Looking down the sidelines for the first time at his former team in blue and gold is sure to be a strange sensation next season for Shane Sommerfeld.
Still, the opportunity to spread around some of Kelowna’s high school football coaching wealth was impetus enough for Sommerfeld to move on after three years at the helm of the Rutland Voodoos.
Sommerfeld has been appointed the new head coach of the Voodoos’ crosstown rivals, the Kelowna Owls.
He replaces Roy Anderson, who stepped down this spring after nine seasons on the job at KSS.
“It might be a little awkward to start, but I’m sure we’ll be able to work through things,” said Sommerfeld, who coached the Voodoos from 2009 to 2011. “I’ll miss the Rutland guys, but I’m also excited for this opportunity at KSS. I know the Voodoos are in good hands, so we figured why not spread the coaching around a bit.”
At Rutland, Sommerfeld was assisted by at least two other qualified head coaches, including Peter McCall and Jason Farnsworth. McCall, who was the head man for the Voodoos from 2001 to 2008, will return to the steering wheel of the Rutland program in 2012.
In the Owls, Sommerfeld inherits a program that has continued to grow in numbers and strength over the last several years.
Under Anderson, KSS won the last three Okanagan AAA Conference titles.
The Owls expect to have about 80 players between the senior and junior programs this fall for the start of the new B.C. high school football season.
Rawle James will serve as head coach of the junior varsity squad.
At KSS, Sommerfeld’s goal is to, not surprisingly, win a championship. But equally vital to the former Okanagan Sun and Dickinson State player is boosting the overall competitiveness of the game in the Central Okanagan.
“I want to see the football improve and get better in the whole district,” said Sommerfeld, a Teacher On Call in the Central Okanagan school district. “We want to close the gap and start challenging those teams on the Lower Mainland. We’re getting closer but will still have some work to do.”
From Kelowna Secondary’s perspective, athletic director Arnar Bernhardsson said the Owls’ program is optimistic about the future with Sommerfeld at the controls.
“We’re very happy he’s on board, we think he’s going to do a really good job,” said Bernhardsson. “He’s coached in university, junior and high school, so he has lots of experience. We’re looking forward to a new season with him in charge.”
Sommerfeld will make final decisions regarding the rest of the Owls’ coaching staff. For one, Ben MacAulay will return as the program’s offensive coordinator.
Sommerfeld played with the Okanagan Sun from 1988 to 1992, from 1993 to 1997 at Dickinson State, then in 1997 with the UBC Thunderbirds who won the Vanier Cup that year.
He spent seven seasons on the Sun coaching staff as defensive coordinator until 2007.
In 2008, Sommerfeld was the special teams and defensive secondary coach at Simon Fraser.
whenderson@kelownacapnews.com
