HAMILTON – The Hamilton football program has hired Zach Harbison as head varsity coach.
Harbison takes over for Phil Koops, who stepped down to take the coaching job at Montague.
“The biggest draw for me was the one school community that Hamilton provides. There is something really special about teaching and coaching for a true community school. You can’t beat it,” Harbison said. Another major piece was the ability to work near family. My wife and I spent nine years in Jacksonville, Florida, away from family and lifelong friends. We welcomed our first child into our family less than three months ago and having her experience life surrounded by loved ones was a big pull for the move.”
Harbison is familiar to the area. He graduated from Zeeland East and played football and baseball for the Chix.
“As a Zeeland East grad, unfortunately I have very strong memories of Hamilton handling us in both football and baseball,” he said. “I have the privilege to work with a phenomenal group of coaches who love their community and can’t wait to get after it.”
Harbison coached at Englewood High School in Jacksonville from 2021-23 and the past two years at Tocoi Creek High School in St. Augustine.
Hamilton was 5-5 last year and made the playoffs after a three-year absence.
“The goal is to work the program back to that level and beyond,” Harbison said. “Phil Koops did a tremendous job reinvigorating the program, and now it is our job as a staff to continue those efforts and take another leap forward.”
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Hamilton football hires Zach Harbison as new coach
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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