Coming off back-to-back-to-back appearances in the Indoor Football League Western Conference championship game, the San Diego Strike Force have extended 2026 IFL Coach of the Year Taylor Genuser and defensive coordinator Adam Shackleford through 2028.
The Strike Force opened September by re-signing several players for the 2027 season, including defensive backs William Barber, Herman Smith, Devin Hafford and Malik Jones, running back Tyrell Greene and longtime kicker Ernesto Lacayo.
Notably absent is veteran quarterback Nate Davis, whom Lacayo recently called “the Dan Marino of indoor football.” Davis, a second-team All-IFL selection after throwing 64 touchdowns this season, announced Aug. 30 on social media that he was becoming a free agent after an “incredible journey” with the Strike Force.
“Football has given me so much more than just a game — it has given me relationships, brotherhood, and memories that I’ll carry with me wherever this journey takes me,” Davis wrote. “I’m walking away from this chapter with nothing but gratitude and respect. I’m proud of what we accomplished together, and I’ll always appreciate the time I spent wearing the Strike Force jersey.”
Davis joined the Strike Force in 2023 and helped turn the team from a 1-13 league doormat into a perennial playoff team.
“I’m playing no matter what,” Davis, who will be 40 next season, told The Coast News upon entering free agency. “They wanted to go younger.”
The Strike Force acquired quarterback James Cahoon in a trade after he led the Jacksonville Sharks with more than 1,800 passing yards and 32 touchdowns while completing 64% of his passes through 11 games.
“He’s a mobile quarterback, which is what our team wants,” Lacayo told The Coast News.
Encinitas native Phil Evans wins Mexican League title
Former Major Leaguer (Mets, Pirates) and Encinitas native Phil Evans is a Liga Mexicana de Béisbol champion after the Toros de Tijuana won the 2026 Serie del Rey.
Tijuana beat the Olmecas de Tabasco 2-0 in Game 6 on Sept. 15 to win the championship series in six games. It was the third title in franchise history.
Evans, 33, hit .314 with five home runs and 34 RBIs in 67 regular-season games as the Toros went 60-31. He also scored Tijuana’s first run in a 2-0 Game 3 victory over Tabasco in the Serie del Rey.
The championship season reunited Evans with former Mets teammates Justin Turner and Wilmer Flores.
“I tell them every day, ‘You guys ever think 10 years ago we’d be in TJ together?’” Evans said of Turner, 41, and Flores, 35. “It’s like a running joke, but we’ve been having a lot of fun with it. And, I mean, we’re still playing ball, so we can’t complain. It’s a funny full-circle moment.”
The reunion also gave Evans a reason to keep playing.
“I didn’t really think I was going to play too much longer,” Evans said. “But playing with Flores and Turner kind of gives me a little burst of energy to keep playing.”
Evans said the talent assembled in Tijuana became apparent once the team gathered for spring training.
“We had all those signings and got to spring training and got to see everyone in person again. It kind of gave that minor-league, big-league camp feel, like, ‘Oh [expletive], we have a really good major league-experienced team. I think we’re going to do well,’” Evans said. “I think everyone realized the amount of big-name talent in the Mexican League, and with the lockout coming in MLB, the mentality was, ‘It is what it is. We’re here, and we might as well win.’”
Vista boys basketball coach Anthony Bolton steps down
Anthony Bolton has stepped down after 10 seasons as Vista High School’s boys basketball coach, ending a tenure in which he guided the Panthers to a 140-145 overall record.
Bolton took over the program for the 2016-17 season and led Vista to a 28-5 record. The Panthers followed with records of 23-9 and 21-10 before an eventual slide to 10-18 in 2024-25 and 5-22 last season.
The Vista graduate’s connection to the school dates to his playing days. Bolton was the Palomar League co-Player of the Year in 1999 and averaged 19.7 points and 8.0 rebounds as a sophomore.
Bolton, a 6-foot-7 forward, played at Palomar College before continuing to Cal State Fullerton. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds as a junior and 12.2 points and 4.9 rebounds as a senior for the Titans.
Before returning to Vista as its head coach, Bolton was an assistant at Mission Hills. He was inducted into the Palomar College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
