High school football: Rob Fontana officially hired as Crystal Lake South head coach

Rob Fontana knows it’s an uphill battle in the loaded Fox Valley Conference, but he’s willing to take on the challenge.

Fontana, 35, officially was hired Tuesday as head football coach at Crystal Lake South, which finished 3-6 last season and missed the playoffs. Fontana takes over for Chuck Ahsmann, who retired from coaching at the end of the 2016 season after seven years in charge of the program.

“I’m really excited to jump in right now,” Fontana said. “We’ve got a good group of guys coming back. I’m grateful for the opportunity. I want to try and put South back on the map in the Fox Valley.

“It’s a tough challenge. It’s going to take a lot of work, but we’ve got a good group of guys.”

Fontana has been an assistant football coach at South since 2005, with a two-year hiatus during the 2008 and 2009 seasons when his wife, Jorie Fontana, first took over as South girls volleyball coach. Jorie still coaches the volleyball team, and by now they are accustomed to busy fall semesters.

Fontana served as the Gators’ defensive coordinator each of the past three seasons. He teaches physical education and driver’s education at South. He graduated from Jacobs in 2000, where he played football and baseball, and he went on to play baseball at Aurora University.

“He brings a lot of passion,” South athletic director Jason Bott said. “We’re just really excited for the future and the vision he’s going to bring to the program. We’re really excited for what Gator football is going to be.”

Bott said Ahsmann, who plans to continue teaching physics through the 2017-18 school year, did not have any input in the hiring process.

However, Fontana said Ahsmann has been a mentor and will continue to be one throughout his first year as head coach.

“He has been incredible for me for years,” Fontana said. “He’s one of those guys that has known that I wanted to learn everything I could from him. Any questions I ever asked, he was always there to take the time to show me.

"He already told me he’s there if I need anything."

Ahsmann finished his seven seasons as head coach with a 43-28 record and four playoff appearances. Ahsmann and Fontana also have coached together for the baseball and girls basketball programs. Fontana estimates they have coached about 20 seasons together between the three sports.

Fontana will take the reigns of a program that reached the IHSA playoffs 12 consecutive years from 2001 through 2012, but has made it only once (2015) in the past four seasons.

“It’s going to take a lot of work,” Fontana said. “That’s one of the things we know has to change: We have to demand a little bit more from our players. But I think whatever we demand, they’re going to be willing to put forth the effort.”

Rob and Jorie Fontana have three children – daughters Bella, 9, and Lily, 4; son Robbie, 7. The family lives in Algonquin.