Amherst hires new head football coach

Amherst County High School has a new head football coach.

On Thursday night the Amherst County School Board approved Cecil Phillips of King’s Fork High School in Suffolk. Phillips has worked as head football coach at King’s Fork since 2004.

Phillips replaces Scott Abell, who resigned his post last month to take a job at Washington & Lee.

Abell, who led the Lancers to back-to-back state championships in 2006 and 2007, said W&L has offered him a position as an offensive coordinator.

Since 2002, Abell has amassed a 60-12 record.

In 2007, he led the Lancers to a 14-0 record with the 56-10 state-title win against Sherando in December.

Phillips is a graduate of Ferrum College and Virginia Tech.

Amherst County High School Athletic Director William Gouldthorpe said the school sysytem did interviews with five coaches from around Virginia before settling on Phillips.