After coaching the Lynnwood High School football team for three years, Dorian Manza will pursue the next phase of his career.
Manza, a teacher and part-time administrator at Alderwood Middle School, aspires to become a principal. The essentially year-round time commitment of being a head football coach became too much to juggle, he said.
So Manza, 29, resigned as Lynnwood’s head coach on Monday. During his three seasons the Royals were 4-26, including 2-8 in 2009.
Manza brought long-sought stability and enthusiasm to Lynnwood, Lynnwood High athletic director Rob McMains said.
“Dorian is a classy guy and he does things the right way,” said McMains. “It’s disappointing for us to lose someone like that, who has brought some much-needed discipline and stability to the program.”
This season Lynnwood started 0-8 but finished with a 34-32 victory over Sedro-Woolley and a 33-10 win versus Shorewood. They were Lynnwood’s first back-to-back wins since 1999.
Manza, who lives in Edmonds, told Lynnwood players about his decision Wednesday after school. He hopes his successor builds on what the Royals achieved.
“It is an outstanding opportunity,” Manza said, noting the $50,000 worth of weight-room equipment and three artificial turf practice fields at Lynnwood High’s new campus. The Royals will return seven or eight starters on both sides of the ball in 2010, Manza said.
Lynnwood hopes to hire Manza’s replacement by mid-spring, said McMains.
In 1999 Manza graduated from Sunnyside High, where he competed in football, basketball and track. Then he attended Washington State University.
Manza did his student-teaching at Prosser High, where he was an assistant football coach under Tom Moore. Later Manza was an assistant at long-struggling Lynnwood for three years before he became head coach.
After going 2-8 his first season and 0-10 in 2008, Manza guided the Royals to another 2-8 record this fall.
“I felt that I was able to bring a sense of competitiveness to our games,” he said. “We weren’t getting blown out of every game.”
“I feel like the momentum is definitely there,” he added, “as far as starting to turn the corner with that program a little bit.”
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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