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Al Kofroth is one of the winningest coaches in the history of Lancaster County high school volleyball.
He achieved his success — a state title, several District Three and Lancaster-Lebanon League championships — as head coach of the boys' and girls' teams at Conestoga Valley.
Today, the school district is advertising to fill his positions.
According to Kofroth, at a postseason review meeting, CV athletic director Zac Kraft told Kofroth the school district wanted to go in a different direction.
"They (the school district) have their reasons," Kofroth, who was surprised when told he wouldn't be asked to return, said. "They didn't tell me what that new direction was."
Scholastic coaches are generally hired on a season-by-season basis. There is a review at the end of the season and a recommendation to rehire or not.
"It's not like a regular job where they have to explain your dismissal," he said.
A phone message left for Kraft was not immediately returned.
Kofroth, 50, has been the boys' volleyball coach at CV for 24 years, predating the formation of the L-L Boys' Volleyball League. He's been the girls' coach for all 17 years of the program at CV.Kofroth's girls' teams won seven consecutive league tiles from 1995-2001. His teams won district titles in '98, '00 and '01. The Buckskins won the PIAA title in 2003.
When the L-L League split into two sections in 1993, CV was placed in Section Two. The Bucks won 148 straight Section Two matches over the course of 12 seasons before losing to Garden Spot on Sept. 5, 2006.
The CV boys' team advanced to the league title game this past season before falling to Hempfield. The boys, with an overall record of 15-12-2, also earned a berth in the district tournament as did the latest girls' team (16-9-2), which finished 6-4 in the regular season.
More important than the numbers, perhaps, was that Kofroth has coached many outstanding players, including recent graduates Kim Glass, who appears on the verge of being named to the U.S. Olympic team; Amber Thomas, named the Division III Player of the Year in 2007; and Ryan Sweitzer, who helped Penn State's men win a national championship in May.
Kofroth credited his players for making the programs successful.
"They are the ones who did the work," he said. "If the players wanted to win, I was a pain in the butt. But I coach to develop players and teach fundamentals. That's hard work, and that's my style of coaching."
E-mail: kfreeman@lnpnews.com
