Quarterback to coach: How Del Oro grad Randy Fasani has turned a Division VII football program into a winner

If you have ever been to Del Oro High School's Golden Eagle Stadium, you can't miss the giant mural above the bleachers that reads, "Anyone. Anytime. Anywhere." That slogan has held true for the Golden Eagles, who have taken on national names over the years such as De La Salle, Oaks Christian, Westlake, Bishop Gorman and Kamehameha. Now down in Ripon, former Del Oro star Randy Fasani has instilled that mentality to his Ripon Christian Knights. "We take the underdog approach," Fasani says. "If you look at our sideline, we have 22 kids, probably 19 that are playing. But we don't care. We will play basically anyone, anywhere, anytime. That's what Del Oro says, which I've always loved since I was in high school." Fasani always found a way to excel at what he did. In his time at Del Oro, the gunslinger threw for more than 5,000 yards and 53 touchdowns while rushing for 16 scores. He was named to several All-America teams and earned the title of top quarterback recruit in the nation from SuperPrep, Parade and USA Today. To this day, he is lauded by many in Loomis as the best player in the school's history. After four years at Stanford, two as the starter, and stints in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, Fasani has found his new calling in coaching. For 13 years, and in separate stints, he has worn several hats with the Ripon Christian football program, including quarterbacks coach, head coach and now offensive coordinator. "He's stepped up when the program needed a head coach, and he's been a coordinator here before," said current Ripon Christian head coach Phil Grams, an offense-minded man himself. "I have an offense I like to run, but when you get a guy like Randy with the experience he has, we're gonna collaborate. He brings the pro style to our offense and he's another great leader here. We've got a bunch of leaders on our football staff." "This is not a school known for its football tradition. We've been building tradition here, and I've instilled in them the importance of having tradition," Fasani says. "I've always told these young men there's always someone working harder than you and that should drive you to work as hard as possible each and every day." But how does the former top recruit in the nation with experience playing on Sundays end up in Ripon, at a CIF Division VII school of only 222 students? "That's a good question," Fasani says. "After playing football, I wanted to get into law enforcement and that career took me to Roseville PD. After working there, I decided to pursue a career in sales, which took me into agricultural sales in the Central Valley. So my family moved to Ripon. It was a perfect spot in the middle of my territory." "This is small school, high school football," he adds. "It's special. It's unique. I'm having a blast coaching here." Fasani was head coach of the Knights two separate times, in 2013 and 2019, and has a record of 21-4. This season, he was the offensive coordinator of the first Sac-Joaquin Section championship team in program history when Ripon Christian topped Woodland Christian 28-16 for the D-VII crown. It helps having a former NFL quarterback behind the offense, as the Knights averaged an even 38 points per game this season. "We are a very difficult offense to game plan for and to stop on the field," Fasani says. "It is a mix of things I've picked up over the years as well as things that other coaches have instilled here." Leading the offense this season was Fasani's son, Trey, a three-star rated quarterback by 247 Sports that hurts opposing defenses with his legs as much as his arm, much like his father did to Sierra Foothill League foes two decades ago. "I will remember these last two years for the rest of my life," Randy says about coaching his son. "That young man is probably the hardest-working player I've coached in about 18 years, and I'm really proud of him. We have a healthy relationship. We talk football when we need to, and we talk about life and we need to." Trey Fasani had a strong season, throwing for 33 touchdowns and rushing for six to help lead Ripon Christian to an 11-3 record. Unfortunately for the Knights, their season ended Friday night in the CIF NorCal Division 5-AA championship game at the hands of Hughson, which punched in a last-second touchdown for a 31-28 win. "The players will get a rest for a little bit, but they're already talking about next year," Fasani says. "Our junior class is special here. Our senior class is amazing. They'll move on wherever God wants them to be, but we'll be competitive next season." Current Del Oro football coach Mike Maben grew up with Fasani, and they were high school teammates. Maben knew Fasani was a special talent from an early age, way before the duo donned the black and gold together in the 1990s and coached together during the pandemic spring season in 2021. "I think Randy kind of lived a charmed life," Maben said with a chuckle. "He and I were on the swim team together and he was the kid who was always half a lap ahead of everybody. He seemed to always be able to kind of pop what situation you put him in. "I have no surprise whatsoever that he would find success at Ripon Christian," Maben said. "My guess is he finds success no matter where he was coaching." Asked if he anticipates a reunion with Fasani at any point, Maben said, "It's hard to tell. I know he's got a lot of different business ventures that kind of keeps him in that central valley, but he also has a lot of family up here. No matter what, he knows he's always welcome at the door."