Football vacancy at Amherst could further shake things up in Lynchburg area

A fifth school is currently searching for a new head coach, and that decision could have significant impact on the landscape of football in Central Virginia.

Amherst County football coach Cecil Phillips vacated his post on May 4 after a decade at the helm, and rumors of who will serve as the next Lancers coach have been swirling since.

Will Amherst hire from within its own ranks? Will another Seminole District coach accept the position? Or will the Lancers chose someone from outside the area? Those questions will likely be answered in the next few weeks.

But more than any other coaching change in the offseason, the Amherst position could shake things up in the area. Staunton River (Jeremy Haymore), LCA (Frank Rocco) and VES (Mark Landis) all made in-house hires. Altavista hired one of its former assistants, Andy Cox, away from Appomattox.

Amherst County Public Schools does not comment on how many applications it has received, but the high school’s Athletic Director, Robert Curd, said he has received “a high amount of interest” in the position, adding he hasn’t been involved with hiring a new varsity football coach in his time as AD.

“Being [the county’s] single high school, football is still a big thing in Amherst County, and it’s been well-attended over the years,” Curd said. “We certainly want to find the most qualified coach, with X’s O’s, but also a person that is a good fit for our community.”

Amherst has an initial round of interviews planned for next week and another planned for after Memorial Day. Curd said the school will likely announce a new coach in either the first or second week in June.

While there have been noisy offseasons in the area before, the last few years have been relatively quiet in the Lynchburg area. There have been one or two coaching changes in a given year, but nothing like the mass changes of 2018.

In addition to the head coaching changes, Altavista’s Mike Scharnus accepted an assistant position at Rustburg this spring, bringing longtime assistant Mike Reavis along with him to Jack Baker’s squad. And VES also announced in January it would move to 8-man football outside the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association.

Liberty coach Chris Watts, who has the most tenure of any coach inside the eight-team Seminole District, noted there has been plenty of turnover in the last decade or so, just not during one offseason.

“If somebody [from the area] slides into that position, it just has a ripple effect until it finally stops,” Watts said about the Amherst vacancy. And if the Lancers hire someone from outside the area, Watts noted, area squads could still be affected because of possible assistant coaching changes.

Heritage coach Brad Bradley thought back to 2012, the year he was hired at HHS at the same time Ben Martin (now an assistant principal at Jefferson Forest) took over the E.C. Glass football program prior to Jeff Woody’s return to the area.

Two years later, Jefferson Forest hired Bob Christmas. A couple years later, LCA joined the Seminole. All were major moves. The Amherst job could also be significant in the district and in Class 4, the VHSL’s designated class for the Lancers.

“Whoever gets this job, they’re gonna put their mark on the Seminole,” Bradley said, noting that a new coach brings about a new offensive system, which will change how area defenses respond.

The timing of Phillips' departure, just weeks ahead of graduation and summer workouts, is certainly of note. A new coach will be tasked with getting players to understand his offensive and defensive schemes in a hurry, Watts noted, while making sure players are meeting summertime goals.

Amherst’s history of football success, and the fact that it plays in the highly-competitive Class 4 with the likes of Salem, Lake Taylor and Blacksburg, is certainly a draw for coaches. The fact that it’s the only high school in the county, and therefore has plenty of community support, is another.

Then there’s the fact the Lancers play in the Seminole, one of the most electrifying districts in Virginia.

“Usually, whoever wins the Seminole is playing in a state championship,” Bradley said, “or going deep in the playoffs.”

Amherst, Curd said, is keeping all hiring options on the table.

“We have not put any sort of restrictions or criteria on [the position],” the AD said.