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Bill Dignan |
Bill Dignan said that when he accepted the job as head coach of the King George High School football team in 2005, he knew it would take "three to five" years to turn the program into a winner.
But not even Dignan imagined the Foxes would go 0-20 in his first two years.
However, Dignan said his winless start hasn't deterred him.
He plans to return to the King George sidelines next year with what he calls the best team in his tenure.
The Foxes return 19 starters (10 on defense, nine on offense) for Dignan's third season.
"When you get to the bottom line, this is the year we've been building towards," said Dignan, whose return was approved by the county School Board last week.
Dignan said part of the reason he took the King George job after leaving as the defensive coordinator of Dominion High School was that he wanted a challenge.
The Foxes have been just that.
They went downhill in 2005 after standout running back Tremayne Dameron was lost for the season with a broken ankle in the second game of the year.
The season was also marred when Dignan was suspended for one game after he was ejected the previous contest for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
This past season, the Foxes lost the season-opener to Washington & Lee partly because of two missed extra points.
They also had chances to earn wins over King William and Spotsylvania but self-destructed both times.
"The goal was to be .500 last year and then be really competitive [in 2007]," Dignan said. "I thought we would at least win three or four games."
Despite the lack of success, Dignan said he never wavered in his desire to remain at King George.
"That's what has happened here forever," Dignan said. "People keep leaving. I plan on being here."
Bears making college plans
Four Riverbend seniors are looking to catch on with Division III colleges to play football. Wing-back Dan Ellia is receiving interest from Clarion (Pa.) University, the alma mater of Bears head coach Drew Seaman.
Ellia has also caught the eye of Shippensburg (Pa.) University, Shepherd University (W.Va.) and Randolph-Macon College.
Running back Ryan Richmond, the Battlefield District's offensive player of the year, is receiving interest from Shippensburg and Virginia-Wise, while linebacker/tight end Nick Dotellis is being looked at by Randolph-Macon and Virginia-Wise.
Seaman said running back Matt Sheaffer has recently decided he wants to play college football in addition to pursuing ROTC.
Sheaffer is receiving interest from Gettysburg (Pa.) College.
Seaman said he still has plenty of ties with small college coaches in Pennsylvania, and that's why those schools have shown the most interest in his players.
"It opens up a door for us," Seaman said. "I know some good guys up there. "They give honest feedback. They know if I'm in the right area with a player. You start by building that rapport and they'll come back to your school."
Vandal on schools' radar
King George senior linebacker/fullback Blake Vandal is receiving interest from Randolph-Macon, North Carolina Wesleyan, Bridgewater and Muskingum (Ohio), Dignan said yesterday.
To reach TAFT COGHILL JR.:
Email: tcoghill@freelancestar.com
