Coach Troy Hill

After playing in the NFL, Valley's Coach Troy Hill knows football, and he knows enthusiasm. He sees both at Valley this year. "There's more excitement here for football," Hill says.

"Our numbers have increased. We had a good year [last year]. We did some things people were not expecting us to do. Last year kids got a taste of winning. It brought a little more excitement back into the program, a little more excitement into the whole school."

Hill believes it is reflective of the area. "This town, it's a football town. Lot more fans are coming to the game," he notes. "A lot more family members are coming to the game."

Fans will see a few changes. Besides the turnover in students, there was a small change in the coaching staff. Defensive Back Coach Mike Latanzio moved to another program. "We're sorry to lose him," Troy says. "A great coach, he went to Kiski. That's his hometown, he teaches at Kiski. It was a good move for Mike. He'll definitely be missed."

However, Hill doesn't see the Vikings program hurt by the move. "But again, we have great coaches here," the coach points out. "We have another coach who came in who actually works here in the school system, Nelson Lowe. He works along with ROTC also. Coach Lowe has a ton of knowledge about football. We lost one and gained another. We haven't missed a beat."

Despite the move from playing in the NFL, Troy Hill considers it an honor to coach Viking football. "It's a privilege for me to be here. It's a privilege for me to even be a part…I'm just glad to be a part of these kids' lives."

Valley Vikings Coach Troy Hill talks about who these kids who are, what teams they face, Ar-Ken Youth football and the Alle-Kiski coaching fraternity in the online video at: http://www.alle-kiskitoday.com/webcasts/1472