AURORA | Smoky Hill has hired John Trahan as its new head football coach.
Athletic director Preston Davis — who served as the Buffaloes’ interim coach in the 2014 season — disclosed Thursday that the Buffs had chosen Trahan, a former head coach at Montbello.
Trahan guided the Warriors to a 7-4 record in the 2013 season and finished 15-26 in four seasons at the helm.
Smoky Hill’s hire follows Aurora Central tabbing Travis Peeples and Vista PEAK filling its open job with John Sullivan, leaving Rangeview’s position — which came open when the school let successful coach Dave Gonzales go after 12 seasons – as the only known opening ahead of the 2015 football season in Aurora.
According to an online biography, Trahan is a 1980 Thomas Jefferson graduate who played as a wide receiver at the University of Southern Colorado — now Colorado State-Pueblo — in the 1980s and spent a season in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Realignment moved Smoky Hill out of the rugged Centennial League — which had both of last season’s Class 5A state finalists in champion Cherry Creek and runner-up Valor Christian — and finished 3-7 overall and 2-4 in its new home in the South Metro League. Davis took over the team and cobbled together a staff of veteran coaches to help him out.
Justin Hoffman coached the Buffs to a 2-8 mark the previous season and seemed to have the program moving forward after he replaced John Thompson, who stepped down after a seven-year run as head coach.
Trahan’s daughter, Salina, played tennis at Smoky Hill before she graduated in 2013.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel