Caleb Ikwaugwu has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Always in on the action as a defensive midfielder during his playing days, Ikwaugwu is in the thick of it once again as the new head coach of the King boys soccer team.
“I tell my players, ‘You have to be a learner,’ and we have to be a team that learns from every single game,” Ikwaugwu said. “I want our players, from our seniors to our freshmen, knowing the system that we run.”
Ikwaugwu has reorganized and re-energized King (5-3-0 overall, 1-0-0 Big VIII), which opened league play with a 3-2 victory over Roosevelt on Thursday, Dec. 19.
“I have an opportunity to help these young men by leading by example and that’s my driving force,” Ikwaugwu said. “I want players to be transformed as they go through the program.”
The retirement of Todd Mapes, the only coach in King’s previous 24-year history, would have been bigger news if not for Ikwaugwu’s ability to quickly and quietly step in after one year as the Wolves’ junior varsity coach.
“Caleb is going to do a great job,” Mapes said. “He smart and he’s ready for it.”
A native of Nigeria, Ikwaugwu arrived in the United States in 2011 and played two seasons at Shasta Community College in Redding. He continued his collegiate career at Simpson University before joining the Redhawks coaching staff and earning a Master’s degree in education in 2019.
Prior to moving to Riverside, Ikwaugwu was the coach at Enterprise High in Redding, guiding the Hornets to the CIF NorCal section playoffs in 2022.
“There wasn’t really enough time for me to land a high school job, and then something opened at King and I just applied and I got the call,” he said.
Ikwaugwu initially took a job as a mathematics instructor at King, and hoped there was room to help the soccer program.
“There’s a bigger soccer community here and so that’s what drew me to instantly get involved,” Ikwaugwu said.
Integrating quickly with the three-time Big VIII League champions, Ikwaugwu helped fill the vacant role as a junior varsity coach.
“Right when I got in I connected with Coach Mapes to see if they needed any help with the program, and I was able to co-coach with his son, Mason, on the JV last year,” Ikwaugwu said.
The Wolves varsity side won the Big VIII League title last season – “It was important to go out on top,” Mapes said – and so naturally, expectations are high this season.
“Consistency matters and I think that consistency comes from having a system that’s helping the players,” Ikwaugwu said. “It might take some time but I feel like the end result justifies the means.”
HILLCREST HITS LATE IN IVY OPENER
For Ivy League first-timers Hillcrest, getting a late goal to earn a draw against the reigning champs felt a lot like a victory.
Katelyn LittleJohn took advantage of a tactical shift from right back to midfield and scored from long range as the Hillcrest girls came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw on Tuesday, Dec. 17 against Riverside Poly in the league opener for both teams.
“They’re the champs so we knew we had to put pressure on them,” Hillcrest second-year coach Francisco Diaz said. “Especially, since it’s our first game in the Ivy League.”
LittleJohn’s left-footed blast in the 76th minute salvaged a point for Hillcrest (4-3-3 overall, 1-0-1 Ivy), which was promoted to the Ivy League – the top of the Raincross Conference – after winning the River Valley League last season.
SHARKS WIN 10TH OVER HUSKIES
Santiago’s girls dominate most every long-standing rivalry, and it’s no different against Centennial.
Lexi Coughlin and Bethany Boles had two goals each, and Kinsley Whitecavage added another as the Sharks (8-1-1 overall, 1-0 Big VIII) shut out the Huskies 5-0 on Thursday, Dec. 19 in the league opener for both teams.
It’s Santiago’s 10th consecutive win – and sixth consecutive shutout – over Centennial since 2022. The Sharks have outscored their crosstown rivals 34-3 since 2000.
