Schools
Avalon Hires Former Head Coach
Tad Shields, who was head coach for three years, is back in the job.
The Avalon School has named 58-year-old Tad Shields as the successor to Jerry Sarchet who resigned as head football coach at the Gaithersburg private school to become the head coach at Pope John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries, Va.
However, Shields is not new to the Avalon football program. He spent three seasons as the school’s head football coach from 2004-2006 and compiled a 14-15 record during his tenure.
“The more things change,” joked Shields, “the more they stay the same.”
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The Ohio native takes over an Avalon football program that finished the 2010 campaign with an 8-3 record including a win in the Capital Area Football Conference championship game.
Shields, who serves as the school’s Chief Financial Officer, has also toiled on the sidelines as the Black Knights’ offensive coordinator for the last two seasons.
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Avalon welcomes the return of several key players this year including Rachid Ibrahim, David Collins, Isaac Boyd and Nick Herndon.
Ibrahim, who rushed for over 1,800 yards and scored 27 touchdowns last season, was named the CAFC Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the CAFC first team defensive unit.
The Black Knights’ schedule this year includes a late September matchup with Bullis of the Interstate Athletic Conference.
“The boys are really looking forward to it,” said Shields. “It’s certainly a big challenge for us.”
Avalon seeks to repeat as conference champions but it will not be easy according to Shields who has 13 years of coaching experience including seven at the Gaithersburg private school.
“I think we have high expectations for this group,” said Shields. “We have a lot of good players coming back.”
