Calipatria hires former Brawley assistant Ray Vandiver as new head football coach

Vandiver comes to Calipatria with years of experience as he eyes a quick turnaround

CALIPATRIA, Calif. (KYMA) - Calipatria High School has found its next leader on the football field, hiring former Brawley offensive coordinator Ray Vandiver as its new head coach.

Vandiver replaces Rick Stewart, who recently left Calipatria to become Brawley's head coach, creating an opportunity for the longtime Wildcats assistant to take over his own program.

A former Brawley player, Vandiver spent more than a decade as an assistant coach with the Wildcats before making the move to Calipatria. He now hopes to bring the same culture and structure that helped produce success at Brawley to a Hornets program coming off a 4-6 season.

Vandiver said establishing a consistent offseason program has been one of his first priorities.

"The more time we get, the better," Vandiver said. "That's why spring ball was really important for us this year. Calipatria hadn't done spring ball or really a true summer program the previous few years. This is the way I've seen it done before. We've had a lot of success at Brawley doing it this way, and we're just trying to bring that mentality down here."

The Hornets held spring football and have implemented a structured summer program as Vandiver begins installing his system ahead of the 2026 season.

Vandiver also joins his two brothers on Calipatria's coaching staff, saying the group shares the same commitment to building the program while putting its student-athletes first.

With an experienced coaching staff in place and an emphasis on player development, Vandiver hopes to lay the foundation for long-term success in Calipatria.