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In recent years, the only direction Conestoga Valley's girls' soccer program appears to have gone is up.
Now, the Conestoga Valley School District is looking to take the program in a new direction.
Following a season in which CV reached the Lancaster-Lebanon League final for the second straight year and advanced to the PIAA Spring quarterfinals for the first time in program history, Bob Scotten was not renewed as the Buckskins' head coach for the 2009 spring season.
Scotten said he was simply told by the school's administration that it wanted to take the program "in a new direction."
"It was nice to see the program grow into what it's become," Scotten, who was informed of the school's decision shortly after the conclusion of the Buckskins' season, said.
"It was nice to feel like I had some contribution to get the program where it is. And I would expect them to continue that and do well in the future."
After serving under Lee Gernert as a volunteer assistant coach for CV's boys' and girls' soccer teams in 1999 and 2000, Scotten took over as the school's head girls' coach in the spring of 2001.
His impact appeared to be immediate, with CV winning five of the next six Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two titles, including three straight from 2004-06.
That success continued when the Buckskins were realigned into powerful Section One prior to the 2007 season.After winning the section title in its inaugural Section One campaign, CV went on to capture the first L-L League soccer title in school history with a 2-0 victory over Penn Manor.
The Buckskins returned to the L-L final this spring, losing a 1-0 (7-6 on penalty kicks) decision to eventual PIAA Class AA champion Lancaster Mennonite.
Under Scotten, CV also advanced to the semifinals of the District Three Class AAA playoffs two of the last three years and made three straight trips to the PIAA Class AAA Spring playoffs.
The Buckskins' 15-6-1 record this spring was highlighted by their first PIAA playoff win in program history. Their season ended with a 1-0 loss to Central Bucks West in the PIAA quarterfinals.
In his eight seasons at Conestoga Valley, Scotten's teams amassed an overall record of 117-40-13 and a combined L-L section record of 78-11-3.
He was named L-L Girls' Soccer Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005.
A 1978 Elizabethtown College graduate, Scotten accepted the head women's soccer coaching position at his alma mater earlier this spring.
Scotten — who was named All-Middle Atlantic Conference in 1976 after his team-high 19 goals helped E-town's men's team reach the NCAA Division III Final Four — had also planned to continue coaching the girls' team at CV prior to being told his contract wouldn't be renewed.
(1104) (591) (569) (499) (345) (260) (246) (201) (161) (78) (16) (7) (7) (5) (3)A call to Conestoga Valley athletic director Zac Kraft was not returned.
Along with Donegal's Ryan Chaffin, who retired last month after being named L-L Girls' Soccer Coach of the Year, Scotten is among a handful of L-L girls' soccer coaches who won't be returning to the sidelines next spring.
Chris Dutton, Ephrata: A Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force, Dutton was given an opportunity to progress his military career that he couldn't refuse, and officially resigned as the Mountaineers' coach on June 5.
"I must tell you this was a very hard decision … I truly enjoyed coaching at Ephrata," Dutton, who is currently stationed in Southwest Asia, told the Ephrata Review via e-mail.
"This (military) promotion for me is an outstanding opportunity, with the only downside being the fact I won't have the time available that I feel needs to be committed to the players and the position (of) head coach."
According to newspaper records, Ephrata went 55-29-4 overall and 46-17-1 in L-L Section Two since Dutton took over in 2004.
This spring, the Mountaineers finished runner-up in Section Two and qualified for the L-L playoffs for the third straight year, and appeared in the District Three Class AAA playoffs for the second straight season.
Jeff Houck, Lampeter-Strasburg: Looking to spend more time with his nine-year-old son, Jared, and six-year-old daughter, Emma, Houck resigned this spring after just three seasons.
After guiding L-S to a combined record of 14-12 in L-L Section Two and 17-17 overall in his first two seasons, the Pioneers' program took off under Houck this past spring, when they finished with a 11-3 mark in Section Two and a 17-7 record overall, both program bests.
Qualifying for the District Three Class AA playoffs for the second straight season this spring, L-S advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Fleetwood, thereby earning a berth in the PIAA Class AA playoffs for the first time in program history.
The Pioneers' season ended with a 1-0 loss to Northwestern Lehigh in the first round of states.
E-mail: jfulginiti@lnpnews.com
