GRANADA HILLS — The new coaches for the Reseda and Canoga Park football teams joined the league’s other teams — Kennedy, Sylmar, Panorama, San Fernando and Van Nuys — in the spotlight for the Valley Mission League’s media day on Saturday.
Former Taft assistant Reginald Tyson has taken over at Reseda while Canoga Park’s new coach is former Fulton coach Randy Luna.
Here’s a look at the new coaches from Reseda and Canoga Park, along with a look at some of the new and familiar faces across the Valley Mission League:
Fresh start for Reseda
Tyson takes over a Reseda program that has fallen into challenging times since longtime coach Alonso Arreola retired after 2021. The Regents went 9-3 in Arreola’s last season and won the CIF LA City Section Division I title two seasons prior.
After Arreola retired, the Regents fell off. Reseda has lost 47 of its last 49 games since 2022, including 0-10 last season. Its last win came against Maywood CES on Sept. 6, 2025.
Tyson will try to resurrect the Regents to their former glory.
Tyson has been a youth football coach and worked with teams like the West Valley Eagles and Valley G-Men over two decades after playing high school football at Ontario High. Tyson served in the Army during Operation: Desert Storm.
“Any team I coach, I go all in with both feet,” Tyson said. “I thought this was the right opportunity for me given the program’s situation and my expertise and my level of effort.”
Enhanced discipline at Canoga Park
Luna joins Canoga Park looking to establish a form of discipline similar to what it had in 2019 under coach Kevin Carlsen, who now serves as the offensive coordinator at Harvard-Westlake.
Carlsen led Canoga Park to the LA City Section Division I title in 2019.
Luna hopes to help the program attain a similar form of grit displayed by the Hunters in 2019.
Canoga Park started last season with three wins in four games before things unraveled and the team lost to Jefferson 57-7 in the first round of the playoffs.
Canoga Park won’t play a home game this season due to its field being under construction.
“I’ve been blessed to be not only here at this school but in the community,” Luna said. “I want to continue to build success within these students who are representing their community. I can teach them the tactics they need to be successful leaders on and off the field so that it translates to their life.”
Timmy Tanner ready to follow up 2025 magic
Timmy Tanner’s first sport isn’t football. He didn’t start playing football until last year, when he transferred to Sylmar from Birmingham.
Against all odds, he learned the most pressure-filled position in football — quarterback. Tanner learned how to evade tacklers and throw the football with pinpoint accuracy.
Sylmar’s offense was explosive under Tanner, as his skills learned as an elite point guard in basketball translated to the football field seamlessly.
In 2025, Tanner threw for 2,243 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions while Sylmar went 6-5 overall and 3-3 in the Valley Mission League.
The outlook for Sylmar this season is optimistic, as the Tanner returns, ready to escape the pocket and throw accurate passes, a few pounds stronger from his work in the weight room.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work during the offseason,” Tanner said. “Whatever it takes. It’s just about the work ethic and how much work you put in. No days off except for recovery on the weekend.”
Palomino confident as he takes reins at quarterback
Van Nuys coach Ken Osorio didn’t hide the optimism shared by his staff about the potential of sophomore starting quarterback Isaiah Palomino.
Palomino’s lifting in the weight room and hours of film study have been part of his commitment to being ready for the challenges he will be facing in his first varsity season.
Palomino learned the team’s offense quickly working with offensive coordinator George Garcia, and he is primed to build on last season when Van Nuys finished 10-2 overall.
“He understands and respects the game,” Osorio said. “He’s learning and does what needs to be done. Coach Garcia worked with him closely all offseason. He’s been getting a lot of information, taking it in and executing. When you see that in a young athlete, you know it means something, and it means he’s going to execute at a high level.”
Savadjian sets tone for Panorama
Panorama doesn’t make any qualms about its offense. The Cobras know their strength is this: run the ball, set the style of the game and turn Friday nights into a scrap.
Senior Matthew Savadjian is the player who leads the way at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. As the center, his blocking powers the offense and on defense he brings ball carriers to the ground at nose tackle.
At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, the way Savadjian plays helps set the competitive tone for the rest of his teammates.
“We just got to come in, work hard, practice every day and have a good bond,” Savadjian said.
San Fernando looking to build off title run
A slow start last season turned into a historic finish for San Fernando under coach Charles Burnley. The Tigers won the Division II championship, their ninth L.A. City Section title.
Now the Tigers want to be in the conversation as one of the Top 25 programs in the LA Daily News area.
That goal starts with establishing a run game that will be headed by senior offensive lineman Paul Villegas, a 6-foot-5 team captain who was named as one of the LA Daily News’ Top 10 blockers to watch this season.
“It starts with being brothers at the end of the day,” Villegas said.
San Fernando senior Brandan Marshall is hoping to get on the radar of Division I college programs as a way two-way player at running back and linebacker. Marshall rushed for 289 yards, three touchdowns and made 34 tackles, including three TFL, last season while battling injuries.
“Last year I wasn’t able to show my true potential,” Marshall said. “This season I want to prove I can go out there and prove what’s possible fully healthy.”
Player-led practices at Kennedy
The standard set by Kennedy coach Troy Cassidy has been cemented. He delegates to the team’s seniors and watches the practice plans come into motion.
The leadership driven by players like offensive and defensive lineman Carlos Perez, who made 15 tackles. including five TFLs and three sacks in 2025.
“Our offensive line can call our pass (protection),” Perez said. “I’m really confident in my team and my coaches and play calling.”
Kennedy will be boosted by the return of 6-foot-2 senior tight end Joshua Gonzalez, who missed last year due to injury. He will give the Cougars another target and an experienced blocker to help an offense that averaged 380.5 yards of offense per game in 2025.
“You only get so many years to play football in your whole life and nothing is guaranteed,” Gonzalez said.