Hazelwood Central High Changes Athletic Director, 2 Head Coaches

Post author:independentnws
Post published:July 12, 2017
Post category:BlackJack / Spanish Lake / Columnists / Ferguson / Florissant / FloValley Sports / Hazelwood
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By Jim Wieners

Hazelwood Central High School will have a new Athletic Director and new head coaches for Football and Boys Basketball this upcoming school year.
Josh Martin is the new Hazelwood Central Athletic Director replacing John Pukala. Martin, a 1995 Hazelwood East graduate, coached Hazelwood Central Boys Basketball for 12 years with a 267-71 record, four district titles and a Class Five fourth-place finish in 2014. Martin’s last game as head coach was March 3, a 66-63 loss to Pattonville in the Class Five, District Three Final at McCluer North
Pukala has been the Hazelwood Central Athletic Director for 10 years. Prior to that, he served as head football coach taking the Hawks to Class Six State Finals in 2003 and 2005, finishing second each time. Published reports mention that Pukala resigned, for reasons that we will mention here after demotion from head coach to Gym teacher. Since then Pukala took the job as interim Athletic Director at DeSmet Jesuit High, which begins Aug. 1, replacing Kevin Roberts — who left DeSmet after two years as he returns to St. Dominic, in O’Fallon, Mo., to be their A.D.
Because of Martin taking over as Athletic Director, longtime assistant Boys Basketball Coach Brandon Gilmore takes over as head coach. Gilmore, a 1999 Cardinal Ritter graduate, inherits a team that returns a large number of players after finishing 17-11 last season and shared first place in the Suburban XII Conference North Division with McCluer High and McCluer North.
FOOTBALL — Last February Brent Chojnacki was promoted to the head coaching position after Van Vanatta left Hazelwood Central to become the new head coach at Rock Bridge High, in Columbia, Mo. Vanatta succeeded Rich Nixon in 2011, was a 2013 Class Six Semifinalist before losing to Rock Bridge and was 56-14 in six seasons, with five consecutive conference titles. That includes two in the now former Suburban North Conference and the last three in the Suburban XII North Vanatta was only the second coach in Hazelwood High-Hazelwood Central history since 1972 that did not play in the State Finals (Mike Unger-1979 is the other).
Chojnacki inherits a team that has won 31 consecutive conference games, 16 in the now former Suburban North and 15 in the Suburban XII North. The Hawks open the season Aug 18 at DeSmet, with interim athletic director Pukala, then visits O’Fallon, Ill. Aug. 25 in the Panthers’ season opener
Meanwhile Vanatta is taking over a Rock Bridge team that was 2-7 last season and opens the season at home Aug. 18 against Kansas City then visits DeSmet Aug. 25.