High School Football: Zasada to leave T.F. North for Reavis

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Tim Zasada, Reavis football coach. | File photo

Updated: February 16, 2012 8:29AM

Tim Zasada was tipped off that Reavis was looking for a new head football coach from friends.

The information came with a warning.

“They told me, ‘The job is open but you don’t want to go there. They can’t win there.’ ” Zasada said. “When people say that, it strikes a chord with me.”

He went for it. Friday, he got it.

Zasada, the girls basketball coach and an assistant football coach at T.F. North, will be leaving at the end of the school year to become the football coach and a teacher at Reavis, pending school board approval Tuesday.

He will replace Jim McDonough, who resigned after nine seasons. Reavis was 0-9 in 2011.

Zasada already has one 2012 game circled on his calendar.

“Homecoming should be special because it’s a 30-year reunion of their state championship team,” he said. “That’s going to be neat to see, and for the kids to see that the program at one time was very powerful.

“It might take some time and a lot of work and building relationships. But I think if we can get organized in the summer, and everyone is on the same page, we can have some early success.”

Reavis won the Class 6A state title in 1982, and in the two previous seasons finished second. The Rams last qualified for the state playoffs in 2007, going 7-3.

Zasada, who began his coaching career at Hammond High, has been at T.F. North since 2001. He turned around a football program that hadn’t had a winning season since 1984, producing four state playoff teams before resigning after the 2006 season. He rejoined the staff as an assistant in 2009.

His girls basketball teams at T.F. North have won three conference and four regional titles.

“They gave me an opportunity (at T.F. North) to do things that I love, coaching basketball and coaching football,” he said. “We’re really excited about finishing the season. Hopefully, we’ll do some good things.”