Gerhart out as head football coach at Norco after nine years

After nine successful seasons, the contract of Norco High School head football coach Todd Gerhart was not renewed, a source confirmed to the Daily Bulletin.

The news was announced to the Norco players at a 3 p.m. meeting on Friday and the players’ parents at a 4 p.m. meeting. Gerhart’s longtime defensive coordinator, Larry Baker, will take over as head coach at Norco.

The first indication Gerhart may not be brought back was when the coach was placed on administrative leave in April while the school conducted an investigation based on complaints alleged by a former assistant football coach.

The father of current NFL players and Norco alums Toby and Garth Gerhart won two CIF-SS championships and posted a combined record of 85-28 at Norco.

The Gerhart family legacy at the school may not be over yet. Coltin, the youngest of six children to attend Norco, is a rising senior who has been the Cougars’ starting quarterback the previous three seasons.

After taking over as head coach in 2004, Todd Gerhart led Norco to the CIF-SS championship game three consecutive seasons, winning titles in 2005 and 2006.

Toby Gerhart became the all-time leading rusher in the history of California high school football while leading the team to the title in 2005. Garth Gerhart was the center for the 2006 team that defeated Temecula Chaparral, 43-0, in the CIF-SS Inland Division championship game.

Gerhart has since led the Cougars to the semifinals twice, including a 2009 Big VIII League championship season that ended with a one-point loss in the playoffs. Norco has exited the postseason in the quarterfinals the last three years.

The Gerhart legacy at Norco extends beyond football.

Toby and Coltin were both standout baseball players at the school.

The triplet Gerhart daughters who played softball at Norco all went on to play collegiality. Teagan and Kelsey were both seniors at Stanford this year while Whitley was a senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

After a college career at Stanford that ended with a second-place finish in the 2009 Heisman Trophy voting, Toby Gerhart has played three seasons for the Minnesota Vikings. Garth Gerhart went undrafted in 2012 but was signed by the Cleveland Browns before joining the Green Bay Packers in January.

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