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The Anderson Union High School District will hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at West Valley High School's Performing Arts Center.
At the meeting, the Board of Trustees will vote on whether to approve current West Valley principal Justin Byxbe as the school’s new volleyball coach and West Valley physical education teacher Tim Harles as the head football coach.
If approved, both potential hires would assume their roles for the 2026-27 academic year — both decisions have sparked controversy within the West Valley community.
If voted in, Tim Harles will take the reins from former Eagles coach Jason Weston.
Harles was brought in as the offensive coordinator for the 2025 season after serving as the head football coach for Las Plumas High School. Following Weston’s resignation in December, it seemed Harles was the likely choice to take over the program.
However, in February, former West Valley head coach Greg Grandell made a bid for the position. Grandell was approved as the new coach by a committee comprised of members of the school’s administration and the community, but his campaign fell short after being denied the job by the District’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 11.
The HR report for the April 1 special meeting is the first time a candidate other than Grandell has been presented before the board.
Justin Byxbe's move for head volleyball coach, however, came as a big surprise.
The Eagles have had success with head coach Melissa Church since she took over the program in 2017, including four consecutive NSCIF championships between 2021-24. In 2025, the Eagles lost in the section championship game but followed it up with a state playoff win over Roseville.
Byxbe was the Eagles assistant coach in 2025 and left his role with the team before its playoff run. In December, following the conclusion of the season, Byxbe requested to apply for the volleyball coaching job.
In January, the district passed a resolution confirming administrators are not allowed to hold any coaching positions within the district.
Byxbe then requested to step down as the school's principal. The board voted to approve Byxbe's resignation on Feb. 11, with his assignment to be determined at superintendent Brian Parker's discretion. He will remain as West Valley's principal for the remainder of the 2025-26 academic year.
On Tuesday, March 31, Byxbe appeared on the district's HR report as a potential new volleyball coach.
“I’ve just been waiting to hear if I’m able to get an agenda item for the April 15th board meeting, but that’s all," Church said Tuesday afternoon. "I’ve not heard anything."
The Record Searchlight reached out to Byxbe's office but was told the principal is away from campus this week.
The Record Searchlight spoke to AUHSD superintendent Brian Parker, who refused to comment. West Valley athletic director Kol Zuppan could not be reached before publication of this article.
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at [email protected]. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: AUHSD Board to vote on new football, volleyball head coach hires
Continue reading...
At the meeting, the Board of Trustees will vote on whether to approve current West Valley principal Justin Byxbe as the school’s new volleyball coach and West Valley physical education teacher Tim Harles as the head football coach.
If approved, both potential hires would assume their roles for the 2026-27 academic year — both decisions have sparked controversy within the West Valley community.
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Harles emerges as coaching candidate
If voted in, Tim Harles will take the reins from former Eagles coach Jason Weston.
Harles was brought in as the offensive coordinator for the 2025 season after serving as the head football coach for Las Plumas High School. Following Weston’s resignation in December, it seemed Harles was the likely choice to take over the program.
However, in February, former West Valley head coach Greg Grandell made a bid for the position. Grandell was approved as the new coach by a committee comprised of members of the school’s administration and the community, but his campaign fell short after being denied the job by the District’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 11.
The HR report for the April 1 special meeting is the first time a candidate other than Grandell has been presented before the board.
Justin Byxbe, Melissa Church and West Valley Volleyball
Justin Byxbe's move for head volleyball coach, however, came as a big surprise.
The Eagles have had success with head coach Melissa Church since she took over the program in 2017, including four consecutive NSCIF championships between 2021-24. In 2025, the Eagles lost in the section championship game but followed it up with a state playoff win over Roseville.
Byxbe was the Eagles assistant coach in 2025 and left his role with the team before its playoff run. In December, following the conclusion of the season, Byxbe requested to apply for the volleyball coaching job.
In January, the district passed a resolution confirming administrators are not allowed to hold any coaching positions within the district.
Byxbe then requested to step down as the school's principal. The board voted to approve Byxbe's resignation on Feb. 11, with his assignment to be determined at superintendent Brian Parker's discretion. He will remain as West Valley's principal for the remainder of the 2025-26 academic year.
On Tuesday, March 31, Byxbe appeared on the district's HR report as a potential new volleyball coach.
“I’ve just been waiting to hear if I’m able to get an agenda item for the April 15th board meeting, but that’s all," Church said Tuesday afternoon. "I’ve not heard anything."
The Record Searchlight reached out to Byxbe's office but was told the principal is away from campus this week.
The Record Searchlight spoke to AUHSD superintendent Brian Parker, who refused to comment. West Valley athletic director Kol Zuppan could not be reached before publication of this article.
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at [email protected]. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: AUHSD Board to vote on new football, volleyball head coach hires
Continue reading...
