Hidden Valley High School’s new geometry teacher, Anthony “Bud” Tolliver, has more on his plate than lesson plans this fall. Along with teaching math, he was hired as the Titans’ head football coach following the retirement of Coach Weaver, who stepped down after last season.

While the program has struggled to string wins together in recent seasons, Tolliver said he remains optimistic about the upcoming season.

A Salem High School graduate, Tolliver played both football and basketball before continuing briefly at the University of Charleston. He later transferred to Radford University, where he completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees while serving in the Virginia National Guard. Tolliver began coaching in 2015 and most recently served as head coach at Savannah High School in Savannah, Georgia.

Balancing the classroom and the field presents challenges, Tolliver said. “It’s definitely hard, but you’ve got to learn how to balance between football, family and teaching math,” he said. “You just need to make time for everything.”

Players say the transition has been encouraging. “Our formations have changed for the better,” junior Nolan Woodard said. “We have better plays implemented,” added junior Richard Heard. Senior Oliver Lichtenstein said practices have also improved. “We lift all the time,” he said.

Tolliver said his first priority as head coach was building a staff and hearing directly from his players about their expectations. “We have a very young and energetic coaching staff,” he said. “I’m a players’ coach, I see what my players need from me and adapt to it.”

He added that his goal is to create an environment where athletes feel comfortable making mistakes and learning from them, while still showing respect.

After assessing the team’s first scrimmage, Tolliver said there was plenty of work to do, but he was encouraged by improvements in the second scrimmage. “We liked how we got up early, and we think we’re mostly where we want to be at this point in the season,” he said.

With his dual roles in the classroom and on the field, Tolliver hopes to bring both stability and energy to Hidden Valley, shaping students’ futures in math and building momentum for Titan football.