By admin 
Antuan Simmons coaches because football is in him, and because of what the sport gave him.
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Three decades ago, Simmons was a two-time Sacramento Bee All-Metro selection as a defensive back for Valley High School of the Elk Grove Unified School District. He was a national recruit who earned a scholarship to USC, where he starred on defense.
Simmons is now the first-year head coach of the upstart and Bee-ranked No. 11 Destiny Christian Academy Lions of Sacramento, a man in his element who has taught players that this sport is similar to life. Make a big play? Act like you’ve been there. Make mistakes? Own up to them.
DCA beat Yuba City 10-9 to move to 3-0, overcoming correctable mistakes as a young team that is improving by the week.
The Lions collectively exhaled when a 35-yard field goal attempt by Yuba City with 12 seconds remaining missed wide left.
Vinny Scott hit Ahmir Laster for a 40-yard touchdown to cap DCA’s opening drive. DCA recovered an onside kick on the opening kick, a show of confidence by Simmons and staff. Silas Moore booted a 25-yard field goal for DCA for the final points with 3:45 left. He is a soccer player who has added football to his life.
Coach Simmons dealing with death of parents
More lessons: Get knocked down? Get back up. This includes the coach.
Simmons has been rocked by deep family loss. He lost his father, longtime area prep coach Winston Young, to cancer in April at 70. He lost his mother, Fay Simmons, to cancer in July at 68. And he lost his mother-in-law, Flossie Cron, last month.
Before kickoff, there was a public address acknowledgement for Winston Young and mention for those who died in the Sept. 11 attacks 25 years ago. After the game, both teams came together at midfield for a group prayer.
Simmons has dedicated this season to his parents.
“A lot of loss, man, and it’s been hard,” Simmons said of the anguish of losing loved ones. “It’s tough, but I feel that I have a responsibility to these young men, our players. They put in a lot of work, and I know my parents would want me to keep moving. I know my pops would want me to keep pushing. This is the first year I don’t have him with me in football.”
Simmons has a stellar coaching staff that includes former regional head coaches Larry Morla (Christian Brothers) and Andrew Bettencourt (Cosumnes Oaks). The coaches oversee the junior varsity and varsity programs in practice and in games.
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The athletic director also knows this sport. Aaron Garcia was a Grant Pacers star quarterback in the late 1980s, who, like Simmons, still ranks as an all-time area prep great. Garcia was the previous DCA head coach. He stepped aside to focus on the challenge of keeping DCA relevant in all things athletic, and he speaks like a proud ambassador of his school.
DCA has successful sports programs across the board, including the defending CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys basketball team and the powerhouse softball team that finished state-ranked No. 1 after storming to a 31-0 record and the CIF Northern California Division I championship.
And there’s the terrific band that adds to the atmosphere at events, including football, under director “Papa” Jim Reber.
“We’ve got a lot of good things happening here, including football and what Antuan is doing,” Garcia said. “There was that seed of doubt when Capital Christian closed and Destiny Christian took over (in the summer of 2023). Is this stable? Pastor Greg Farrington and Pastor Scott Hagan have done so much to make sure that narrative is yes, we’re stable. And we’re poised to grow into the future.”
More life lessons: Simmons spent six weeks in a hospital before his senior season at USC in 2021. There were tumors dotted across his chest and near his kidneys. He required three surgeries, and he lost 40 pounds. But he recovered to start 12 games for USC and made an interception with his legs securing the ball against rival UCLA, and he raced in for a 34-yard touchdown.
Simmons has a son on the varsity team, an athletic and instinctive freshman receiver/defensive back named Elias Simmons, so the next generation Simmons is in play.
“When Elias made a big play in an earlier game, I looked over and could see his dad smiling,” said Bettencourt, the Lions offensive coordinator. “For what Antuan has gone through with the loss of his parents, he needs this. He needs to coach, and we’re all here for him.”
Said the head coach, “There’s a lot of gratification to seeing young men grow. That’s the biggest thing, just seeing how they come in and then leave here as young men. They make mistakes in games, but the growth is there. We’ve got a lot of young talent. It’s exciting to see.”
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