Centreville Hires Chris Haddock As New Coach
Fairfax head coach Chris Haddock will become the new head football coach for the Centreville Wildcats. Haddock leaves the Rebels after 3 years as head coach, and a 12-19 overall record while at Fairfax...
Photo By: Mike Kurec / GamedayMagazine
CENTREVILLE, VA - The Centreville Wildcats have been looking for the right guy to take over their proud football program since December, and today, they found him. Former Fairfax coach Chris Haddock has been hired to guide the Wildcats into the next decade, and restore what has been one of the finest football programs in the state of Virginia.
Centreville's selection of Haddock makes sense. He's a Centreville guy and has lived in the Centreville community for 39 years. He has coached in the Concorde District in previous years with the Rebels before Fairfax moved from the Concorde to the Liberty District this past fall. Haddock guided his 2009 Fairfax team to the Division 6 playoffs, finishing with a 6-5 record. The Rebels took eventual state runner-up Lake Braddock down to the wire, losing 19-14 in the first round of the post-season.
"I've pretty much spent most of my career in the Concorde District, and the Concorde has been the best district in the state of Virginia," Haddock said. "The talent, the schools, and the coaching staffs are superior, and obviously there have been a ton of championships won from the Concorde. As a competitor, you want to compete against the best. "
Haddock said the decision was extremely tough for him to make, because he had such a great relationship with his team and his administration at Fairfax.
"Fairfax High School is a great place. It has a city atmosphere, and it is unique. It will always be a special place in my heart, and it was a lot of fun returning Fairfax back to what people consider a solid program," Haddock said. "There have been a lot of great football players that have come through Fairfax, and it was great to see the current kids get excited about football again."
Over the past two seasons, Centreville had struggled to compete in the Concorde District. Former coach Gerry Pannoni had the Wildcats playing well at the end of the 2009 season, but he resigned in December, leaving the door open for Haddock.
"In my 17 years in the County, Centreville has always been regarded as a great program. I've always been on the other sideline, and looked across the field and felt like they had some great football players over there. I think it is an elite program, and I think the administration is very solid, from the top down," Haddock said. "Certainly it is also a little closer to home, and I've lived in Centreville for 39 years. It's a neat thing for me to say that I'm going to be in charge of this program in my community."
The Wildcats last won a state championship in 2000 under former coach Mike Skinner, and the Centreville community is hungry to get back to playing important games in December.
Principle Mike Campbell said Haddock's hiring was a great first step to what he hopes will be many good years ahead for the Wildcat nation.
"Chris is going to do a great job for our program," Campbell said. "He's done a great job at Fairfax, and with his ties to our community, it was a perfect fit for us. We are expecting big things in the future with Chris as our coach."
Haddock is well respected in his profession amongst his peers as a solid X's and O's guy, and someone who most certainly had the Rebel program headed in the right direction. He inherits a Centreville football team that should have plenty of talent returning in 2010.
"I do know that they were relatively young last year, and that speaks well for the near future," Haddock said. "I also know that Centreville is a place where winning and being successful is important to a lot of people over there. I think the support is there, and I do know that they have a nice crop of kids coming back. Maybe I can help to spark things and return things to where they had been previously."
One of Haddock's first goals will be to complete his coaching staff, and that will take his focus over the coming weeks.
"It's a little early to tell which direction I'm going to head with my staff," Haddock said. "I've been contacted by a lot of guys around the region about the possibilities, and within the next two months, I'm very confident that the administration is going to help me bring in a top flight staff."
There is no question that Haddock will be under the microscope, as the Wildcat nation will be watching closely to see how their football program improves in 2010. Haddock said he is ok with expectations, and believes the pressure will come from himself and within the program to succeed, more than from the community.
"The expectations that the community and the kids have, won't be any higher than mine," Haddock said. "I expect to be in the playoffs, and to be competitive each and every week. We are going to put a great staff together, and with the athletes that are there, I think things could happen quickly. I welcome the expectations, and that is part of the thing that attracts me to the Centreville community. I look forward to that challenge, and the sooner we can get things organized, the sooner we can get back on the right track."
THE HADDOCK FILE:
History as a coach: 17 years (Played at Chantilly for former coach Fred Welch)
Years at Fairfax: 6 years total, 3 as the head coach (Coached at Chantilly for 10 years, and was part of the 1996 state title staff. Coached with former Charger coaches Dan Meier, Bob Herb, and Ken Kincaid.
Specialty In Coaching: Defensive Minded Coach, But Called The Offense For Fairfax During His Time As Head Coach.
Offensive Philosophy: "I've been a wing-T from way back, but I have kind of expanded a lot of if. We've expanded a lot of things, and it is not just your run of the mill Wing-T. We threw the ball a bunch more this year at Fairfax."
Defensive Philosophy: "I've always been a 4-4 guy, and it's adaptable to the new things that people are running. It's a variation to the 6-2. In the 17 years of coaching football, it's the only defense I've run. For high school kids, it's easy to run, and it gives them the opportunity to go chase people down."
On Reviving The Westfield Rivalry:
"When you talk about rivalries, you hope that it is one of those deals where it can go either way every year. I just think that the coaches in our district are all running great programs. We are going to fight, kick and scratch to compete with them," Haddock said.
"I do think that Centreville is a place that you can hang banners and size rings. Hopefully sooner or later I can do both. Tom has done it at Westfield, Joe's done it at Oakton, and Mark at Robinson, so certainly that is one of our goals at Centreville."
Family: Haddock and his wife Heather have a 13 year-old daughter Logan, and an 11 year old son Ryan.
"Ryan was a ball-boy at Fairfax, and Logan stands on the sidelines with my father," Haddock said. "It's a family affair for the Haddocks. My daughter is going to be a 9th grader at Chantilly next fall, and she's already teasing me about that game."
