Mission Prep announces hiring of new head football coach

Mission Prep has found a new head football coach.

David Schuster, who has been an assistant coach at Simi Valley powerhouse Grace Brethren High School for the past seven years, has been named the successor to Chad Henry, Mission Prep announced Wednesday in a news release. Henry stepped down in December after seven years at the helm.

Schuster played football at Simi Valley High School and Moorpark College before enlisting in the Marine Corps in 2007. He was deployed to Afghanistan and served until 2013, achieving the rank of sergeant, according to the news release.

“David was the overwhelming choice coming out of our search process,” Mission Prep principal Mike Susank said in a statement. “He impressed every one of our interview panels with his clear commitment to running a football program that aligns with our institutional values of faith, sportsmanship, teamwork and general excellence. We simply could not be more pleased to have a man of his character forming young men of scholarship, inspiration and leadership. The future of Mission College Prep football has never been brighter.”

At Grace Brethren, Schuster was a part of head coach Josh Henderson’s staff that has led the Lancers to three straight league titles and a 35-3 record since 2014, including the first Tri-Valley title in school history and a total of four league titles since 2010. The team also finished as CIF runner-up in 2014 and 2015.

This past season, Grace Brethren finished atop the Tri-Valley standings with a 9-1 overall record but was banned from the playoffs after a CIF-Southern Section ruling found a “lack of administrative oversight” when it was discovered Grace Brethren used an ineligible player in 2015. The league forced the Lancers to forfeit the East Valley Division championship game from that season.

Schuster will have his hands full upon his arrival at Mission Prep. The Royals are coming off a 4-6 season marred by low participation numbers, resulting in a canceled game in late September against Sierra Canyon. The Royals are also expected to move from 11-man to eight-man football this fall. Henry resigned after the season to take an offensive coordinator position at Watchung Hills Regional High School in New Jersey but said at the time that it was not a result of the switch to eight-man football.

“Teaching young men to train and work hard together in pursuit of a common goal creates a unique bond and brotherhood that is special to be around,” Schuster said in the release. “I have a very competitive side, and winning is very important to me, but that comes with hard work, having faith and treating others with respect. We will have an expectation of daily success in the little details and in doing our jobs. Lord willing, we’ll have favorable outcomes as a result of our work.”

According to the release, Grace Brethren has had 17 players move on to play college football since 2010. Since 2013, Grace Brethren has averaged 3,113 rushing yards per season. The 2015 Grace Brethren defense tied the Ventura County record for nine shutouts in the season.

Schuster, who will be relocating to the area with his wife, Olivia, and their newborn daughter, Caroline Rose, is slated to join the school May 8.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Mission Prep announces hiring of new head football coach."