinos and enjoys playing a role in the development of players in the program. "JV and freshman football may not be 'the show' on Friday night but it's with a sense of pride that we see varsity players who started out with us as quiet 13-year-olds and are now considered all league players," Scofield said. "Being able to say that our underclassmen coaches played a part in that formation is why we continue to come back every season."