Doherty, Banning move forward with common focus: Folsom football

When Paul Doherty and Jordan Banning knew they were both applying for the head football coaching position at Folsom High, they knew something had to give. Only one man could get the job and with that, naturally, the other one would be disappointed. Doherty ultimately was hired to replace Kris Richardson, but Banning, a Bulldog since he played with the Jr. Peewee youth football team as an 8-year-old through graduating from the school in 2001, was supportive from the start. "Paul and I decided we were going to coach together before the interview process, regardless of who got the job," Banning said. "I have a lot of pride for Folsom football and I care about the kids. I played with the Jr. Bulldogs, played at Folsom High, was hired as a coach when I was 19 and have been the JV head coach for the last seven years. I understand the tradition here. I feel I'm part of the link in the chain to our past, and I feel responsible to help keep that tradition alive. I love coaching. I love the kids. I love Folsom football. It's part of my identity." Along with Banning's pride for Folsom football, he relishes the challenge of following in Richardson's footsteps. "There's an obvious challenge with continuing to coach at Folsom," Banning said. "I know there are a lot of people who think this is the end of Folsom because Kris is gone. Kris also coached the coaches here. That's the culture that he and Troy (Taylor) built. They did a great job of coaching and preparing other coaches." Doherty knew he and Banning would have to work together for everything to work. "Our relationship was the biggest 'must have' for us to move on and be successful," Doherty said. "We talked prior to hiring, and we both wanted Folsom High football to keep moving forward. He was my biggest supporter during the interview process and just had a wave of enthusiasm. We needed to do this together." So far things have been great. Banning is comfortable as Doherty's assistant and Doherty is glad to have him on staff. "It's been a big relief to me," Doherty said. "It's a very natural relationship. We see eye-to-eye on everything. We have different skill sets, but have the same philosophies, the same understanding, the same value system. It's been refreshing. Jordan means so much to the program. He's got this born-in knowledge of the program, the city, the high school and of Folsom football. We have good chemistry. It's been great." Said Banning, "The best part of this whole thing has been working with Paul. We're very much on the same page."