Former Park View High football coach Andy Hill has been named the new head coach at South Lakes High School.
Hill, who led Park View to the Region II, Division 4 playoffs last fall, replaces John Ellenberger.
Under Ellenberger last fall, South Lakes went 5-6. The season was an up and down one for the Seahawks, who began 5-1 before losing their final four regular season games and then seeing their season end with a first round Division 5 Northern Region playoff loss to eventual region champion Stone Bridge.
Ellenberger, who remains at South Lakes as the assistant director of student activities, was at the helm of the South Lakes football program for six years. The Seahawks went 17-45 during those six seasons but did qualify for the Division 5 playoffs twice.
Hill, who was named the new coach three weeks ago, is the eighth head coach in South Lakes' football history. In its 32 years of existence, the program has captured four district titles (1983, 1984, 1988 and 1991) and a pair of Northern Region titles — in 1991 under Bob Graumann and in 2002 under Joe Trabucco. The Seahawks' last winning season came in that 2002 campaign when they went 9-4.
Hill was the Park View head coach the past five years. In 2007, he led the Patriots, members of the Dulles District, to a 10-2 record. That Patriots' team started off 9-0 before losing to district rival Broad Run in the final week of the regular season with the district title on the line.
However, Park View avenged that setback the following week with a 16-12 win at Broad Run in a Region II, Division 4 playoff game. That sent the Patriots into the region finals where their season ended with a 38-0 title game loss at Sherando High (Stephens City).
After the loss to Sherando, Hill said, "For us to win 10 football games this year, that's quite a statement for this team. When people look at this [38-0] score, it won't be an indication of how the season went."
Park View, the following season (2008) slipped to 3-7 but this past fall came back strong with an 8-4 record and another region playoff berth. In the postseason, Hill's Patriots defeated Western Albemarle, 35-0, in a region semifinals home playoff game before falling to Winchester's Handley High, 33-7, in the region title game.
Hill was thrilled with his team's success in 2009, especially following the three-win season the year before.
"It was an incredible job by everybody," said Hill, of the '09 season. "All of these kids played [in the 3-7 season in 2008] and really put in their minds that we weren't going to be that team this year. 8-4 was a real step up."
Over his five seasons at Park View, Hill led the Patriots to two district titles and four playoff appearances. Overall, Park View was 35-21 during his tenure at the school.
Hill announced his resignation as the Patriots' head coach in an e-mail to the Park View community on Jan. 15,
"This was not an easy decision, but it was one that was made after a lot of thought and consideration," Hill wrote in the letter. "I have had a great time here at Park View over the last five years, and while I have matured and grown professionally in this experience, the most difficult part of the decision was leaving the student-athletes that make up our program. My decision came down to my personal desire to seek a new challenge."
Hill grew up in Minnesota and earned two varsity letters as a college football player at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.) At St. Thomas, he earned a degree in social sciences for secondary education. Following college, he remained in Minnesota where he had coaching stints at Hill-Murray School, Apple Valley High and Woodbury High before ultimately coming to Northern Virginia.
<36hd>Andy Hill Named New South
Lakes High Football Coach
<sh>Led Park View football to four playoff appearances in recent years.
<1b>By Rich Sanders
<2b>The Connection
<bt>Former Park View High football coach Andy Hill has been named the new head coach at South Lakes High School.
Hill, who led Park View to the Region II, Division 4 playoffs last fall, replaces John Ellenberger.
Under Ellenberger last fall, South Lakes went 5-6. The season was an up and down one for the Seahawks, who began 5-1 before losing their final four regular season games and then seeing their season end with a first round Division 5 Northern Region playoff loss to eventual region champion Stone Bridge.
Ellenberger, who remains at South Lakes as the assistant director of student activities, was at the helm of the South Lakes football program for six years. The Seahawks went 17-45 during those six seasons but did qualify for the Division 5 playoffs twice.
Hill, who was named the new coach three weeks ago, is the eighth head coach in South Lakes' football history. In its 32 years of existence, the program has captured four district titles (1983, 1984, 1988 and 1991) and a pair of Northern Region titles — in 1991 under Bob Graumann and in 2002 under Joe Trabucco. The Seahawks' last winning season came in that 2002 campaign when they went 9-4.
Hill was the Park View head coach the past five years. In 2007, he led the Patriots, members of the Dulles District, to a 10-2 record. That Patriots' team started off 9-0 before losing to district rival Broad Run in the final week of the regular season with the district title on the line.
However, Park View avenged that setback the following week with a 16-12 win at Broad Run in a Region II, Division 4 playoff game. That sent the Patriots into the region finals where their season ended with a 38-0 title game loss at Sherando High (Stephens City).
After the loss to Sherando, Hill said, "For us to win 10 football games this year, that's quite a statement for this team. When people look at this [38-0] score, it won't be an indication of how the season went."
Park View, the following season (2008) slipped to 3-7 but this past fall came back strong with an 8-4 record and another region playoff berth. In the postseason, Hill's Patriots defeated Western Albemarle, 35-0, in a region semifinals home playoff game before falling to Winchester's Handley High, 33-7, in the region title game.
Hill was thrilled with his team's success in 2009, especially following the three-win season the year before.
"It was an incredible job by everybody," said Hill, of the '09 season. "All of these kids played [in the 3-7 season in 2008] and really put in their minds that we weren't going to be that team this year. 8-4 was a real step up."
Over his five seasons at Park View, Hill led the Patriots to two district titles and four playoff appearances. Overall, Park View was 35-21 during his tenure at the school.
Hill announced his resignation as the Patriots' head coach in an e-mail to the Park View community on Jan. 15,
"This was not an easy decision, but it was one that was made after a lot of thought and consideration," Hill wrote in the letter. "I have had a great time here at Park View over the last five years, and while I have matured and grown professionally in this experience, the most difficult part of the decision was leaving the student-athletes that make up our program. My decision came down to my personal desire to seek a new challenge."
Hill grew up in Minnesota and earned two varsity letters as a college football player at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.) At St. Thomas, he earned a degree in social sciences for secondary education. Following college, he remained in Minnesota where he had coaching stints at Hill-Murray School, Apple Valley High and Woodbury High before ultimately coming to Northern Virginia.