SAN MARCOS — The San Marcos Unified School District announced Thursday that assistant coaches Thomas Altieri and Edward Nuckols will return to their positions with the Mission Hills High School football program after the district concluded its investigation into an incident involving the team.
The news comes three days after longtime head coach Chris Hauser announced his resignation from his roles as coach and physical education teacher amid a month-long district investigation into an unspecified incident involving the football program.
All three coaches had been placed on paid administrative leave in September.
Multiple sources connected to the program told The Coast News that the episode under investigation involved a hazing incident in the locker room that turned physical.
In a statement to The Coast News, San Marcos Unified School District public information officer Christine M. Lee said:
“Thomas Altieri and Edward Nuckols will be returning to their coaching roles within the Mission Hills High School football program. The district has completed a comprehensive investigation of a recent incident between two students in the MHHS football program. School and district administration have worked closely with these students and their families throughout the course of the investigation and have implemented appropriate action and support in accordance with California Education Code and SMUSD district policy.
“While we are unable to share specific details due to student and personnel privacy laws, the district review determined that, in addition to student misconduct, established supervision and reporting protocols were not followed by certain program staff. Those protocols have been reiterated to all members of the MHHS athletics department, and MHHS administration has taken steps to ensure they are consistently followed across all athletic programs.”
Altieri attended Vista High School, graduating in 2004, before playing collegiate football at Arizona State University as an offensive lineman. Nuckols played for former Mission Hills coach Chris Hauser, graduating in 2008 as a defensive lineman, and then played at the University of Colorado.
As the program’s only head coach, Hauser compiled a career record of 176-74-2 at Mission Hills, highlighted by a 2013 CIF San Diego Section Open League championship.
Nuckols and Altieri are set to return Friday night as the 7-1 Grizzlies (second in the Avocado League) host Rancho Bernardo, before closing out the regular season in a potentially pivotal Avocado League showdown against San Marcos on Oct. 31.
Interim head coach DJ Zapata, a former Mission Hills quarterback, has guided the team to a 3-1 record since taking over.
