Papin to helm M-A football

Steve Papin was named the new football head coach at Menlo-Atherton, it was announced Monday by M-A co-athletic director Paul Snow. Papin will take over for Adhir Ravipati, who stepped down after leading the Bears to CCS Open Division 1 and CIF Division 3-AA State Bowl championships.

Papin is leaving behind a successful program at Independence High in San Jose — which served as a neutral site for M-A’s win over Wilcox in the CCS championship game — where he served as head coach for five years, including back-to-back CCS playoff appearances in 2017 and ’18, the 76ers’ first postseason appearances since ’10.

Papin previously coached at Gunderson, his first head coaching position, after serving as offensive coordinator for the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League in 2011.

He also worked as a defensive coordinator in the Arena League with each the San Diego Riptide and the Tri-City Fever.

As a player, he spent five years with the SaberCats as an offensive specialist, and played two more seasons between the New York Dragons and San Diego. He totaled 15,413 all-purpose yards in his career.

A San Jose native, Papin, now 47, graduated from Piedmont Hills High School. He went on to play at Portland State University, where he finished third in the voting for NCAA Division II Harlon Hill Trophy as a senior.