Rohr steps down at Brentsville

By Robert Daski

Published: August 14, 2008

After 18 seasons, Chip Rohr said he has resigned as Brentsville’s boys’ soccer coach.
Rohr, who won almost 200 games during his coaching tenure, cited a lack of support and cooperation from Brentsville’s athletic department as the reasons for his decision to leave following the completion of the 2008 season.
“It was not something I really wanted to do, but I thought it was necessary under the circumstances,” Rohr said.
Brentsville activities director Jane Earman said she asked Rohr to resign because Brentsville has two people who will be new teachers at the school interested in coaching soccer.
Rohr is not employed by Prince William County schools.
Earman said both soon-to-be Brentsville teachers expressed an interest in coaching soccer when they were interviewed for their teaching positions this spring.
“We have to provide the opportunity for new teachers in this building to be a head coach,” Earman said. “We tell that to all our people outside of the building if they want to be a coach.”
Earman prefers to hire coaches who work or teach at Brentsville.
“It makes our lives easier if they do (work here),” Earman said.
“I imagine we’ll have a variety of people from Northern Virginia who are interested in the position,” Brentsville principal Robert Scott said. ““I don’t know how many teachers in the building will apply.”
Earman wants to fill the position by the end of September.
Scott said the position will be advertised through Virginia High School League and be posted on the Prince William County schools and Brentsville High School web sites.
Rohr disputed Earman’s claim that she asked him to resign.
“That’s not a true statement,” Rohr said. “She did not ask me to resign.”
He said Earman informed him that an opening for the boys’ soccer head coaching position would be advertised and that Rohr was welcome to apply for it.
Rohr said he also met with Scott who verified the position needed to be advertised. Scott also allowed Rohr to present himself as a candidate for the vacancy Rohr said.
Instead, Rohr submitted his letter of resignation to Scott and was uninterested in applying for the opening.
“I thought that showed a lack of support from the administration and I wasn’t prepared to interview for the position I held for 18 years,” Rohr said.
Recently, Rob Weaver, who is not employed in the school system, was hired as Brentsville’s girls’ basketball coach. Earman said Weaver was “the best candidate.”
“We interviewed eight candidates, none of them are teachers are Brentsville,” Earman said. “Even our assistant [junior varsity] coach interviewed, but we didn’t have any teachers. None of the candidates work here as a teacher.”
Rohr was born and raised in Manassas. He coached boys’ soccer at Osbourn for 12 years where he attended before graduating high school from Randolph-Macon Academy, a military school in Front Royal.
He was 194-89-21 as Brentsville’s coach. Rohr took Brentsville to the Group A state final four times, winning the state title in 1996. He also led the program to the Region II tournament four times in the last five years.
This season, Brentsville advanced to the Group AA state quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Jamestown 2-1.
“I had a great group of kids at Brentsville,” Rohr said. “I think the team I put together has a great future.”
Rohr plans to return to high school coaching in Prince William County. He runs soccer camps in the area and is on the Virginia Youth Soccer Coaching Association staff.
“If I find something that’s a good fit, it’s my intention, to continue to high school coaching,” Rohr said. “I think I still have a lot to offer.”