Coaching changes come to Champlain Valley Union High

In the world of Champlain Valley Union High athletics, one coach has stepped down and another has stepped up.

Stan Williams, head girls soccer coach, decided to give up coaching and concentrate on teaching and family, and Frank Parisi was named head football coach, filling the vacancy created when Rahn Fleming stepped down for health reasons in January.

Williams started coaching CVU girls soccer in 1994, taking over as head coach in 2013. During his tenure at the helm, the girls soccer team compiled a record of 182 wins, nine losses and six ties. During those 12 years, the team played in 10 state title games and won eight of them.

A year ago, he said, it was determined that the girls soccer team had the most championships in the country for any team sport. It is thought that the CVU’s boys and girls soccer teams together have the most championships for any sport in the state of Vermont.

Williams’ history at Champlain Valley goes back quite a ways. He played soccer as a student, graduating in 1989.

His mother was a teacher, his grandfather and his uncle were both principals and superintendents in this area and his cousins were teachers.

“Education was all around me. So, of course, as a teenager and then in my early 20s, I was like, ‘The last thing I’m going to do is that,’” Williams said.

But funny enough, soccer led him to teaching after his plans for a job fell through a week before he graduated from Hamilton College in New York, where he played soccer.

Back home in Vermont, wondering what his next step should be, an old teacher told him about a rec soccer team in Shelburne that needed a coach. In 1993, he coached a junior varsity team in Middlebury and began substitute teaching. He found that, contrary to what he had thought, he liked it. He took courses at St. Mike’s to get his teaching license.

“I got a job coaching at CVU, and then I student taught there. Then next thing I know, I got a teaching job. Now, I’ve been teaching there for 30 years,” Williams said. “I’ve been around CVU soccer for 34 of my 54 years.”

To coach soccer at the level that has become a tradition at Champlain Valley takes “an incredible amount of time. It’s year round,” he said. “I kind of finally had hit the point where I was not positive I could give all of myself to it. I figured that kids and parents deserve somebody who can be all in on all aspects.”

The time you have to give to coaching is intense, he said, but he’s loved every minute of it.

He’s an instructional coach now, but he taught social studies and English at CVU for 26 years.

“The tradition of CVU soccer was strong when I was a player. It was strong when I took over, and hopefully, I made it a little stronger,” Williams said. “And I hope whoever takes over from me makes it even better.”

Although he is proud of the championships his teams won, he’s even more proud of the community support for Redhawk soccer and the experience that community has built.

Although Williams lives and grew up in Shelburne, he’s got deep roots in Charlotte. His father grew up here, and his great-grandfather started the Old Brick Store.

Parisi to head Redhawks

Frank Parisi is stepping up from defensive coordinator to head coach this year.

This will be his sixth year of coaching at Champlain Valley, one as JV offensive and defensive line coach, two as varsity offensive and defensive line coach and last year as defensive coordinator.

A resident of Essex Junction, he is vice president of commercial lending at EastRise Credit Union where he leads a team of seven lenders. He finds the leadership and management experience required for his job informs his coaching abilities. Both positions require well-tuned team building skills.

Parisi graduated from Rutland High in 1995 and played offensive line for four years at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

Offensive coordinator John Stempek also went to Rutland. Because Stempek was a few years ahead of him in high school, they didn’t play high school football together, but he did play a year as a teammate of Stempek’s brother.

He thinks that he and Stempek have brought a toughness to the Redhawks that Rutland is known for, but there are no divided loyalties. When the teams take the field, the coaches’ allegiance is to the team.

Since he was introduced to CVU football, Parisi said, “It is where my heart is. I do not have any allegiance to any school but CVU.”

This has made for some “fun in the house” at his home. He has two younger daughters in the Essex school system and his oldest daughter graduated from Essex High. When she was still in school, she used to fuss at him: “You can’t wear that red shirt in the house.”

It seems clear from his laugh when he tells this story that the shirt didn’t come off.

Parisi’s first year as head coach may be a challenge. After last year’s team had one of the most dominating years in Vermont sports history, winning the state title not just unbeaten, but unbeaten in unprecedented fashion — outscoring opponents by 400 points (462-62) for the year.

The Redhawks defeated Rutland, Parisi and Stempek’s alma mater, 41-14 in the state title game.

However, this year promises to be a rebuilding year. Of the just over 40 players on last year’s team, 21 graduated and they’re losing some players to prep schools.

Among those who may choose the prep-school route are Orion Yates. Parisi hasn’t heard final word on Yates’ plans for his junior year. During his sophomore year, Yates shone for the Redhawks at quarterback and linebacker.

However, losing more than half the team from last year, may not be so devastating a blow for CVU. Because the team had so many blowouts last year, a lot of the younger players got a good bit of playing time, coming in when the game was out of reach of CVU’s opponents.

Still, Parisi said, “We’re going to have to truly evaluate each and every player in their positions this year, for the first time in a long time.”