Pictured (L-R): Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo, Dave Svehla, and School Board Chairman Mike Chapman.

The Etowah High School football program has found its next head football coach! Dave Svehla will take over as the seventh football Head Coach in the school’s history following the CCSD School Board’s approval of his employment at the February 9th School Board meeting.

Coach Svehla brings 13 years of experience as a Head Coach (15 years total), to Eagle Mountain, following two seasons at the helm of the football team at El Paso Gridley High School (El Paso, Illinois). Both of these seasons were playoff years for the EPG Titans.

Prior to his time in El Paso, Coach Svehla spent 11 years as a Head Coach in the greater Lincoln, Nebraska area. Head Coaching stints at Lincoln Northeast High School and Raymond Central High School, seven and four years respectively, produced eight state playoff appearances -- including two trips to the quarterfinals and one state semi-final.

“I have been a Football Head Coach for 13 years but feel the same excitement as Year One. I want this program to be more than just what happens on the turf on Friday nights. I want it to be something that our players are proud to be a part of, and something they will remember the rest of their lives.”

According to Principal Keith Ball, “Dave is a natural leader, so we are anxious for the players and community to get to know him and recognize what he has to offer Etowah High School.”

Coach Svehla is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, where he lettered in both football and baseball. He was first team all-conference three times for football and once for baseball. He still holds NMSU football records for tackles in a season and career. He was also honored as a member of the 75th anniversary All-Bearcat football team and is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

He and his wife of 18 years, Cheri, are the proud parents of three children: daughters, Taylor (14) and Avery (8); and, son, Jackson (12). Outside of football, Dave enjoys spending time with his family and enjoys watching his own children compete.

Etowah High School, as a part of the Cherokee County School District, is a National Blue Ribbon School and located in Woodstock, Georgia. Etowah High School’s athletic teams will compete in Georgia’s new largest classification (6A) during 2012-13, and the school has an enrollment of just under 2200 students.

Tags: Cherokee County, Dave Svehla, Etowah High School, head football coach