Butch Goncharoff, the highly successful football coach from perennial national power
Bellevue (Wash.), has applied for the vacant job at
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.).
Photo by Jeff NapierButch Goncharoff
The
Seattle Times' Mason Kelley talked with Goncharoff on Tuesday and the coach that devised the perfect game plan to end De La Salle's national-record 151-game win streak in 2004 confirmed that he's applied.
The personable, innovative and detailed coach said he might not accept the job even if offered.
Goncharoff has won nine state titles in 11 years, including 2011 when the Wolverines finished 17th in the
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings, presented by the Army National Guard.
"I've never gone through the process before," he told Kelley. "There's nothing about Bellevue I'm displeased about. It's awesome. The community is great. The school is great. My situation is unbelievable. I just want to put myself out there, take a look at it. … I've never said I'm leaving. I'm just going through the process for whatever that's worth. … I'm going to go through it and check it out, because I've never done it."
Bellevue returns 15 starters from last year's 3A team that finished 14-0.
Orange Lutheran plays in one of the nation's toughest football leagues, the Trinity League, which features perennial national powers Servite (Anaheim, Calif.), Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
The Orange Lutheran job came open when popular Jim Kanau was let go following 19 years. He led Lutheran to the 2006 Division II State Bowl championship.
Santa Margarita, which finished 23rd nationally and is coming off a state bowl championship, might also be seeking another head coach.
Harry Welch, who has won three state bowl titles at three different schools,
was placed on administrative leave last month for unspecified reasons. It comes on the heels of two Santa Margarita assistant coaches being let go after pleading guilty to marijuana possession charges.
With almost all of its key pieces back, Santa Margarita was projected as a top-10 team in the country for 2012.