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Bonavia to be named Sherwood football coach

By Alan Goldenbach,March 31, 2011

Mike Bonavia, shown here in 2005 while at Richard Montgomery, will be named… (Preston Keres/The Washington…)

Mike Bonavia will take over the Sherwood football program, according to two sources close to the hiring process, making the former Einstein and Richard Montgomery coach the fourth man to lead one of the Washington area’s most successful programs since 2008.

The hiring is expected to be announced Monday afternoon, once Bonavia and Sherwood Principal William Gregory finalize the details of his appointment and staff.

Bonavia’s hiring will end a nearly three-month search that was prolonged by efforts to get him a physical education teaching position at the Sandy Spring school. Three Sherwood sources said that when Marc Thomas stepped down in January, Marc’s father, former Sherwood coach Al Thomas, who still has a strong influence over the program, said he wanted Bonavia to get the job.

Bonavia said, at the time, that he would not be interested in the job unless he could also teach in the building. He currently teaches at Einstein. Bonavia was one of five candidates who interviewed last week with Gregory.

Bonavia was an assistant under Al Thomas at both Seneca Valley and Damascus before taking over Richard Montgomery in 1995. After going 58-55 with three playoff appearances in 11 seasons, Bonavia jumped to Einstein prior to the 2006 season. The Titans had won just five games combined over the previous five years. Bonavia’s teams went 19-31 in his five seasons.

Sherwood won the Maryland 4A title in 2008, was the 4A runner-up in 2005 and ’06 and reached the 4A semifinals in 2009. The Warriors have appeared in The Post’s final Top 20 rankings in seven of the the past 10 years, including a No. 1 finish in 2008.

Last year, the Warriors went 10-2, their sixth consecutive season with at least 10 victories, the first Montgomery County team to do so since Springbrook (1985-90). Among Washington area public schools, only Ashburn’s Stone Bridge and Clarksville’s River Hill have similar active streaks.