After a very successful year that included a State Championship, LaSalle’s head football coach Nate Moore stepped down and took the head coaching job at Massillon.

LaSalle didn’t hesitate in hiring a new coach. The immediately gave the position to Elder grad and now former Thomas Moore head coach Jim Hilvert. Coach Hilvert is the winningest coach in Thomas More College history and he will forever be a legend in Thomas More football history.

Hilvert is a former Elder football player and talked at our most recent fall sports pep rally about how much he dislikes schools such as Oak Hills and LaSalle. Even the last name Hilvert is one that has heard been throughout the halls of Elder for generations.
“The opportunity to coach at LaSalle was something that made me so excited that I had to contact Athletic Director Dan Flynn and place my name in consideration,” said Hilvert in an official release from LaSalle. “Coaching in the GCL South and leading the young men in the LaSalle Football program are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” said Jim Hilvert about his hiring.
The consensus seems to be the same around the halls of Elder. Most students think that having an established coach who’s an Elder grad will be good for the program.
Other students have different opinions. Some students feel a sense of betrayal with Hilvert’s hiring.
Sophomore Robby Westerkamp says he has feelings of “distain” towards the grad. “I just don’t know how someone that went to a school that disliked LaSalle would be able to give fully to a new team and compete against his Alma mater.”
I took a survey of 20 kids and asked the question “Is LaSalle still a doormat?” Twenty out of twenty students agree that yes, LaSalle is still a doormat.
One student that has no feelings of hate for Mr. Hilver is junior Alex Wertz. “The guy made a career decision for reasons that benefit him, I can’t hate on him for that.”
There are many questions that arise with the hiring. One common question is “Why would he leave a college head coaching job for a high school in division II?” He definitely didn’t leave for the money. It’s a fact that he’d make more coaching in college.

The only answer that I can concur is he loves high school football and he even states he didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to coach in the GCL South. I’m sure he’s entering the new season with a chip on his shoulder knowing that in week 10 he’ll face his Alma Mater at home.
No matter what we say or what happens on the field, the Elder community should wish Mr. Hilvert the best in his coaching career. I wish him success as a coach and know he made the best decision for himself. I guess we’ll see his impact on the program when we roll into North Bend in week 10.