Hall Board Picks Jason Bland as Head Football Coach
Gary Barrera Named Dean of Students / AD
by Mike Struna
March 19, 2009
JASON BLAND TO LEAD RED DEVIL FOOTBALL
Jason Bland is the new man at the helm of the Hall High School
football program. Hall’s school board approved Bland by a 6-1 vote
during Wednesday’s board meeting.
“Obviously, I’m very happy being the football coach,” Bland said.
“There’s been a history of a lot of success here, not just over
Gary (Vicini’s) time but before that. Hall football’s been a great
program, and I want it to continue. I would like to have more
success, and I would like to run a class program.” The six board
members that approved Bland as head football coach were John Andes,
Jack Boroski, Todd Fanning, Holly Flanagan, Sue Nolasco and Dale
Pienta. The dissenting vote came from Betsy Sobin.
Sobin refused to comment after the board meeting. Boroski, Flanagan
and Nolasco refused to comment on their votes, too. “We had two
very qualified candidates, and we’re fortunate to have both of them
here, and we look forward to Jason’s success — and Mike’s, too,”
Fanning said after the vote. Bland was a finalist for the position
along with Mike Filippini. The Hall athletic committee interviewed
Bland and Filippini on March 5, and that night the three members of
the athletic committee decided to recommend Bland to the full
board. The athletic committee did not make its decision public
until Wednesday of who they were recommending.
“Both were excellent applicants,” said Pienta, the chairman of the
athletic committee. “We just felt (Bland) came in and was a little
bit stronger in some areas. He came in and was the better of the
two. I don’t want to elaborate on anything specifically, but there
were a few things that we thought (Bland) was a little bit better
at. The good thing is that I think Mike’s indicated he will still
stay on and be an assistant and probably his top assistant, I would
imagine. They were both good, but the committee felt that Jason had
some things going for him that we didn’t think Mike had.”
GARY BARRERA NAMED HALL HIGH SCHOOL DEAN OF STUDENTS AND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
Gary Barrera accepted the position of Hall High School athletic
director/dean of students.
He accepted the position Tuesday morning, according to Hall
superintendent Mike Struna.
The board of education will approve his hiring and contract at the
March 18 Board of Education meeting.
“All three finalists for the position were excellent candidates and each candidate had different strengths that the board needed to consider before making the decision,” Struna said in a release Tuesday morning. “It was a long discussion and a tough decision for the board, but we feel that Mr. Barrera is the right person for the job. Hiring the next Dean of Students / Athletic Director is a critical decision for Hall High School and, although Mr. Barrera has big shoes to fill, as Gary Vicini has been part of the strong foundation at Hall High School for over thirty years. We think Gary Barrera is up to the challenge. We are looking forward to bringing Gary on board.”
Barrera will take over as Hall athletic director and dean of students in the fall, providing he is approved by the Hall school board at the board meeting Wednesday, March 18.
