WOODBURY — An assistant coach with extensive experience coaching in the Naugatuck Valley League will fill in the head coaching gap for the new Nonnewaug Chiefs football program.

New head coach Scott Lynch has accepted the role for his first head coaching position ever, even though is was tough for him to leave his success he had along other head coaches. 

“It was a hard decision to ultimately make to apply for the head coach position [even] though I know I’ve been ready for some years now to make the move to head coach,” says Lynch. 

Lynch will now take over the co-op program, which will include Nonnewaug, Shepaug, and Lakeview. This program replaces the former four-team co-op called the Northwest United Workhorses, which included those three schools plus Wolcott Tech.

The Workhorses finished the season 9-1 and forfeited to Windsor in the first round of the CIAC Class MM playoffs due to the lack of healthy players. This co-op disbanded after the season because the roster size had exceeded the CIAC limitation for co-ops.

Many of the current Nonnewaug football players, such as sophomore Ethan Butkus, are excited for the new opportunities coming with a new team. 

“I’m excited for this new team and new coach,” says Butkus. “I think this is a good opportunity to give everyone a fresh start, rebuild the team, and show other teams that we can perform.”

Nonnewaug assistant principal Declan Curtin says that Lynch stood out among other candidates.

“We got a lot of names and interviewed all the candidates we thought could be the head coach at Nonnewaug High School,” says Curtin. “Scott Lynch rose to the top of that group. He was chosen by the entire group because of the attributes he has as a coach. And on a side note, he did coach my son many years ago, so I have actually observed him grow in the last few years.”

Since 2009, Lynch has worked under several of the most successful coaches in the NVL, such as Chris Moffo at Woodland, coach Chris Anderson at Woodland and Naugatuck, Jason Pace at Wolcott, and Jeremy Clark at Derby.

“His mentors have been the best in the business,” said Curtin.

Not only have his mentors been great, but so have his partners on these staffs.

“I’ve also worked with some of the greatest assistants the state has to offer,” Lynch said.

At Woodland, Lynch helped flip the Hawks from a disappointing one-win season in 2016 to playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019. He was also part of the Greyhounds’ 2021 NVL championship staff, and most recently, he was the defensive coordinator at Derby.

“Derby is a very small team and they managed to have one of the better seasons they’ve had in a long time,” says Curtin. “Being competitive in the NVL while being a small school says a lot to me.”

“As the defensive coordinator at Derby in 2024, we made huge strides and had tremendous success on the defensive side of the ball,” said Lynch, “along with working with many coaches that I have a tremendous respect for and a roster who bought into everything we were doing. The thought then became [whether] to stay at Derby and continue our success and continue the resurgence of that program into the future.”

But after talking with coaches around the state, his wife, and kids, Lynch knew that he was ready for the change. 

Besides his previous experience, achievements, and football knowledge, Lynch brings important qualities needed in order to have a successful football team.

“I believe some of the best qualities I bring to the program are enthusiasm, an undeniable passion for the sport of football that I try to make contagious to all to inspire, positivity, relentlessly building positive morale to create an enjoyable atmosphere and program, [and] respect,” Lynch said. “[I want everyone to be] a part of what we’re going to build and be a part of its growth.”

As well as being fair, he also plans to exercise good communication as the new head coach. 

“I always strive to be as open and transparent with all players, coaches, and parents as a part of our program,” Lynch said.

Overall, Lynch expresses excitement in this new opportunity.

“I’m extremely excited to be here at Nonnewaug with this co-op of Shepaug and Lakeview,” Lynch said, “to get after it [at] a high level, and bring an expectation of excellence to the Chief football nation.”