Virgin Valley High School administrators didn’t have to look very far in filling two vacant head coaching positions at the school.

Longtime assistant coaches Mark Barnum and Doug Waite were rewarded for their service by being elevated to the top spot of their respective programs.

Barnum was named head boys basketball coach and Waite head boys golf coach replacing Sean FitzSimons and Josh Tyrrel, respectively.

“We would like to express our thanks to Sean and Josh for their service to the athletes here at Virgin Valley High School,” VVHS athletic director Keven Hess said in a statement. “We wish them well.”

Barnum, a 1988 graduate of VVHS, has been an assistant in the program for the past 12 years working under head coaches Kirk Brotherson, Rich Bohne and FitzSimons. He served mostly as the junior varsity head coach.

“I’m very excited and looking forward to keeping the tradition we’ve got going here at VVHS,” Barnum said.

Barnum will inherit only two returning players from last year’s team that finished 20-9 overall and was second in the Sunrise League at 7-3.

“It will be a challenge,” Barnum said. “We’ve got some younger kids coming up that know they’ll have to work hard like the past teams we’ve had here to be successful.”

Barnum is currently in the process of filling out his coaching staff. Anyone interested should send a resume to khess@interact.ccsd.net before July 1.

Waite is also excited about taking over the boys golf program.

“I’ve never wanted to be in the limelight,” Waite said. “I enjoy working with the kids. It’ll be a challenge, but it will be fun.”

Waite has been the boys assistant the past 12 years and the girls assistant for 16 years. He will continue his role as girls assistant under head coach Chimane Creer. The boys golf season is in the fall and the girls play in the spring.

Although the participation numbers aren’t high for both programs, Waite is anxious to help reverse that.

“There are a lot of kids, both boys and girls, who have the ability to play golf,” Waite said. “They’ve got more talent that they think they have. We need to beat the bushes and get them out. We’ve got the resources around here to help them with their game.”

Waite said the local golf courses have been great in working with the kids.

“They have bent over backwards to help out these kids,” Waite said. “They’re willing to help anytime they can.”

Barnum and Waite are two of three new head coaches hired in the past two months at VVHS. Steve Paylor was named head coach for the boys soccer program in May.