Cibola football promotes assistant Caleb Gillispie to head coach position

After three years on the Raiders' staff, Gillispie is ready to take the program in a new, and hopefully winning direction

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - On Wednesday, the Yuma Union High School District board officially approved the hiring of Caleb Gillispie as the new Cibola head football coach.

Originally joining the program as coaching the freshman team back in 2021, Gillispie is also a former quarterback, playing two years of varsity with the Peoria Panthers.

Also a former member of the Marine Corps, Gillispie is with the school as an agriculture teacher as well.

That connection is something which makes him want to see his student-athletes succeed in both the classroom and the field.

"There's a lot of things I want to implement and help these guys do, but I really want to empower them," Gillispie said.

Being familiar with his players also led to a warm welcome as the new man in charge.

"Seeing these guys' reactions when I told them I was head coach and them really being genuinely excited, that's why I'm here and that's why I do it," Gillispie said.

Cibola is coming off a rough stretch, with two straight losing seasons that saw three total wins.

To turn things around, Gillispie says simplifying things for his players will be key.

"I think one of the biggest things is just getting back to the basics and making sure these kids have fun," Gillispie said.

While a common goal for coaches, it's also something he acknowledged the difficulty of.

"For a lot of our kids, some of them haven't played football, some of them have a lot of responsibilities they're balancing whether it's at home or with their families, working multiple jobs," Gillispie said.

Despite that challenge, Gillispie is encouraged with what he's seen so far in his spring sessions.

"We've had a really good spring practice the last two weeks getting a lot of attendance out here, and getting back to what they love," Gillispie said.