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| March 29, 2018 1:00 AM

Hurst returning

to coach

Sandpoint

volleyball team

Jeff Hurst won four state titles in his first nine-year stint as Sandpoint volleyball coach, so he certainly knows what it takes to get to the top, and he’s hoping for a repeat performance after being hired to replace Erin Roos as the Bulldogs head volleyball coach.

Hurst led the Bulldogs to 5A state titles in 1994, 1995 and 1999, and a 4A state title in 2000, to highlight his first tenure at the helm of the perennial state power from 1993-2002.

Hurst, 50, is currently a strength training specialist in Sandpoint. He has a deep volleyball background, having played outside hitter in college at Ohio State University, where he was a four-time all-Big Ten Conference player and three-time All-American, calling it an “awesome experience.” From there he played three years on the pro beach volleyball tour and lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., before eventually ending up at Sandpoint.

The Bulldogs have won 14 state volleyball titles, the last coming in 2008. The team is always among the best in North Idaho and a regular state participant, including under the four-year run of Roos, but the program has not been a dominant factor at state in nearly a decade.

Petrino adds two, promotes

Mitchell to coaching staff

Idaho football coach Paul Petrino officially announced the addition of two assistant coaches Wednesday, and the promotion of another.

John Graham and Vernon Smith have joined the Vandals on the defensive side of the ball, while former graduate assistant Brandon Mitchell was promoted to the team’s 10th full-time assistant position, coaching the wide receivers.

Graham, formerly the defensive coordinator at Eastern Washington, joins Idaho’s staff as the inside linebackers coach. He is the father of Idaho junior linebacker Ty Graham. Smith, who spent the 2017 season at Northern Arizona, takes over the Vandals’ cornerbacks.

Graham brings with him 22 years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently spending nine seasons at Eastern Washington from 2008-16. He was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator for seven seasons. During his time at EWU, Graham coached numerous student-athletes who earned All-America honors and his 2010 defensive unit helped the Eagles win the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision National Title, after leading the nation with 47 forced turnovers and 26 interceptions.

Smith is joining the Vandals after spending the 2017 season as the defensive secondary coach at Northern Arizona. He helped the Lumberjacks to a spot in the FCS Playoffs, the sixth appearance in program history.

Prior to NAU, Smith spent two seasons as the cornerbacks coach at Portland State. His first year he helped coach both starting cornerbacks to All-Big Sky honors. The following season, cornerback Xavier Coleman earned as All-America honors. During Smith’s first season, the Vikings made an appearance in the second round of the 2015 FCS Playoffs.

Mitchell spent the last two seasons as an offensive graduate assistant with the Vandals. He will take over wide receiver coaching duties this season.

Prior to starting his coaching career at Idaho, Mitchell played professionally in the Indoor Football League. He started 11 games at quarterback for the Colorado Ice before season-ending injury. He second in the league voting for rookie of the year and fourth in the MVP race.