A familiar name is back in the Waupaca High School coaching ranks.

John Erspamer, who coached the boys’ hockey team from 1996 to 2008, is replacing Dave Crisman, who stepped down following the 2015-16 season.

“The interest was there when Dave announced that he wasn’t coming back, but there was a lot to think about and I didn’t want to rush into any decisions,” said Erspamer, who took a job as a teacher at WHS in 1996 and is now principal of the Waupaca Learning Center. “I kind of wanted to see how things would play out. There was a search on to find somebody and I helped with that, but there comes a time when you have to make a decision.”

His son, Jack, helped make that decision easier.

“In the end, how many people get to coach their kids in high school?” he asked. “Jack, being a freshman, obviously played a part in it. I’d by lying if I said that wasn’t a major reason that I was coming back, to spend more time with my son in a game we both love.”