Heritage’s Thiel Signs to Kick for Saint Frances

Leesburg (Apr. 22, 2009) – Heritage High School’s new varsity head football coach Steve Williams first met Josh Thiel four years ago as the Pride’s boys soccer coach. Williams wasn’t in the habit of putting freshmen on the varsity but Thiel was a special player scoring nearly a half dozen goals before a knee injury ended his season.

Williams was also an assistant football coach at that time so it wasn’t surprising to see Thiel show off his kicking skills in the fall for the Pride starting his junior year and on Wednesday morning it was his football skills that were being celebrated as he became the school’s first ever NCAA Division I-AA football signee according to Williams.

Thiel will kick at Saint Frances in Loretto, Penn. The Catholic liberal arts college has 2,210 students and the Red Flash play in the Northeast Conference, where they struggled last season, going winless.

Thiel didn’t make his decision lightly, having visited a staggering 16 schools before making his choice. He said that he will punt, kick field goals and kickoff for Saint Frances.

First Thiel will finish his final high school soccer season with the defending Dulles District champion Pride. Williams, getting ready for his first football season at the helm and ushering in the Pride’s move to AAA and the Cedar Run District, will watch Thiel from the sidelines as he no longer coaches soccer.

“Josh was also receiving serious interest from Lock Haven University, but felt that St. Francis was a better fit for him,” said Williams, who called Wednesday’s signing a “hisstoric event” for the school and football program.