Local Product Marvin Wooten Ready For Head Coaching Challenge

It won't be much of a summer break for Marvin Wooten.

The new head football coach will be spending it running camps, envisioning plays, meeting players and planning for his first season in charge of his own football program.

That's fine with him. The Reston native is thrilled  - although a little surprised - to be here.

Wooten, 26, was named head coach in May, replacing Andy Hill. Hill took over a struggling program in 2010, and in his one season turned the Seahawks into an 8-4 team with a playoff victory and a win over Herndon for the first time in nearly a decade.

But in the spring, Hill announced he was heading back to Minnesota to take over the program at Woodbury High School, his alma mater. He recommended Wooten, who was named interim coach, be his replacement.

"It was a bit of a shock," Wooten said of Hill's departure. "Andy brought renewed energy and excitement to the program. He implemented a new system. The kids had fun, even when they were going to practice every day."

The system will look pretty similar when the 2011 Seahawks play, says Wooten.

"[Hill] and I have the same philosphy and outlook," he said of his friend Hill, who will still be the best man at Wooten's October wedding. "When it comes to football, we think alike."

South Lakes coach Bruce Butler says Wooten's commitment to the student athletes made him the top choice. Wooten, a South Lakes alumni, was hired by Butler as a physical education teacher at the school five years ago.

"Marvin went to school here and has been incredibly dedicated as a teacher and assistant coach," said Butler. "His sincere commitment to the school community now translates into the head football coaching job."

Wooten truly is a local product. He grew up in the neighborhood, attending Terraset Elementary, Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lakes. The now 6-foot-4 Wooten wanted to play Reston Youth Football, but as a 10-year-old, he was too big for his age-group team. He went over to Loudoun County and played in its youth league though.

Wooten was a three year defensive line starter at Howard University in Washington, DC, and he returned to South Lakes to do his student teaching.

"I wasn't expecting to get hired here," says Wooten. "But I connected with the kids right away."

Meanwhile, after college, the coach got a tryout with the Washington Redskins in he spring of 2006.

"I got through one day," Wooten says. "It was an experience."

Wooten was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under previous coach John Ellenberger and then offensive coordinator under Hill. He says he regularly puts in 12-hour days to ensure the football program runs smoothly.

While the coaching staff will remain mostly the same, there will be many new faces on the team in 2011. The Seahawks are losing stars Sean Price and Darius Smith, both of whom will play at Division I Appalachian State in North Carolina in the fall.

"We may not have depth, but we've got some good kids," says Wooten. "Most of the kids have been working in the weight room. It is definitely  going to be a rebuilding year. We're going to have to make adjustments and run the ball a little more without Price."

Wooten and the Seahawks coaching staff are offering football camps at South Lakes this month. For info, click here.