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Zilla said the resignation had to do with a difference in vision “as to how coaching should be organized and accomplished.”
“We have a difference of opinion,” Zilla said. “The high school education and high school athletics is about more than winning and losing. I’ve always been proud of our record and performance and how well our kids play and how hard our kids play. I think it’s time for a change.”
The 50-year-old Zilla, hired in 1998 one year after the high school opened, led the program to five state playoff appearances -- two as a Class 2A program and three in Class 3A. The Wolves also earned the South Sound Football Officials Association
Sportsmanship award five times, including this past season where the Wolves went 4-5 overall.
Black Hills was the first head coaching job for Zilla, who previously was an assistant coach at Lake Washington, Anacortes and Coupeville high schools.
The 2009 season was one of the long list of memorable moments for Zilla. The Wolves, led by future Division I talent Cody Peterson at running back, finished second behind W.F. West in the 2A Evergreen Conference and lost to eventual state champion Lynden, 14-7, in the first round of the 2A state playoffs.
