(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Cherokee Trail football is in search of a new football coach, athletic director Steve Carpenter said on Tuesday.
The school’s now former coach Dain Mangnall resigned on Tuesday for personal reasons, Carpenter said. The job will post on the Cherry Creek Schools jobs site on Wednesday, and applications will close on Feb. 2.
“This job is open,” Carpenter said. “We will be looking at any qualified candidates, and we are really looking forward to the opportunity to seeing what kind of leadership is out there that we could potentially have the chance to work with.”
The Cougars went 5-6 last season, losing to eventual champion Valor Christian in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
The team will have a number of returners next fall, including two quarterbacks (Dylan James and Ethan Leisge) who started games. There is also experience on defense, including Marc Thomas (41 tackles), Denzel Williams (34 tackles) and Calvin Rodriguez (six sacks).
This is the second straight offseason that the Cherokee Trail job is open. Monte Thelen, who started the program in 2003, stepped down after the 2015 season. (Thelen is now the coach at Legend.) Cherokee Trail hired Mangall in December 2015.
Cherokee Trail is right in the middle of one of the fastest growing areas in the state — far east Aurora. Because of that, many view the program as a sleeping giant, waiting to emerge on the scene as a power.
But the Cougars, despite having flashes of success, including a runner-up finish in 2012, haven’t had a winning season since 2013, going 13-18 over the past three seasons.
“We have facilities, we have athletes, we have obviously had a lot of success in other sports,” Carpenter said. “The opportunity is there.”
Aurora’s Legacy Stadium, home to a few state tournament events, is on the campus, and the Cougars play their home games there.
A number of head coaching jobs have changed hands this offseason. Follow of all the moment in our coaching changes tracker.