Garden Grove Hires Van Hook as Football Coach

Kris Van Hook has accepted the varsity football coaching job at Garden Grove High School, principal Gene Campbell said Monday.

Van Hook, 46, returns to head coaching after spending two years as the offensive coordinator at Cerritos High. Prior to that job he was head coach at Calvary Chapel from 1989-95, compiling a 31-22-2 record. During his tenure, Calvary Chapel won an Arrowhead League title and went to the playoffs three times. The Eagles reached the 1991 Division X final.

“I had never given up the [desire] of being head coach, but I took the job that was available,” said Van Hook of the Cerritos job. “It was a good transition time.

“But when the season was over at Cerritos, I was looking to get the head job again.”

Van Hook was a head coach at Cypress High from 1983-86, and held the same position at Lindsay High in the San Joaquin Valley from 1981 to 1983.

“It’s exciting and a new challenge,” Van Hook said of the Garden Grove job. “I only applied for two jobs and one was Garden Grove. I like the mixture of the school. They have been down for a couple of years, but we expect to get the program competitive with everybody in the league and make the playoffs.”

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James Honell, former Fullerton High assistant basketball coach, has been hired as boys’ basketball coach at Savanna High, Athletic Director Tom Voight said.