Anthony Tolliver is the new head football coach for Hidden Valley for the 2025 season. This hire comes on the heels of former head coach, Scott Weaver, retiring after the 2024 season. His final record was 67-94, which is the most wins in the school’s history. That means that there will be a new head man at Hidden Valley for the first time since 2009.
Coach Tolliver, also known as Bud Tolliver, played football and basketball at Salem High School. After that, he went on to play football at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. He then transferred to Radford after his freshman year. There, he finished his undergraduate and graduate degrees and served in the Virginia National Guard. He started coaching in 2015 as an assistant coach throughout Virginia and South Carolina and he most recently was a head coach at a high school in Savanah, Georgia for two years.
Hidden Valley’s players and coaches have been impressed with the energy he’s displayed thus far. “He’s very energetic, he’s on the younger side, he’s very passionate and he’s definitely going to apply a modern twist to what we do” says Mr. Luckett (staff) who is also the defensive coordinator and linebacker’s coach. “I think he’s a good coach, you know. It’s a big change in the football program and I think it’s going be a pretty good season” adds RJ Heard (10) who is one of the team’s running backs. It’s no secret that last year was a bit of a rough year for the football team, but there are many coaches and players who are very excited to see what Coach Tolliver can bring to the table and hopefully flip the script.
When asked about how they are changing their preparation with a new head coach, Coach Luckett said, “We’ve always been prepared, execution is what has gotten us in some trouble. As coaches, we’ve always been dedicated to making sure we are prepared going into the week. Hopefully Coach Tolliver will help with that execution.” He also added that they will be running different schemes and plays that he cannot reveal. One big thing that all of the coaches are saying is that they need to change the culture and the mindset of the players. They want to make kids believe they are capable of success. This will surely be the first order of business for Coach Tolliver.
