Jared Van Acker announced Tuesday that he will be stepping down as head football coach at Grafton High to take over the same position at Freedom High School in Loudoun County.
Van Acker, who guided the Clippers to consecutive playoff appearances and an overall record of 21-14 in each of his three seasons with the program, cited stronger competition and a boost in pay as the main reasons for his departure to northern Virginia.
In 2011, Van Acker helped Grafton capture a Region I Division 4 championship and reach the state playoffs for the second time in school history.
Van Acker will look to bring similar success to Freedom High, which under the newly reconstructed playoff system will compete in Class 5A – the second largest class in the state – against the likes of state powerhouses Briar Woods, Broad Run and Stone Bridge.
“As tough as it is to leave these kids, who have been as important to me as my own, this was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up from a professional standpoint and financially for my family,” said Van Acker, whose wife is expecting their second child next month. “[Freedom High] is a fairly new school that has kind of struggled getting the football program off its feet, so I’m looking forward to stepping in and helping find an identity.”
Prior to coaching at Grafton, the 32-year-old Van Acker spent time as an assistant under who he refers to as his mentor, Brad Bradley, at William Campbell High in Illinois from 2004-06.
Van Acker later landed his first head coaching gig at Galax High in southwestern Virginia where he spent three seasons (’07-’09) before taking over at Grafton in 2010.
He says the proudest moment of his coaching career will be honoring three of his seniors who earned college scholarships – Jesse Santiago (William and Mary), Marcus Spearman and Jacob Mazgajewski – with a ceremony Tuesday night, where he will make the official announcement to his players.
“I’m going to miss these boys,” Van Acker said. “I’ve built some strong relationships with players who have gone on to play at the next level and others who I just had the pleasure of watching grow into fine young men.
“This was a great program before I got here because of guys like Kevin Montini and Tommy Bayse;I just helped continue the tradition.”
Van Acker added that the relationships and memories he will carry with him extend far beyond the Clippers’ football program.
“My experiences here at Grafton have been outstanding,” Van Acker said. “I had the pleasure of serving under great administration like [athletic director] Laura Sutton, and prinicipal [Royce] Hart.
“I’m going to miss a lot about Grafton, but I look forward to finishing out the rest of the school year and seeing some of my guys graduate.”
