6/20/2012 - (Mugs Media Exclusive) Van Orden Takes High Point Job
Todd Van Orden had some big shoes to fill when he took over for Mike Van Zile as the athletic director at Wallkill Valley Regional High School.
After a fine four-year run with the Rangers, Van Orden was looking for a new challenge and he found one.
The personable and hard-working former Kittatinny star has been named the new AD at High Point Regional High School effective mid-August.
Van Orden was approved by the High Point Board of Education Monday night and replaces former AD Gib Carter who will move into an administrative position in the district, according to Van Orden.
No replacement has been named for Van Orden, according to Van Orden.
“It wasn’t easy for me to leave Wallkill,” said Van Orden, who will stay with the district until August 17. “But for me and my family it was the right time and the best move. It is a good fit for everyone.
“Everything was very positive at Wallkill Valley and I’m leaving on good terms,” added Van Orden, who was the head football coach at Hopatcong and Wallkill Valley during his coaching days.
“Wallkill has a great community, coaches, and a great bunch of kids,” Van Orden said. “I wasn’t looking to leave but when the opportunity came up at High Point I thought it would be a good move for me and my family and I was fortunate enough to be hired. I’m very excited about the opportunity.”
Van Orden lives in the High Point sending district and this will give him a chance to watch his kids play high school sports when they are of age. He also added that the athletic program at High Point in on “the brink” of becoming a state-wide power in many sports other than wrestling and now softball.
“They have so many good programs and coaches there and have outstanding feeder programs,” said Van Orden, who played collegiate football at Delaware Valley in the early 1990s. “I’ve have been able to get to know a lot of the coaches up there over the years so I feel it will be a seamless transition.”
While at Wallkill Valley, Van Orden was also in charge of transportation and custodial services, now he can just concentrate on running the athletic programs and the physical education department.
He will also remain secretary of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference despite the job change.
Van Orden said he had many fond memories of working at Wallkill Valley, where he started his teaching and coaching career before going onto stops at Hopatcong, Sparta and then back to Wallkill where he coached football and baseball.
But one of the most rewarding and important jobs at Wallkill was running the very successful Region I Wrestling Tournament every March.
Van Orden fought to keep the very popular tourney at Wallkill when a small but vocal contingent of wrestling coaches wanted it switched the Mount Olive the last couple of years.
“It is arguably one of the biggest sporting events around,” said Van Orden. “It was a lot of fun and a lot of people did an outstanding job to make it run like it does. I didn’t see it as work and I looked forward to it every year.”
Now the question is who will replace Van Orden? I have no idea who is interested, but I can think of one guy in district that would do a great job and that is Daryl Jones, the Rangers head football coach.
Jones comes from an athletic family and his father Bob was an AD. Jones is a Wallkill grad where he played football and wrestled and he seems like a natural fit for the position.
But that is my two cents for what it is worth in this economy.
Anyway, I know Van Orden will do a great job at High Point and I’m happy I will still be able to work with him.
Wallkill’s loss is most definitely High Point’s gain.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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