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Russ Stoner set to take over Spring Grove football (Update)


UPDATE (Feb. 7, 10:06 p.m.): I can confirm that Russ Stoner was indeed approved at tonight's Spring Grove area school board meeting. We'll have more on the Rockets new coach here and in print in the coming days. For now, the nuts and bolts info is in our original post below. Also, here's our story on Stoner for Tuesday's paper, by Evening Sun sports writer Travis Johnson. ********** In its search for a new football coach, Spring Grove appears set to turn to a familiar face in YAIAA coaching circles. According to an agenda posted this morning on the school district's website, Central York defensive coordinator Russ Stoner will be nominated to fill the Rockets' vacant head coaching position at the district's regular school board meeting on Monday. A copy of that agenda can be accessed here. Stoner has been a mainstay on the Panthers coaching staff the last decade. As a coordinator, his defenses earned a reputation as being ultra-aggressive, bombarding opponents with a wide array of blitz packages and schemes. If approved, Stoner would replace longtime Spring Grove coach Gregg Trone, who stepped down in December after 33 seasons with the football program, the last 20 of those as head coach. Whoever the Rockets' new coach is will have plenty of work to do. Spring Grove will graduate 24 seniors from a team that finished 6-5 last year and earned a berth in the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs. Nearly all of Spring Grove's starters last season were seniors. This information jibes with some of the rumors I'd been hearing. What are everybody's thoughts? A good hire?