High School

Riverbank's Joe Pirillo is SBLive California Football Coach of the Week (9/6/2023)

Pirillo ran away with the vote after his Bruins snapped a long losing streak

Lance Smith, SBLive Sports

Riverbank's Joe Pirillo is SBLive California Football Coach of the Week (9/6/2023)
Riverbank's Joe Pirillo is SBLive California Football Coach of the Week (9/6/2023) /

Riverbank football made history on Thursday, Aug. 24 – emphatically.

Entering their contest against Valley (Sacramento), the Bruins were on one of the state's longest losing streaks, a 42-game slide dating back to August of 2018. That night, they rewrote program history with room to spare, defeating Valley 28-6.

The victory was their first under Pirillo, now in his third season at Riverbank after inheriting a 22-game slide. For the Bruins' breakthrough, Pirillo was voted as SBLive's Football Coach of the Week, receiving 54.35-percent of the vote. Running backs Jeremiah Cooper, who also plays offensive line, and Gabriel Nisperos combined for three touchdowns and 182 rushing yards.

To nominate a coach in future weeks, please email Lance@scorebooklive.com or tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @SBLiveCA.

Published
Lance Smith, SBLive Sports
LANCE SMITH, SBLIVE SPORTS

Lance Smith is a veteran high school sports reporter who worked previously with SBLive Sports covering basketball, football, and softball in California's Southern Section and LA City Section and has returned as contributor to High School On SI in 2025. He also covers Nevada and National Girls Basketball. A graduate of The USC Marshall School of Business, Smith dabbles in linear algebra and football and basketball computer rankings.

Home/California