Champagnat coach steps down after 2 state championships, 4 straight trips to title game
After winning a pair of Class 2A championships and reaching the state title game in all four of his seasons as coach in Hialeah, Hector Clavijo stepped down at Champagnat Catholic on Monday.
Clavijo led Champagnat to back-to-back 2A titles in 2019 and 2020, and reached the title game in 2018 and 2021. He was also an assistant coach on the Lions’ 2017 championship-winning team, taking over as coach after former coach Dennis Marroquin stepped down.
“I’m really proud of what we were able to accomplish not only as a team, but as a school as a whole, even more than football,” Clavijo said. “I was able to obviously, I think, leave a legacy at the school with a winning tradition, solidifying that.”
Clavijo got to Champagnat ahead of the 2016 season, taking over as linebackers coach, and the Lions have since been on one of the best runs in Florida history. Champagnat was the 2A runner-up in 2016 and is now one of only four schools in Florida High School Athletic Association history to reach six straight state championship games.
The Lions also won a state title in 2013. Their four FHSAA titles are tied for fifth most in Miami-Dade County history.
Clavijo is stepping down for family reasons. His wife recently got a job as a firefighter in Palm Beach County, so the family is moving north. Clavijo will continue coaching and said an announcement about his next step is expected Wednesday.
Wilkie Perez, who has been Clavijo’s offensive coordinator for four years, is taking over as coach after establishing Champagnat as one of the state’s prolific offenses during this run. The Lions averaged 32.6 points per game during Clavijo’s tenure, peaking at 42.2 points per game during their title run in 2019.
This season, Champagnat started a freshman quarterback and still averaged 33.4 points per game, reaching the 2A championship once again before ultimately falling 41-23 to Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy on Dec. 9 in Tallahassee. Quarterback Ennio Yapoor finished his freshman season 230 of 335 for 3,300 yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions with another 530 yards, 11 touchdowns and four lost fumbles on 124 carries. The freshman is a finalist for Mr. Florida in 2A.
“He’s done a great job offensively, so I think it’s a perfect person from a coaching standpoint to go out and get all that stuff done,” Clavijo said of Perez. “I know we’re not going to find a better coach.”
Clavijo was also an assistant athletic director for the Lions, which is why he hopes to see his legacy spread beyond football. He helped establish a soccer program at Champagnat and was instrumental in hiring its new basketball coach.
“I think I was able to kind of help all the programs to at least a winning recipe with all the coaches kind of following how I do things,” Clavijo said. “I think the school in general will be OK for the future. That’s what I’m really happy about.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 11:16 AM.
