MENLO — Longtime Willapa Valley assistant Greg Wonhoff has been named the Vikings’ head football coach, school officials announced Monday.
    Former Viking coach Rob Friese, also Valley’s superintendent and high school principal, had been expected to return to the bench this season after a year’s hiatus.
    But Friese relinquished his coaching plans Monday, saying unexpected developments within the district needed more of his administrative attention. He said he will be training a new business manager and supervising construction at Willapa Elementary School.
    “It got to the point where I realized it was too much,” he said Monday. With preseason drills less than a month away, he persuaded Wonhoff, 62, to assume the head-coaching duties.
    “That was what we were looking for — continuity,” Wonhoff said. “No, there won’t be too many changes. We’ve been pretty successful at Valley and the kids are very familiar with the program. You become confident when the kids understand what they need to do and they become confident in what they are doing on the field. It is all about finding success and sticking with that.
    Wonhoff has been an assistant at Willapa Valley since 1979, serving under Bud Sanchez, Friese and John Peterson as the line and conditioning coach. He was on the staff for three state B-11 championships — in 1979, 1996 and 2001. “Won has pretty much been a legend at Valley,” said Peterson, also a football assistant and the district’s athletic director. “He’s coached two generations of kids. He’ll be a very good head coach for us.”
    “I’ve been approached in the past about the head coaching job, but I never took them because I’m not an Xs and Os coach,” added Wonhoff, who is a third-grade teacher at Willapa Elementary. “That’s why I’m glad John will be (on staff). He’s a wonderful resource and we’ve been together for 19 years. I use football as a medium to teach kids about life skills. I’m a teacher more than a coach.”    
    Wonhoff also had a brief stint as the head football coach at South Bend in 1973-74. Friese noted that it was logical to draw his successor from the current staff, which has demonstrated remarkable continuity over the years. Peterson, Bob Archer and volunteer aide Dave Ege are expected to return as assistants. Friese said he would also be likely to help out on an occasional basis.
    “‘No taller has a man ever been when he stoops to help a child,’ that’s my philosophy this year,” Wonhoff said. “I want to help these kids meet success in one way or another.”