Magana-Rivera pulls soccer double duty

Magana-Rivera coaches the same sport at two different high schools. He guides the Bruins’ WIAA Class 1A soccer squad (spring season) and is also the coach of the OSAA Class 5A Hood River Valley High Eagles girls junior varsity soccer team (fall season).

Magana-Rivera, a 2016 HRV graduate, played four seasons on the boys soccer team and helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back OSAA boys soccer state championships in 2014 and 2015.

“I coach the girls in Hood River and obviously since it’s in a different season (fall), I’m able to do both, but I’m pretty new to coaching,” said Magana-Rivera, 26, who started last fall as a first-year coach for the Eagles. “I’m a big soccer guy and I started coaching because I had a career-ending injury while playing professional soccer. I came back to Hood River, and I decided that I wanted to get into coaching.”

In the very large world of high school athletics, that is undoubtedly an eye-opening resume: coaching teams at two high schools in two states.

“When I saw there was an opening at Columbia for the boys soccer position, I applied for the job and I was fortunate that I got it and I’m excited to be coaching these boys,” Magana-Rivera said.

Magana-Rivera took over the Bruins’ coaching position this season after former Coach Daniel Mangum resigned after four seasons. Magana-Rivera has guided the Bruins to a 2-1 nonleague record, including a 3-2 win over the Royal High Knights in their opening home game March 16 in White Salmon. Sophomore forward Isaac Reynoso scored two goals and junior Damian Sanchez scored one goal.

Prior to that contest, the Bruins lost a March 14 game 4-2 at Class 4A Graham-Kapowsin High Eagles. Senior midfielder Angel Cortes and senior Lucas Miller each scored one goal for the Bruins. Miller led the Bruins in scoring last year with 19 goals.

The Bruins play 2 p.m. Saturday at home in a Gorge rivalry matchup versus the Stevenson High Bulldogs (0-1).