By Craig Juer -- Daily Staff Writer

STRASBURG — After two years with the program — including one as The Northern Virginia Daily's area Wrestling Coach of the Year — Brian Kibler is leaving the Strasburg Rams.

"He took a P.E. position in another county," Strasburg athletic director Matt Hiserman said Friday.

Kibler, who taught alternative education at Signal Knob Middle School, informed Hiserman of his decision Thursday evening.

A three-time Group A champion during his high school career at Strasburg, the 2002 grad went on to wrestle for JMU's now-defunct program. He was hired by Strasburg in 2006 when then-head coach John Stevenson decided to take an assistant's role.

After finishing second in the Bull Run District in 2007, the Rams won the Region B title in their own gym that same year, dethroning three-time defending champ Manassas Park.

"It was definitely a surprise," senior Jonathan Brill said. "But I think we knew we could do it."

The Rams went on to finish third at the state meet.

Brill credited Kibler with maximizing the squad's potential in a short time.

"He strengthened the program," Brill said. "He made the team as good as it could get. He was just, all-around, a good coach. Good person, good coach, good everything."

Hiserman said he couldn't reveal what county Kibler was headed to, but Sherando High School in Frederick County recently completed interviews for a physical education teacher to replace Mark Roller, who is heading to Strasburg this fall to replace Glenn Proctor as the head football coach there.

Brill confirmed he'd heard Kibler was headed to Sherando.

Kibler, who did not return phone calls seeking comment Friday, helped establish a middle school program at Signal Knob to feed talent into the high school's junior varsity and varsity programs. Kibler was also an assistant coach for Strasburg's football team, mentoring defensive backs.

"That's going to make a big difference for whoever comes in after that," Hiserman said of the middle school program. "They're going to have the middle school program already established, which is going to help them in trying to get kids at a younger age involved."

Last season, the Rams finished second in both the Bull Run meet and the Region B meet, with another third-place finish in Group A.

Hiserman indicated he would gauge the interest of assistants Stevenson and Ryan Lingle early in the search for Kibler's replacement, and post the opening on Shenandoah County Schools' Web site next week.

*Contact Craig Juer at cjuer@nvdaily.com

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