Kristie Hala'ufia
Many current Aragon coaches were student-athletes while they attended Aragon. Their time in Aragon’s athletic programs influenced their decision to come back and coach.
Kristie Hala’ufia
Currently the assistant coach for the junior varsity girls basketball team, Kristie Hala’ufia was a tri-sport athlete at Aragon. She was a part of girls volleyball, coached by Annette Gennaro, track and field, and girls basketball, in which she led the team to the Northern California semifinals while averaging 16 points per game in 2006.
“I had really good teammates and we pushed each other to get better on the court,” Hala’ufia said. “All of us [believing in] this culture of winning and getting better individually and also as a team [was] … memorable.”
Playing with her sister Meliame Hala’ufia made the experience even more special.
“It rarely ever happens that siblings get to play on the same team, so to be able to play with her when she was a senior and I was a freshman was pretty awesome,” Hala’ufia said.
Her time on Aragon sports teams was a major part of her decision to pursue teaching and coaching.
“I think that having good coaches around me and a great support system made me want to come back and do the same for other student athletes,” Hala’ufia said
An important part of her coaching, and something she aims to implement from her own coaches’ philosophies, is to build a positive culture that reinforces encouragement and selflessness towards teammates.
“When I was an athlete, my coaches always pushed me to be a better teammate than a better player and I think it’s huge,” Hala’ufia said. “When your team understands that they’re comfortable in making mistakes on the court and pushing each other on the court, they’re more willing to work for you.”
From Hala’ufia’s perspective, coaches’ commitments to their players is one way that Aragon’s sports culture has not changed since her time here.
“There are so many great coaches on this campus that want you to be great not only on the court, but in the classroom,” Hala’ufia said. “They always strive for student athletes and students come first.”
Considering Hala’ufia’s time as an athlete at Aragon and her return as a coach, she has fit right back into the competitiveness of Aragon sports.
“I think that’s really special, especially when I talked to friends that I have who went to high schools in the area like San Mateo and Hillsdale,” Hala’ufia said. “It’s fun to always have that banter back and forth or that rivalry talk, … especially if we beat them.”
The girls varsity basketball team won the Central Coast Section championship in 2019, what Hala’ufia describes as the favorite moment of her coaching career.
“It reminded me of the first time [Aragon] ever went to the CCS championship, [which was] when I was in high school in 2002,” Hala’ufia said.
While being an athlete has given her an easier pathway into coaching, it has also allowed her to build a stronger relationship with her players by connecting with them through the lens of a student-athlete.
“[The students’] understanding that I had the experience of being an athlete is what [helps them] buy into what [I’m] saying because they know [I’ve] been through it,” Hala’ufia said. “All the hard work, all the blood, sweat, tears – they know [I’ve experienced] it before.”
Hala’ufia had a successful time as an athlete at Aragon and she will continue on that same path with her coaching.
Mike Loy
Girls golf coach Mike Loy is a proud 1965 graduate of Aragon. While at Aragon, Loy participated in cross country and swimming.
“Being the first graduating class of Aragon really gives you a sense of pride … in [the] school,” Loy said. “I wanted to bring [that pride] back to Aragon.”
As students at a brand new school in 1961, Loy’s class was behind setting the culture of Aragon’s athletic programs and academic excellence. Loy was part of a championship swimming team at Aragon, which shaped his competitive nature.
After graduating in 1965, Loy continued his swimming career at CSM before transferring to a four year where he stopped swimming and continued his studies.
Loy came back to Aragon to coach as an assistant on the boys golf staff. When the spot to coach girls golf opened up, Loy seized the opportunity. At Aragon, Loy was also president of the Parent Teacher Association, founded the International Food Fair and ran for a SMUHSD board position.
Being part of one of the first Aragon graduating Aragon classes instilled many values in Loy, including a sense of pride in his school. When asked what Aragon staff member had the greatest impact on him Loy quickly replied “Mr. Daskarolis.”
Bill Daskorolis was one of the first Aragon staff members to be tenured. He was known for his strict no nonsense style of teaching, but also his kind and compassionate attitude toward his students and players that hid behind his stern demeanor.
The lesson from coach Daskarolis that stood out to coach Loy was, “Work hard and have fun.”
Coach Loy applies this lesson to his way of coaching, as he utilizes team-building activities that revolve around friendly competition in his practices.
