Hafen steps down as head coach - St. George Daily Spectrum

He called plays from the sidelines without the ubiquitous laminated card most coaches hold in front of their faces like a winning poker hand.

He never had an autumn away from the football field for 26 years or a summer not spent in football camps and weight rooms.

Now, after 21 years as head football coach at Virgin Valley High School, two state championships and the third-most victories earned by a coach in Nevada, Hafen is walking away from a luminous gridiron career.

Hafen told high school administrators he was resigning last Wednesday and then met with his team Friday to break the news to his players.

“I thought I’d be able to tell them without getting emotional, but it was tougher than I thought,” Hafen said. “I choked up a couple of times. The kids were fine. A lot of them might have assumed it was going to happen. I told them to spread the word. We’ve got a good bunch coming back. I’m not leaving someone with a bad group. We have a lot of skill position players coming back who are a year older.”

The Bulldog football program under Hafen won state titles in 1994 and 2006 and finished state runnerup five times. The Dogs had 18 winning seasons and qualified for postseason play 20 of Hafen’s 21 seasons. In 1994 Hafen guided VVHS to a 12-0 season, including a state championship game victory against Truckee in Sam Boyd Stadium.

Keven Hess, VVHS athletic director, said there is no immediate timetable to fill the position, but said a search committee is being formed to help select Hafen’s successor.

“I couldn’t have done without good coaches,” Hafen said. “I always had good coaches.”

Hafen’s teams were renowned for their physical and aggressive play. The Dogs operated out of the Wing-T and although they were not noted for their speed, they hit holes hard and wore down opponents with power running and counters and then popped the well-timed play-action pass to move down the field.

“It was just time for me to be done,” Hafen said. “I can’t tell you how many (high school) administrations I went through. I’ve been there a long time.”

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Hafen said that he might help out his successor spotting from the press box if the new coach was interested, but wouldn’t be walking the sideline.

“I’m still getting used to it,” he said. “It probably won’t hit me until summer when workouts begin. I’ve still got the (VVHS boys) golf job.”

Hafen leaves the head football job with a 21-year highlight reel of great memories.

“Winning the state championships, being able to coach my son (Doug), coaching the kids of some of my players; that was all good,” Hafen said. “The stuff I enjoyed most was the comradeship with the kids and coaches, watching the kids develop from boys to men by the time they graduated. I loved the Xs and Os. It was always fun to try and set game plans and schemes.

“The 12-0 season in 1994 was pretty memorable, but it’s a whole different beast every year; that’s what’s fun about coaching. There’s always something new to work with or overcome. They (the seasons) were all fun.”

Two of his most memorable games occurred during the 3-A state playoffs. The Bulldogs’ 35-34 state semifinal victory against visiting Fernley in 2007 might have been the best football game ever played in the Dog Pound. The Dogs, trailing Fernley 34-20 with nine minutes left in the game, scored two comeback touchdowns in eight minutes. They were down 34-33 and Hafen elected to go for the victory with a two-point conversion play.

Hafen called the “Run 28-toss” that staked VVHS to a 35-34 lead with 1:05 remaining. Fernley marched to the Bulldog 13 in less than a minute on a nine-play drive. But Hafen’s son, Doug â€" playing at safety â€" picked off the Vaqueros’ fourth-and-goal pass in the end zone to preserve the Virgin Valley victory.

Hafe also has fond memories of his team’s 10-7 state championship victory against rival Moapa Valley in 2006 at Arbor View High School. Hafen imposed his will on the game as the Dogs kept the ball on one single drive that burned up the entire third quarter and the first two minutes of the fourth quarter.

“Spencer Zarate kicked the field goal to win that game,” Hafen said. “How often do we ever win a game with a field goal?”

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“Hafe was in the zone tonight,” said Charlie Jarvis, Bulldog defensive coordinator, after that game.

The Dawgs always seemed to be in the zone when they were playing in the Dog Pound, where Hafen built an 84-21 record.

“This community has always supported football,” Hafen said. “I couldn’t ask for more support than the community gives. It’s always a packed stadium. I think that helps the kids play well here. It’s been a tradition for quite a while. I’m proud that I’ve been able to keep up the tradition Evan Wilson started. Hopefully they’ll be able to keep that going. It’s not easy to do.”

It also is tougher to convince students to come out for football and other sports now.

“Times are a-changing,” Hafen said. “Way back when, everyone wanted to come outdoors and play ball. It seems harder these days to get kids out. There are too many other things going on anymore other than getting out and working hard.”

Working hard has been one of Hafen’s strengths. His summers ended with football camp in July, and the work continued to pile up through the season â€" weight room training, workouts, Bulldog football camp, two-a-days, practice, games, breaking down film, scouring and travel.

Now Hafen is walking away from all that. Twenty-six years of football will be in his rear view mirror; family, maybe some hunting and more time at Lake Powell wait on the road ahead.

It should be a good road.