Wednesday, May. 21, 2008

Richland football hires coach

By Rene Ferran, Herald staff writer

Three years ago, Mike Neidhold was a finalist for the Richland football coaching position that eventually went to Garrick Redden.

On Wednesday, Neidhold finally got the prize he wanted. The 49-year-old was introduced as the Bombers coach, taking over for Redden, who resigned in late April to take a teaching position in China.

Neidhold has been an assistant with the Bombers for 21 years, serving the past couple of seasons as the offensive line coach.

"It's quite an honor," said Neidhold, a 1977 Richland graduate who beat out three other finalists for the job. "I'm just thrilled for the opportunity."

It's an opportunity that Neidhold was better prepared to grab than the last time Richland had an opening.

"He has a greater understanding of what the program as a whole was looking for," said athletic director Mike Edwards, who described Neidhold as asking the right questions to learn what he needed to know in order to become a head coach.

"He saw the challenges and started asking questions," Edwards said. "That's where he improved himself (as a candidate)."

Neidhold inherits a team that is on the upswing. The Bombers won a share of their first league title since 1999 last year and qualified for regionals for the first time since 2003, falling to eventual state champion Lewis & Clark.

"The cupboard isn't bare by any means," he said.

His hiring comes just a week before the start of spring ball, but Neidhold doesn't plan on making many changes.

Former Hanford head coach Greg Sevigny will return as defensive coordinator, and Mark Olson will coach special teams.

"I don't think you'll see a huge difference," Neidhold said.

He plans to continue running a one-back offense, "and our defensive philosophy at Richland is pressure defense. That's all we've ever run."