Waca turning in his PHS blues for Kewanee orange

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Chris Waca will be turning in his hometown blues for orange this fall.

Waca, 34, will be leaving Princeton High School, his alma mater, after two seasons as an assistant football and basketball coach to assume duties as defensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the NCIC rival Kewanee Boilermakers.

The Princeton native’s hiring as assistant coach and math teacher at Kewanee High School was approved at Monday’s board meeting in Kewanee. He submitted his letter of resignation to PHS Tuesday morning.

Waca said the opportunity to be a defensive coordinator and work with a great guy and good coach like Kewanee’s Josh Cavanaugh was too good to pass up.

Cavanaugh, Kewanee’s new head coach, said it will be a great deal for both Waca and the Boilermakers.

“We’re getting a top-notch coach. I think he’s a steal, that’s the way I believe. And he’s getting what he wants,” Cavanaugh said. “I know (Kewanee) seriously considered him for a head job and I think it will just be matter of time before he makes that leap. You can just tell. He’s way ahead of the curve. He’s definitely somebody on the way up.”

Waca, who was on the staff of Downers Grove North’s 8A champions in 2004, previously interviewed for the head position at Kewanee and applied for the vacancy at PHS that quickly went to Bureau Valley coach Dave Moore. The Kewanee head job went to Cavanaugh. Cavanagh replaced Josh Johnson who resigned shortly after taking the job in February.

Cavanaugh, 34, was head coach at Carlyle the past two seasons and previously coached at Springfield High School and Olney East Richland. Originally from Ottawa, Cavanaugh moved after his freshman year to Monticello, where he played for current Normal Community coach, Hud Venerable.

Cavanaugh said it will be nice to coach against Hall’s Gary Vicini, who was a teammate of Venerable at Illinois Wesleyan Univer-sity.

Buda native Mike Tumbleson was also hired as a Boilermaker assistant. He was head coach of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League this spring.

Cavanaugh said KHS is still looking for one more assistant to fill his staff.

“Maybe you can help us advertise. We have an openings in math and science,” he said.

The Boilermakers will visit Princeton in week 6 of the 2008 prep season for the renewal of the state’s longest continuous rivalry. After 112 meetings dating back to 1897, the series is tied with 54 wins and 54 losses for both sides plus four ties.

PHS beat Kewanee 26-12 for their only win of the season in 2007,

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