THE SPORTS DESK
High School Notebook: George Coghill to return, coach ’Cats
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
George Coghill wanted to return home.
The former James Monroe star was the freshman team football coach at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
But Coghill missed his family and friends in the Fredericksburg area. So after three seasons at Lake Brantley, Coghill has returned to his roots.
He was recently hired as an assistant coach at Mountain View in Stafford County. Coghill, who was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams as a safety and special-teams standout with the NFL’s Denver Broncos, will work with wide receivers and possibly running backs, under Wildcats head coach Lou Sorrentino.
“This is home,” Coghill said. “My kids were a major part of the decision [to return], and my wife wanted to get back here as well. We have a grandson we wanted to be closer to.”
Coghill’s Lake Brantley teams went a combined 22–2 in his three seasons. Previously he was the special teams coach at JM for five seasons. He wanted to return to his alma mater, but there were no teaching jobs available in Fredericksburg City Schools. Coghill will teach special education at Mountain View.
“We are thrilled,” Sorrentino said. “He was an outstanding player and an even better man. He will be an outstanding role model as a teacher and coach—a big asset to our staff.”
PITT, BC WANT HAMILTON
Mountain View junior wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton recently picked up scholarship offers from Atlantic Coast Conference schools Pittsburgh and Boston College.
Hamilton has 14 Division I scholarship offers. He said this week that he expects to make a college decision shortly before the high school season starts.
Hamilton said over the next two months, he wants to visit Duke, Illinois, Wake Forest and West Virginia. He said he’s visited Virginia and Virginia Tech five times each, and may not need to visit again before making a decision.
Hamilton (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) was a first-team All-Area selection in 2011 after he recorded 73 receptions for 1,144 yards and 10 touchdowns.
JM UNBEATEN IN TOURNEY
James Monroe hosted its annual 7-on-7 passing tournament, and the Yellow Jackets walked away with a championship.
JM finished 9–0 in the tournament that coach Rich Serbay called one of the most competitive in the 15 years the event has been held. The Yellow Jackets wrapped up the title with a victory over Mountain View.
The Wildcats (7–2) placed second. Their only losses were to the Yellow Jackets. Chancellor, Colonial Forge, Eastern View and King George also participated in the tournament.
“It’s a typical JM team,” Serbay said of his upcoming 2012 edition. “We’ve got excellent athletes and good speed.”
Serbay said the Yellow Jackets will be anchored by rising senior quarterback DeMontaz Brown and rising senior defensive back Julian Bumbrey next season.
“We’ll go as far as they take us,” Serbay said.
INDIANS FIND NEW HOMES
Four Stafford football players have decided where they’ll play in college.
All-Commonwealth District defensive lineman Robert Beckwith is headed to Christopher Newport University, Indians coach Chad Lewis said.
Stafford tight end Casey Schooler will play for Randolph–Macon College; running back Donald Redding is headed to Averett; while running back Darrian Johnson has been offered a walk-on opportunity at Virginia Military Institute.
Johnson missed eight games last season with a torn ACL.
GEISLER PICKS JUCO
Mountain View senior baseball standout Isaac Geisler will play for College of Central Florida, a junior college in Ocala, Fla. Geisler, a catcher, was named first-team all-Commonwealth and all-Northwest Region in 2012.
Taft Coghill Jr.: 540/374-5526
tcoghill@freelancestar.com
