NEW HOPE — New Hope football head coach Seth Stillman has resigned from his position with the Trojans effective immediately, sources confirmed to The Dispatch on Monday night.
Stillman will remain part of New Hope High School faculty through the remainder of the academic year despite resigning as head coach.
“I am grateful for the opportunity given by New Hope to lead the football program,” Stillman said. “They took a chance on me and the experience was invaluable to my career. Being the head football coach at New Hope was something I wanted dating back to my playing days. I wish it could have ended differently, but I’lll always be thankful for New Hope and the community.”
This comes after the program’s first winless season since 1993, with the Trojans finishing 2023 0-10. New Hope struggled offensively and defensively this season, scoring 8.9 points per game offensively – their worst output since 2002 – while allowing 37.3 points per game.
The decision was a mutual one between Stillman and NHHS administration following the season, and the search for a new head coach is now underway, with applications now being accepted for the next person to lead the Trojans football program.
“Seth worked really hard with our guys as a defensive coordinator and three years as a head coach,” NHHS Principal Matt Smith said. “We just didn’t taste a lot of success and I think sitting down and talking about it after the last game, he thought it best that we go in a different direction and so did we.”
Stillman, who is a 2010 graduate of New Hope, served as the Trojans’ defensive coordinator for three seasons before being elevated to head coach in Jan. 2021.
Smith said that applications for the position will be open through the remainder of 2023 and following the extended holiday break, potential candidates will be sifted through, vetted and interviewed.
“We want somebody with some experience at a head-coaching level,” Smith said. “… We want someone to come in who can relate to our kids and get out of them what we need to get out of them to grow this program to where it needs to be. There’s no reason New Hope football can’t be competitive like other football programs in our division.”
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