September 29, 2026

Written by John Corona

In a dinner and ceremony last night in Long Beach, former boys soccer coach and current Physical Education teacher Todd Mapes was honored by CIF with their prestigious Champion of Character award.

Todd joins a list of King High coaches and athletes who have been honored by CIF over the years, a list which includes:

Sondra Lough, Volleyball & Unified Sports Track and Field  2025-2026

Tami Krueger, ASB Director 2024-2025

Brad Peters, Cross Country & Track  2022-2023

Becky Gagnon, Tennis  2021-2022

Jeff Dietz, Basketball  2018-2019

John Corona, Track and Field  2017-2018

Student/Athlete, Raelyn Werley, Cross Country and Track and Field  2012-2013

Student/Athlete, Joseph Moorman, Water Polo and Swim 2012-2013

The Coaching Staff of Martin Luther King High School 2012-2013

When one talks of Victory with Honor, the Six Pillars of Character and adhering to Codes of Conduct; Todd Mapes is one of the guys at the top of that list.

What marked Todd’s coaching career was a consistent belief in what is important.  Both he and the student-athletes that played for him showed sportsmanship, a work ethic and positive behavior every time they competed.  Going against the kids that he coached, you knew that you were in for a tough, hard fought battle. However, Todd would not sacrifice dignity, sportsmanship or fair play in the pursuit of that victory. I daresay that he would rather lose than sacrifice those virtues for a win. 

Todd has always strongly believed in and actively taught the lessons of life that high school sports have to offer.  My son played for him and I couldn’t have asked for my boy to have had a better experience or a better leader. He is greatly respected throughout our area and served as a tremendous role model for all of us in the coaching profession. 

His approach to his athletes and his sport can best be summed up with an event I saw some years back.  The King soccer team was in a difficult battle with our cross-town rival   Everything was on the line.  Even from the bleachers, you could tell they were nervous and tentative. During a stop in play late in the game, he gathered them together and gave a quick speech. Coach Mapes just smiled at his players and said “Hey, this is what we play for! Remember, it’s only a game. Have some fun out there!”   They were able to take control of the final minutes and won the game. 

A King Staff original, Todd Mapes was the head soccer coach at King for 25 years. His knowledge and expertise, both from his coaching and from his playing days, consistently put King Soccer at
the top of the Big VIII Conference and the Inland Empire over his tenure. During his time at King, Mapes produced 323 wins, 7 league championships and his teams made 19 total CIF playoff appearances.

Under his guidance the team  made it to 2 CIF quarter-finals and three semi-final appearances. During his tenure, 70 student-athletes have been named to 1 st team All-League and 8 of his charges have been named League MVP. Prior to coming to King, Mapes was the head soccer coach at Temecula Valley High School for 5 seasons. While there, the Golden Bears made the CIF Semi-Finals once and they won 2 league championships. His combined win total over his career is 416.

A graduate of J.W. North, Mapes was a 4 -year starter for the Huskies earning All-League Honors three straight years and All-CIF plaudits, his senior season. That year, he was named the Ivy League Most Valuable Player. At Cal State San Bernardino, he was again a four- year starter and made the All-West soccer team twice. He is still ranked third in school history for goals scored.

After college, he played semi-professionally with the Riverside Football Club and also played some professional soccer for the L.A. Fireballs and the Inland Empire Elite. In 2010, Mapes was been named to the Riverside Sports Hall of Fame’s Wall of Distinction as both an athlete and in 2019 as a coach. He has also been named a CIF State Model Coach of the Year.