By Melanie Williamson
On Monday, January 8, the Vermilion Board of Education approved the promotion of offensive coordinator Brett Colahan to the position of head coach for the 2018 VHS varsity football team. Colahan has worked in the Vermilion schools for 13 years. Superintendent Phil Pempin described him as being well-known and well-respected among the students.
Having endured the sudden loss of Coach Matt Kobal in November, the district was faced with the difficult need to find a new head coach for the team. Given what the players have gone through, the athletic director Andrew Stillman felt it was best to choose someone from within, who understand the situation and already had a positive relationship with the students and other coaches.
Last year, Coach Kobal took the team in a new direction, and his vision showed on the field. Ending with a season record of 5-5, the football program had their first non-losing season in almost a decade. As the offensive coordinator under Coach Kobal, Colahan has an incredible understanding of the vision Kobal had for the team as well as how to keep them moving in that direction.
Pempin stated that he supported Stillman’s decision to only look at internal candidates for the position, and shared that he thinks Colahan was a great choice. He thinks that ensuring there was a consensus among the coaches on how to move forward laid the groundwork for a strong and united coaching staff.
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