By Vincent PAGE

For the Crescenta Valley High School varsity football team, Hudson Gossard has been a part of the program for nearly two decades now. During his playing days he was one of the best quarterbacks (if not the best) to ever play at CV. He set school records consistently and received numerous honors.

Eventually he returned to coach at the same school where he played. As the offensive coordinator the past several years, the Falcons have been the most dominant team in the Pacific League, highlighted by its 2014 undefeated season, capped off with a CIF title. That CIF title eluded Hudson as a player and was a huge milestone in his professional career.

Now the next step of his career at CVHS has started. After longtime head coach Paul Schilling stepped down following the 2018 season, Gossard was named to fill the position.

“It definitely means a lot and it’s something that’s very special and dear to me,” Gossard said shortly after being named as head coach. Schilling is still with the program, returning to coach the freshman team this upcoming season.

For Gossard and the varsity squad, though, the goal remains the same: to compete for Pacific League and CIF titles. While his role as head coach is new, don’t expect much to change for the Falcons going into 2019. When Schilling was head coach, he trusted Gossard and the other coordinators to run their respective parts of the team, and that’ll be the mantra for Gossard as well. While he’ll still call the offensive plays and organize the weekly schemes, Gossard will keep the same coaching staff intact from 2018. Dennis Gossard will continue coaching on the defensive side of the ball, and positional coaches will stick to their roles.

As for the team he’s taking over, there will be a ton of talent rolling over into 2019. Similar to the CIF season in 2014, this team is loaded with seniors on both offense and defense. The only real question mark comes at quarterback, where there is an open competition to replace three-year starter Cole Doyle. However, if there was one position you’d want Gossard to coach up on the fly, it would be quarterback. 

Being a head coach is something entirely new for Hudson Gossard. He has seen the field as a player and offensive coordinator, but this next step of his career at CVHS will be monumental for his legacy as an all-time great Falcon.

  Vincent PAGE