Hanover High School changes head football coaches during season for second straight year
For the second straight year, Hanover High School will finish the fall with an interim football coach.
Hanover athletic director Adam Mowrer confirmed Thursday morning that first-year head coach Jarrel Burnett will not coach the Nighthawks their final two games this season. He declined to give a reason and said he couldn't comment on "personnel matters."
Assistant Cody Waltimyer will serve as the team's interim head coach.
When asked if Burnett will return as head coach next season, Mowrer said the school is "focused on giving our players the opportunity to compete and finish this season strong. We're not thinking about next season right now."
Reached by phone Wednesday night, Burnett said he was still the head coach and was surprised and unaware the school's website listed Waltimyer as the interim head coach. He said he intended to reach out to Mowrer to find out why that was.
When asked if he would be coaching this Friday's home game against Delone Catholic, Burnett said he hadn't been with the team this week because he and his children were "under the weather and not feeling 100% well." He said he hoped to coach next week's season finale against York County Tech.
When told of Burnett's comments and asked if the coach had been informed he wouldn't be finishing the season, Mowrer said "we have been in contact with coach Burnett."
Burnett declined to comment further when reached Thursday afternoon.
Burnett works as a probation officer in Maryland and is not a full-time employee of the Hanover Public School District.
When he was hired as Hanover's head coach in January, the 36-year-old Burnett said he hoped to energize a program that hadn't had a winning season since 2015 and endured a difficult 2022. Former Nighthawks head coach Wil Rider "parted ways" with the school a few days before the 2022 season opener and the team's assistants, led by offensive coordinator Zac Carrick, shared coaching duties on an interim basis throughout the fall. Rider and Mowrer both declined to comment on the specifics of that situation.
At YAIAA football media day in August, a number of Hanover players said last season wasn't fun but that Burnett was creating a positive culture around the program. The team's participation numbers rose from fewer than 30 to around 50. Burnett said he hoped to compete for a playoff spot.
The Nighthawks are currently 3-5 and out of the playoff picture in District 3 Class 3A, but they have won three of their last four after an 0-4 start. This Friday's game against rival Delone Catholic will be their senior night.
A former standout player at York Suburban and Kutztown, Waltimyer previously was an assistant coach at York High and is currently a social studies teacher at Hanover.
When asked how Hanover's players are handling a coaching change this late in the season, Mowrer said, "It's still so early in the process I can't comment on that."
Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Hanover High School to finish season without head coach Jarrel Burnett
