Sports

New Head Football Coach Hired for Hazelwood Central

Defensive coordinator Van Vanatta will lead the charge for the Hawks following Rich Nixon.

When the Hawks take the field next football season, Van T. Vanatta will lead the charge onto the field.

Vanatta has been officially hired as the football coach. Earlier this year, Coach announced his resignation for an assistant coach position at Lindenwood University.

The Hazelwood School District Board of Education approved his hire during Tuesday night’s board meeting.

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“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Vanatta said in a press release. “It’s a new thing for me, even though I coached defense for a long time. I’m looking forward to a new challenge.”

Vanatta has been involved with the Hawks on the football field previously, though, as their defensive coordinator. He also serves as varsity baseball head coach and is a physical education and health teacher for the school. 

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In 2010, he was named the Suburban North Conference Coach of the Year for baseball. 


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