Brad Hessel is replacing a legend
Brad Hessel is the new football coach at Wallaceburg District Secondary School, taking over from Rob MacLachlan, who retired in the spring.
Hessel is the first new head football coach at WDSS in about 30 years, as MacLachlan took over in the mid-1990s.
Hessel was on MacLachlan’s staff as an assistant last year. MacLachlan has helped out Hessel this year to make sure there’s a smooth transition.
“He has been helping out here and there. He has been coming out, (we’re) close because I helped him coach last year,” Hessel said.
Hessel has had an interesting career. He began as a teacher and football coach in the Thames Valley District School Board. He transitioned to becoming a Chatham-Kent police officer for close to a decade, and then went back to his teaching roots last year at Wallaceburg District Secondary School.
Hessel said his goal as a coach is to give the players the experience of playing high school football, which was very beneficial for him when he was growing up.
“We’ve got a very junior team, with only about 12 players returning from last year’s team,” Hessel said, noting that this year there has been a focus on fundamentals.
Hessel has Ryan Ebere, an assistant with MacLachlan for over 20 years, and Justyn Schwindt, a community member, helping him with coaching on the sideline.
MacLachlan built a strong Wallaceburg Tartan program during his tenure, winning two SWOSSAA titles and a number of league championships. WDSS is the only Chatham-Kent or Sarnia-Lambton high school football program to have a former player move to the National Football League.
Shaun Suisham (MacLachlan’s nephew) played in the NFL for 11 years.
Even with the success, MacLachlan said he was also proud of the teams who battled and helped to create competitive teams despite being a small school.
The Tartans have had a couple close games so far this season, and have an 0-3 record. They are scheduled to finish their season with a home game on Thursday, November 2 against Lambton Central. The game begins at 2:10 p.m.