Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 13, 1992 TAG: 9203130085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Caltagirone, who for the past four years has been an assistant to Bob Christmas at Jefferson Forest, will be the new head coach at Staunton River. Scharnus, the head coach at Carroll County for four years, is the new coach at Liberty.
Both were approved for their new positions by the Bedford County school board Thursday night.
Caltagirone and Christmas came to Jefferson Forest from Lynchburg Christian. They took a sagging Cavalier football program and turned it into a winner that culminated with Jefferson Forest going 13-1 and reaching the Group AA Division 3 championship game this past fall.
Scharnus, who was an assistant under Joel Hicks at Pulaski County, got the call to make Carroll County competitive in the New River District. Scharnus did just that as the Cavaliers made the Group AA Division 4 playoffs twice in four years and went 7-4 during in 1990.
Caltagirone, 42, might have the more difficult task. Staunton River has lost 22 of its past 23 games. Yet Caltagirone, who plans to run the wishbone as was done at Jefferson Forest and Lynchburg Christian, is convinced his team can reverse the situation quickly.
"I think we can be competitive in our first year," he said. "By competitive, I expect to be in most of the games by the fourth quarter. All we want to do is put kids in a position where they can maximize their talents and win games.
"I want to establish a system of football on offense, defense and special teams. I want to establish a positive atmosphere and attitude."
Caltagirone will be one of the few high school coaches in the state with a doctorate degree. He holds one in physical education and gave up a teaching position at Liberty University to take the Staunton River job. While he was a full-time coach at Jefferson Forest, he did not teach there.
"Some of my colleagues think this is a step down, but I think it's a step up," said Caltagirone, who will teach physical education at Staunton River. "My heart has always been working with high school age students. While I have fulfilled the role of being a professor, I've never been comfortable doing it. When I walk out on a football field, I feel that's the place I belong."
Caltagirone has never been a head football coach. He played football at Eastern Montana and was a head wrestling coach in California.
Scharnus, 34, takes over a Liberty program where going .500 has been considered a good year. The Minutemen haven't broken even since the 1985 team went 5-5 under present Jefferson Forest principal John Walker. The year before, Liberty had gone 5-4-1 for the school's last winning record.
"I see this as a positive career move. I think there is some potential, that it's a very good district and this is a good situation," said Scharnus.
Scharnus says playing in an 11-team district such as the Seminole will be a new experience. Carroll County played in a four-team New River District.
"It's definitely a goal to be competitive for the district title. But I want to see us get to the playoffs. If the big things such as a title come first, that's good. But we'll look at realistic goals and that's to get into the playoffs."
Scharnus also will be moving from a school that has a mostly rural population to one that has a city base from the town of Bedford. He'll rejoin Liberty head basketball coach Mark Hanks, who also comes from Pulaski County. Hanks just completed his third year as the Minutemen's head coach.
by CNB