Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Brian Tucci

  Brian Tucci was named Head Football Coach at Sammamish High School in January 2009. Brian enters his 2nd year with the Sammamish Totems and brings 10 years playing and 7 years coaching experience to the team (3 playoffs and 1 state championship appearances). Brian joined the Sammamish Totem staff in 2008 as Defensive Coordinator as well as Offensive and Defensive Line Coach.  

Brian's coaching experinence at area schools:
2001-2003 Juanita H.S. as the Offensive Line Coach
2004-2006 Woodinville H.S as Offensive and Defensive Line Coach. Coaching at the same high school where his older brother, Coach Derek Tucci PhD, was Assistant Principal. All three years that Brian coached at Woodinville they qualified for state and in 2005 they took 2nd Place in State.

“I am truly blessed to be given the opportunity to begin a new and long lasting head coaching career at Sammamish High School. Becoming a Head Football Coach has been a long goal of mine ever since my sophomore year at Auburn H.S. My family and I are excited to be a part of the Totem family and I look forward to this new era in Sammamish Football.”   Brian lives in Sammamish with his wife of eight years Holly with son Tanner (5 years old). Brian met his wife in the varsity weight room at Washington State University in 1999.

 

RB, LB: Bob Moretti

Bob Moretti is in his third year at Sammamish High School, coaching the running backs and linebackers. He is a graduate of Highland Park High School, Highland Park, IL and Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI., and was a member of the football teams.  Bob has coached football in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Washington State. He has also coached football at both the secondary and collegiate level. He has been married for 30 years to his wife Veda and they have three adult children.

 

bobmoretti@aol.com

Eric Harrington

Eric Harrington is a Sammamish High School Alumni.  He played football and was a 3 year varsity starter for the Totems, including the 1999 state finals team his sophomore year. This is Eric’s 3rd year as a coach with the Sammamish Totems, and first year as the Offensive Coordinator.  

Eric has 12 years playing experience starting at 8 years old in the Bellevue Bears football program. He played at SHS for 4 years, and then took a 2 year hiatus from playing football once he graduated to focus on work and school. This is when he first decided he wanted to be a football coach and got his chance coaching for the Bellevue Bears.  Once the itch to play returned, he attended Diablo Valley “Junior” College in California and played for 2 years before transferring to the University of South Dakota.  

“I am excited to return to Sammamish where many of my greatest memories from football remain. Knowing that I can be a part of creating the same memories for this group of young men is a great joy in my life. Having the players think back with pride about what they achieved with their teammates and friends, is my goal as a coach. I ready for a great season this year, and excited in the new direction this program is heading. ”

 

 

Rylen Akana - Special Teams and C-Team Coach

Rylen has been involved with the Sammamish Football program, as a volunteer coach, since 2003.  He has had two sons, Casey and Cameron, who were All-Kingco players for the Totems.  Rylen has decided to dedicate his time to the Sammamish Football program as a full-time coach this year and will be coaching the Freshmen team and special teams on the varsity level.  

Rylen has nine years of high school football coaching experience, stemming from his college years in Utah, to Hawaii, to Washington.  

Rylen is a native Hawaiian from Molokai, Hawaii.  In 1984 he attended Brigham Young University and played linebacker for the Cougars.  The Cougars went to the Holiday Bowl that year and defeated the Michigan Wolverines 24-17 to capture the NCAA Division I National Football Championship. Rylen volunteered to be an assistant to BYU defensive coordinator Dick Felt.  There he learned the intricacies of the game from scouting, to breaking down game film, coaching techniques and preparing scouting reports.  

Rylen married his college sweetheart, Paree Barnard from Mountlake Terrace, Washington.   They have five children  (Casey, Cameron, Morgan-15, a sophomore at Sammamish, Mary-11 and Coby-8 .) They have lived in Bellevue for 16 years.  Rylen works as a real estate professional for GreenWorks Realty and focuses on green living, greenbuilt homes and sustainable living.

 

Kevin Foreman

Kevin Foreman returns for his 2nd year as the DB/WR coach with the Totems.  Last year was his first opportunity to be involved in high school football in a coaching capacity; Kevin brings 11 years of playing experience to his role as a coach.  

As a senior, Kevin lead North Medford High School (Medford, OR) to the State Championship game in 2000, finishing 2nd, and was selected as an all-state quarterback and the MVP of the Les Schwab Oregon Bowl All-Star game.  Kevin spent his collegiate career at Linfield College (McMinnville, OR), beginning as a quarterback.  After a shoulder injury ended his throwing career, he moved to the defensive side of the ball to play Rover (defensive back).  He played from 2001–2005, winning a Division III National Championship in 2004 and reaching the national semi-final game in 2005.  He finished his college career with a 44-3 record and as a senior; Kevin was selected as a 1st team All-NWC defensive back.  He graduated in 2005 with a B.S. in Business Management.  

When Kevin isn’t on the field he spends his time working at The Boeing Company and earning a graduate degree in finance from Seattle University

 

 

Derek Tucci

Derek Tucci enters his first year as an offensive assistant coach with the Totems.  He brings six years of coaching experience at the college and high school level to his role.   In the 1993 and 1994 seasons, Derek worked as an undergraduate assistant coach at Pacific Lutheran University under Frosty Westering.  Both years PLU competed for the NAIA Division II National Championship, winning the title in 1993 and placing 2nd in 1994.  In the 1995 and 1996 seasons, he worked as a graduate assistant at Washington State University working with video and scouting under Mike Price.  In the 1995 season, Derek coached receivers at Issaquah High School making it to the state quarterfinals.  Derek returned to coaching at Issaquah High School in 2000 as the Head Freshman/Varsity Assistant coach.  

Derek has also spent time in athletic administration at various levels.  He served as Issaquah High School’s Athletic Director in 1996.  In 1997 and 1998, Derek worked as an intern in Washington State University’s athletic department and taught recreation administration classes while he worked to complete his doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration.  In 1999, Derek became the Director of Donor Relations for Portland State University’s athletic department before moving back to Seattle to be closer to family.  

Derek currently lives in Kirkland with his wife Christy and daughter Madison.  He is in his fourth year as an Assistant Principal at Canyon Park Junior High in Bothel.