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Northern Virginia a hot spot for football coaching openings

By Preston Williams,December 10, 2012

Wanted: Football coach to guide Northern Virginia high school program that features one of the top national recruits in the Class of 2014 and a young quarterback with a major college offer. The team has made eight playoff appearances in nine years. Apply: Woodbridge.

Wanted: Football coach to guide Northern Virginia high school program that features the most prolific running back in the Washington area — he was his district’s offensive player of the year — and has posted a non-losing record and/or reached the playoffs every season for more than two decades. Apply: Robinson.

Wanted: Football coach to guide Northern Virginia high school program that this season reached the Division 6 playoffs for the first time since 2008, will graduate only 14 seniors and has a robust 45 sophomores in the program. Apply: West Springfield.

Those vacancies, plus Wakefield and three Loudoun County schools — Heritage, Freedom-South Riding and Potomac Falls — are among the head football coaching jobs that have opened in Northern Virginia in recent weeks.

Woodbridge Coach Kevin Smith stepped down because of his growing family’s planned move to Delaware. He leaves behind junior defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, considered by some to be the top national recruit in the Class of 2014, and sophomore quarterback Mike Majette, who has an offer from West Virginia. The Vikings’ freshman team went unbeaten and the junior varsity had a winning season. The varsity went 6-5.

“The future is bright here,” Smith said. “There’s definitely talent here.”

The Robinson job opened last month when the Fairfax County school decided to dismiss Trey Taylor after two seasons. The Rams (5-6) featured junior running back Joe Wilson, a first-team all-region pick and the Patriot District offensive player of the year who carried 336 times for 2,358 yards and 32 touchdowns. Juniors Jake Pinkston and Aiden Elkhatib were first- and second-team all-region linemen, respectively. In earning a Virginia AAA Northern Region Division 6 playoff berth, Robinson beat three teams that won playoff games and lost to teams that went a combined 48-14 (fell twice to Chantilly).

West Springfield announced Friday that Coach J.T. Biddison was stepping down after four years because of family considerations. The Spartans finished 6-5 and had only one first-team all-Patriot District player. The JV team went 6-2.

“We have real good numbers coming up, a real strong freshman class,” Biddison said. “The sophomore class has probably still 45 in the program, and you usually don’t [retain] that many as sophomores. Some key juniors got to start this year. I think the future looks real good. I’d definitely not say it’s a rebuilding year.”

Related: High school coaching vacancies