Del Norte coach has a chance to do something special in field hockey playoffs

For much of his life, Tucker Warford has been ingrained in field hockey.

Warford’s sister, Danielle, played the sport at El Capitan High School. So did Amanda Combs, the woman who would become his wife.

“Before I even knew who my wife was, my sister played field hockey with her, and that’s how I met Amanda,” Warford said. “We started dating in high school when I just turned 16, coming into my junior year.

“Field hockey was always a big part of her life. So, it naturally became a part of mine, and we’ve been together since 2006.”

Combs, now Amanda Combs-Warford, ranks 10th in CIF San Diego Section history with 72 career goals and tied for fifth with 48 goals in a single season, which came in 2006. She has been the field hockey coach at La Jolla High School since 2017.

The couple soon began coaching Coastal Clash, a local field hockey club. By 2015, they became the co-directors of the club, which they still run together.

When Combs-Warford became La Jolla’s head coach, her husband followed as an assistant.

Prior to the 2024 season, Warford took over the Del Norte program, and now, he has a chance to make a big impact on his own.

Del Norte won the Palomar League and earned the No. 1 seed in the Division 2 playoffs. The top-seeded Nighthawks beat No. 8-seeded Bonita Vista 2-0 in Saturday’s quarterfinals and will host No. 5 Mira Mesa in Wednesday’s semifinals.  The team has won 13 games this season after winning just six a year ago.

“There were six teams in our league last year, and we placed fifth,” he said. “They added a team, so now we’re at seven, and we came in first.”

A big part of Del Norte’s success stems from how it fares in tight matches. Nine of Del Norte’s 13 victories have come by one goal, including in the regular-season finale against San Pasqual to win the Palomar League.

Canyon Crest Academy coach Rachel Flanagan put it this way: “You never count him out. I know he’s so good at strategy and finding people’s strengths, and he’s also really good at capitalizing.”

Warford’s coaching philosophy stems from showing effort every day without making it feel like work.

“The biggest thing that I’ve learned is you have to make it fun,” he said. “You’ve got to make them want to show up. That’s first and foremost. Then, you can teach them what you know, get them hooked in, and start to actually learn the field hockey part of it.”

Warford said if his players want to go after the program’s first section title since 2018, they will need to be prepared, both mentally and physically. Second-seeded Eastlake and No. 6 Rancho Buena Vista loom on the other half of the bracket.

“The big one is staying healthy,” he said. “That’s the key to the playoffs when you have the better team. Stay healthy, and stay ready.”