A familiar face has made a return to Dinuba football. Almost eight years after his head coaching position, Scharton has come back to Dinuba and the team he once called home. “When I had the chance to come back here to Dinuba, I didn’t hesitate, you know? That was a really easy decision for me.” He further explained, “I just kind of lost the love of the things I had done in the past, that closeness, that family atmosphere.”
Scharton has coached for over 30 years, including periods at San Gabriel High School in Los Angeles, College of Sequoias, Exeter High School, Dinuba High School (17 years), Redwood High School, and now plans to conclude his coaching career here at Dinuba as an Offensive Assistant.
During his 17-year tenure at Dinuba, his teams won nine league titles and claimed a pair of Central Section Division III championships (2009, 2013). The key to Scharton’s success? “It was a total team effort; the coaches, the players, the community, it was just about buying in and believing in the same goal.”
Scharton’s last coaching position was at Redwood High, his alma mater, which is located in Visalia. He decided to coach there because he “didn’t want to go through life thinking, what if?” He wanted to test his skills by coaching a Division-I high school team. One of the key differences he touched on between Redwood and Dinuba was the culture. “The culture here in Dinuba is so much more family-friendly; when you look at the community, the students and the coaches, I just felt like at Dinuba there’s just more of a family atmosphere, between the coaches, the players, the teachers.”
This year, Coach Scharton is trying to assist in any way he can, with the winning experience he has. He hopes to help Dinuba return to its glory days. Starting this past summer, he has worked with players and coaches, providing needed ideas or tips. When asked about how he feels about his upcoming 2025-2026 season, he stated that it “looks like this team puts in the work, and there’s a lot of closeness, you know, I feel like it’s really family-oriented and they are together, and you know that usually equals success. We’ve still got to go out there and do it.”
