New boys, girls soccer coaches at Flathead

Flathead High School activities director Bryce Wilson announced on Friday that the school has hired new boys and girls varsity soccer coaches.

Dan Ferguson, technical director with the Bozeman Blitzz youth soccer club, will take over for Chris Putzler as the boys soccer coach. Cory Wilson, an assistant under former coach Scott Warnell, will coach the Flathead girls.

“(Ferguson) has an absolutely outstanding soccer resume,” Wilson said. “He’s got an action plan for what he’s going to do for the boys soccer program for the next five years.”

Ferguson has both an A coaching license and a youth license from the United States Soccer Federation. He was an assistant women’s soccer coach at the University of Montana in 2006 and helped coach the Butte High School boys soccer team in 2007. He has spent the past seven years as a coach with the Montana Olympic Development Program and has been technical director for the Blitzz the past five years.

“I’m really excited to be a part of Flathead soccer,” Ferguson said. “Not only with the high school, but also getting involved at the youth level as well.”

As technical director with the Blitzz, Ferguson was in charge of a youth soccer program of about 1,500 players from ages 4-19. Many of the members of Bozeman High School’s boys and girls soccer teams, which both won Class AA state championships at the 2012 state tournament in Kalispell, also played for the Blitzz.

“I was actually at that state tournament where the boys won the state title minutes after the girls,” Ferguson said. “I’ve never been so proud watching players that I’ve worked with and been around for five years or so. To see them achieve something they’ve worked so long for was very gratifying and emotional.”

The Flathead boys are coming off three consecutive winless seasons, but Ferguson said he is looking forward to the challenge of turning the program around.

“I like the idea of being able to work with people and help restore their confidence in soccer,” he said. “I really look forward to going in there and seeing what I can do.”

Cory Wilson has served as an assistant under Warnell for the past eight years and will take over a team that has reached the semifinals of the Class AA state tournament two of the last three years.

“Cory’s qualities are those of a coach who has extremely high expectations of his student-athletes, often getting them to work beyond their own abilities,” Bryce said. “He has the aptitude, discipline and resolve to challenge student-athletes and to enhance our entire girls soccer program.”

Both hires are pending approval from the school board.