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Wrestling

Wrestling

Throughout the storied history of Hill School wrestling, the program has had no shortage of masterful coaches.  Beginning with Frank Bissell, the architect of 17 National Prep champion teams and a 2012 National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, Hill School wrestlers have always been instructed by coaching staffs possessing an intimate knowledge of the sport’s fundamentals, techniques, and strategies.
Current head coach Dave Hoffman ’01 spent 12 years coaching at the NCAA Division I level prior to taking over The Hill program.  Hoffman was a five-year student at The Hill, (he arrived in 1996, when the School still had eighth grade), and became one of the most decorated wrestlers in program history throughout his five years in a Blues singlet. He finished his high school career with an overall record of 195 wins and 17 losses, the most career wins in program history. Coach Hoffman was a five-time Pa. Independent School state champion, a five-time National Prep place-winner, and a two-time National Prep champion.
 
After graduating from The Hill, Coach Hoffman wrestled at Virginia Tech University, serving as a team captain for three years. He qualified for the NCAA Division I tournament all four years, earning All-American status as a senior. That year, he also won his weight class in the ACC tournament. For the 12 years between his Virginia Tech graduation and his arrival at The Hill, Coach Hoffman served as an assistant coach for three Division I college programs: Bucknell University, Virginia Tech University, and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Joining Hoffman on the coaching staff is a highly qualified group of assistants, all of whom were decorated athletes during their respective careers:

Nate Brown: NCAA All-American at Lehigh University; runner-up in the 2015 NCAA Tournament
TJ Demetrio:  2x State qualifier for Pottsgrove High School; wrestled at York College and Millersville University
Zach Doll ’00:  3x Pennsylvania  Independent School Champion; 1x National Prep Champion, 3x NCAA qualifier at Pitt
Dan Hoffman: – 3x National Prep qualifier at Hill; Sectional and District Champion with Owen J. Roberts High School
Kevin Tkachuk: Former captain of Canadian national rugby team
Ty Willman ’95:  4x Pennsylvania Independent School Champion; 2x National Prep Champion; wrestled at Penn State

Team Renegade: Coaches Hoffman, Doll, and Brown resurrected - and currently run - Team Renegade, which was the preeminent youth wrestling program in the region in the 1990s. Since its formation in early 2019, Team Renegade already has become the area’s premier wrestling club. Run out of The Hill’s Bissell Wrestling Room, Hill wrestlers are able to train with Team Renegade free of charge throughout the year.