Champlain Valley Union High School has hired the next coach to lead its football program. And the Redhawks didn't have to look far to find him.
Defensive coordinator Frank Parisi was promoted earlier this month as the new leader of the reigning Division I champions.
Parisi replaces Rahn Fleming, who stepped aside in January due to health and family reasons, following a six-year run that included a pair of D-I titles and a 36-6 record since 2021.
The Rutland Herald first reported Wednesday the hiring of Parisi, who is a 1995 Rutland High School graduate. Friday morning, Parisi said the group of returning CVU assistants believed it was important one of them to step forward and apply for Fleming's vacancy.
Parisi said he has full support from within the staff and externally. Parisi expects to retain the entire coaching staff except for one assistant who cannot commit due to work obligations.
"I’ve always wanted to be a head coach. Candidly, I really wanted to continue the culture and development we’ve had over the last four, five years," Parisi said in a phone interview. "We’ve taken it from nothing to something and we want to continue to do that and I’m fortunate enough to have the guys around me."
Previously at CVU, Parisi coached the offensive and defensive lines at the JV and varsity level. He spent the last two years as defensive coordinator. Along with TJ Merola, Parisi rebuilt the defense to a 4-3 look during the Redhawks' first championship in 2022. The duo then changed the system to a 3-4, leading to an historic 2024 campaign.
CVU outscored opponents 462-62 during an 11-0 season capped by a 41-14 victory over Rutland in the Division I title game.
The Redhawks are set to graduate 21 seniors this spring, and might lost a couple more to prep school, Parisi said.
"As I've been telling people, we are in a rebuild. We are losing half the team and all of them were very much impact players," Parisi said. "It's going to be a young team for the next few years, but there is talent coming up. It's a good challenge."
Parisi will also lean on Fleming as a mentor. Fleming, a teacher at CVU, will remain a voice within the weight room.
"I’m fortunate right now. (Fleming's) connection to the players is really good," Parisi said. "He really let us do our thing and believed in us. That’s what I have to do."
Parisi's first game in charge will be a full-circle moment: His Redhawks travel to Rutland for the 2025 opener against his former coach, Mike Norman.
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