Dixon High Sports Program Draws Variety of Commentary During School Board Meeting

It’s been two weeks since various students, parents and coaches filled the chambers of the Dixon City Council to air discontent with the dismissal of former Dixon High School Troy Hensley at the Dixon Unified School District’s board meeting.

Last night they did so again, but this time many were also there in support of Varsity Coach Wes Besseghini. Many friends, former players and coaches spoke up for Besseghini, who endured a large amount of criticism during the previous board meeting.

Besseghini has been the target of many negative comments, mainly for his decision to go with another junior varsity coach during the next football season.

Interim DUSD Superintendent Brian Dolan set the tone for the public comment portion of last night’s meeting, the topic was not on the agenda. Dolan said that Dixon High Principal John Barsotti has met with several parents, students and individuals about the dismissal of Hensley and that Barsotti followed all the correct procedures for re-hiring Coach Besseghini and letting go of Coach Hensley.

Dolan said that Barsotti has every right as the school’s administrator to hire and fire his coaching staff and that the school board needs to stand by his decision. But at the same time, Dolan said the process for hiring coaches, who are considered to be temporary employees, should be reviewed by the board. In turn, the board agreed to put it on the agenda for the next meeting.

Hensley’s dismissal kicked off a backlash at Dixon High and has essentially divided the school and community between supporters of Besseghini and Hensley.

“The JV team had a winning season under his leadership and he’s let go, it makes no sense to me,” said Steve Bird, who helps coach rugby in Dixon. “This is unprecedented in most sports, it’s actually absurd. Under a normal circumstance, this type of achievement is generally praised or awarded but apparently not in this case.  I really think this is something that needs to be in your hands at this point, it’s tearing the community apart.”

“Wes Besseghini was my football coach for three years he was the closest coach to me that I’ve ever had beside my own father, while I was playing for Coach Wes he treated us as adults,” said Dixon High 2011 graduate Ryan Baptiste in a letter to the school board. “Off the field, he was a great person to go to for help or advice about anything I had on my mind. He would always tell his players that his door was open for us anytime to talk. We took that literally. I felt like I was a part of his family, that’s how well he treated me. Wes did so much for me and my teammates while we were in school on the field and off.”

Jeff Myers, pastor at Living Hope Church, told the board that he came to know Besseghini while serving for three years as the team chaplain.

“Wes is a friend of mine,” Myers said. “ I’ve been able to see what kind of a coach and man Wes is. He’s an incredible individual. He’s a man of character, a man of integrity and he trains these young men to be men.  I’ve seen him firsthand chastise his players for showboating for disrespecting the players of other teams ... he trains them to be sportsmen. He’s a great coach, he’s a great man. And he was hired to head this program up and the program is not built in one season it is built over the course of many seasons. Wes I believe has made some hard decisions and I would encourage you to stand behind him and have a long view of Dixon’s football program.”

“I’ve known Wes Besseghini for the past 15 years, I was a coach of his when he was 12 years old, even back then you could see that he had a sense of honesty and character,” said Ron Boicelli, who coached alongside Wes on the 2011 DHS Softball Team. “It was hard to view that last meeting and catch a lot of the things that were said and I think that Wes was kind of blindsided by (it). To have someone like Wes who recognizes honesty, integrity, approachability, faith and truly an unsurpassed work ethic. He is most certainlly the right guy for the job.”

“It’s going to be a very very sad time next year if we do not really find out the core of these decisions,” said Stephanie Machado, Dixon resident. “No one’s going to play football, there are few people that are not going to play football because of the way that things are ran. I think we need to look at what’s really going to happen with our sports program. As a parent I’m very, very concerned with having children that are good as sports who have he ability to move forward after high school.”

Former DHS athlete and Solano College student and athlete Audrey Musgrove said she played softball for Wes. She said if students are not going to play because of the coach, then they are in for a rude awakening.

“If you want something you are going to have to go and get it and if your hate for the coach is greater than the love for the game then I think you should re-think,” she said “Because if you love something then you are going to do it.”

Jessi Besseghini, Coach Wes’ wife, also addressed the board last night.

“We believe in Dixon High athletes going on and playing at the next level, that’s our passion, that’s our goal,” she said. “When players want to do that though, that’s on you to get the grades, it’s on you to put together your highlight film, and it’s on you to send letters to the coaches.”

Besseghini said that they have been working diligently to help players make it to that next level, for example, she said they are currently helping DHS senior Marcos Pangelinan put together some highlight footage so he could show what he's capable of doing. She told the board that only one parent last season went directly to Coach Wes with grievances with the football program, the rest went directly to Athletic Director Tom Crumpacker or Principal Barsotti.

“In any functional, healthy sports program, it (grievances) goes first to the coach,” she said. “We came back to this town, grew up here, left to go away to the college and came back because we love it here. We believe in the sports program and we want to see it go to the next level.”

Ty Williams, community member, told the board that Hensley’s record speaks for itself.

“If the principal is the be all, know all and the one who makes the decisions, I would like to know as a parent that has eight plus kids in this school district, some of whom will be going to Dixon High next year, if it’s not broke why are you trying to fix it?” he asked the board. “If you have a JV coach who has the determination, the character, the commitment … to help your children get to that next level why was he fired? A philosophical difference? I don’t know about you but it seems like to me that his philosophy is working. 16-4.”

The comparison was made last night between the JV and Varsity record, but some individuals said that the teams and their competition are vastly different and can’t be compared.

Former Dixon High player Jeffrey Anderson told the board “I played with Wes, he was my JV and Varsity head coach. I think there is a fine line between JV and Varsity. I personally know Wes, you just saw this passion and his will and desire. Last year they became champions, minus the record. I think he’s doing a hell of a job.”

The school board, who could not take action last night, did not comment on the decision to remove Hensley and re-hire Besseghini, but invited everyone to participate in a future meeting in which it will discuss the hiring process of coaches.

Meanwhile, Coach Troy and his wife Brandy, are in the process of talking to an attorney for a possible suit against the school district.  Read the scoop here.

Will the DHS Football Program get past this controversial issue? What are your thoughts?

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Editor's note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Jeffery Anderson. Also, Rugby is not a team sport at DHS. For corrections please contact the editor directly at carlos.villatoro@patch.com