“Watching the girls improve [is] what I love the best,” Loy said. “And of course watching them have fun.”
Loy relishes in the excitement of his golfers, as when they sink a putt and are filled with excitement he is too. This selfless and player-first coaching style is what has allowed teams under Loy to thrive. He instills his strong core beliefs into his players. Pushing them to believe in each other and play for each other instead of themselves.
Over his years of coaching, Loy has enjoyed watching his players grow and he continues to give back to Aragon as an alumnus.
Steve Sell
Athletic director and head football coach Steve Sell is heavily inspired by former Aragon coaches.
“Guys like Bill Daskarolis, Britt Williams, Lou Murgo, George Wilcox and Gene Gordon … are in our Hall of Fame as coaches,” Sell said. “I grew up with them and … [it means a lot] to help carry on the tradition of those coaches, who I truly love and respect.”
When Sell’s older brother, Jim Sell, was a student-athlete at Aragon, Sell rarely missed an Aragon sporting event, from football games to athletic awards nights. He admired the athletes at Aragon and looked forward to becoming a Don himself.
At Aragon, Sell was a tri-sport athlete who played football, basketball and baseball. He was named the 1984 athlete of the year. His most memorable play was in football.
“It was fourth and ten,” Sell said. “I wanted to pass but it wasn’t open, so as quarterback, I took off and ran. One of my best friends from middle school was a kid named Kenny Jackson. He was an inside linebacker [for San Mateo]. I met him at midfield, juked him and ran in and scored a touchdown. I ran in from like 33 yards out.”
Out of college, Sell worked as a salesman for a textile company but still had the itch for competition. A date at a high school football game with his then-girlfriend, a sports writer for a local paper, opened his eyes to the idea of coaching high school football.
He immediately went to his old coach, Britt Williams, and asked if he could help the team out with an assistant coaching job. Sell became an offensive assistant on Williams’ staff in 1989, and quickly got his credential after becoming an assistant. He began teaching shortly after becoming a coach, though he still heavily relied on Williams for advice and mentorship.
“I leaned a lot [from] him [because] I played for him, then I was an assistant,” Sell said. “And then he assisted me. So much of what I believe in terms of philosophy and how I treat kids stems from his influence.”
Sell has grown tremendously as a coach during his more than thirty years of coaching, but he is most proud of his improvement in mindset.
“I still celebrate the wins, and I still lose sleep over the losses,” Sell said. “[But] I really [appreciate] the kids more and have become a lot more student-centered and athlete-centered than result-centered.”
The same draw that brought Sell to coaching in the first place pulls him back year in and year out: continuing building relationships and having a positive impact on the lives of his students and his players for years to come.
Annette Gennaro
Although most students at Aragon know Annette Gennaro as a physical education teacher and the girls varsity volleyball head coach, they may not know about her extensive background at Aragon as a student-athlete.
Gennaro was a part of the varsity basketball team from 1983 to 1986, but the influence her coaches and teachers had on her extended far beyond the court.
“When I came here … my basketball coach and the PE instructors really guided me as an athlete,” Gennaro said. “I’d play after school and they would instruct me and guide me on [how I] … should be playing.”
Because of these coaches and her earlier experience as a sixth grade swimming instructor, Gennaro knew from her high school days what career she wanted to pursue.
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Gennaro said. “I was already teaching and I was good at it. I love being athletic and being outside and not sitting behind a desk.”
Gennaro’s time in college reinforced her belief of becoming a teacher and helping young children.
“I did not have a good college experience,” Gennaro said. “So having a really good high school experience taught me what kind of coach I wanted to be. When that didn’t happen in college, I knew that’s not how I wanted to coach when I got here.”
She emphasizes working hard over the desire to win.
“[The result] should not impact who you are as a person [or] your confidence in yourself,” Gennaro said. “Do your best, always try your best … not just in athletics … that should translate over into your academics and who you are as a person.”
She believes that the result of a game is only temporary.
“You remember who you played with,” Gennaro said. “You know who your best friend was. The people who you played with and the bonds you created at Aragon are way more important than the wins and losses.”
Because of her extensive history at Aragon, it is clear how much Gennaro loves the school and its community.
“I bleed red and black,” Gennaro said. “I think any student that goes here is incredibly fortunate.”
From her time as a student-athlete here to becoming a teacher and coach for over 20 years, Gennaro has a close connection with Aragon athletics.
