Gilbert Highland saw its football coach head elsewhere last month, and this month it was the Hawks’ turn to snatch a coach from a neighboring school.
Highland announced the hiring Tuesday of former assistant Pete Wahlheim, head coach the last six seasons at Chandler Seton Catholic.
“We’re excited to have him back and carry on the tradition we have athletically and academically in our football program,” Highland athletic director Jim Baker said. “He’s gone out and gotten some head coaching experience and done a good job (at Seton).”
In Wahlheim’s six seasons at Seton, he posted a 44-21 record. The Sentinels reached the championship game in 2003, falling to Show Low. Last fall, Seton was 11-1 and lost in the state semifinals to Wickenburg. He was an assistant at Highland from 1998-2000 under then-coach Mike Reardon.
Wahlheim will find some old friends in the Fiesta Region with Reardon now coaching at Gilbert Mesquite and Jeremy Hathcock, who coached Show Low in 2003 when the Cougars knocked off Seton for the title, now the coach at Mesa Desert Ridge.
