Fort searching for new football coach

Fort Vancouver football will be getting a fresh start.

Coach Eric Ollikainen resigned after the season, and athletic director Dirk Hansen said he has already heard from several candidates who want the challenge of turning around the program.

“I’m really, really excited about the opportunity to install that person into the position who is going to be a good fit at Fort. Solid in the x’s and o’s and schemes of football and who can assemble a staff that is really going to be able to put Fort back on the map in terms of football,” Hansen said.

The plan is to have a new coached hired no later than the second week of January, the AD said.

Hansen also appreciated the effort from Ollikainen, a Fort graduate who wanted desperately to make it work with the Trappers.

There will be more in Friday’s edition of The Columbian.