Tuscarora and Woodgrove high schools, set to open in Loudoun this fall, have begun filling their coaching vacancies.

Tuscarora has selected head coaches in three sports—Rebecca Puterio (cross-country), Michael Burnett (football) and Jeff Kaplan (golf). At Woodgrove, Scott Burns was named head cross-country coach.

Here’s more info on each of the coaches courtesy of athletic directors Derek Farrey (Tuscarora) and Rusty Lowery (Woodgrove):

Tuscarora

Rebecca Puterio, Head Cross-country Coach

Tuscarora High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Mrs. Becky Puterio as the inaugural Head Coach of the Huskie’s Cross Country program. She is extremely excited about developing a new Cross Country program at Tuscarora High School, and she is looking forward to working with individuals she can develop from elementary school runners into high school athletes.

Mrs. Puterio served as the Assistant Cross Country Coach at Broad Run High School for the last three years, and prior to that was an Assistant Track Coach at Potomac Falls High School. She currently coaches Girls on the Run at Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School, and has been a volunteer coach with the Loudoun County Track and Field Team youth team. As an athlete herself, she ran both cross country and track competitively in high school and college. She was the mile champion on the Massachusetts state championship track team during her senior year of high school, and competed for Mary Washington University during her collegiate years. Mrs. Puterio is currently a fifth grade teacher at Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School.

Michael Burnett, Head Football Coach

Tuscarora High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Michael Burnett as the inaugural Head Coach of the Huskie’s Football program. He is extremely excited and looking forward to developing a new Football program at Tuscarora High School.

Mr. Burnett has been coaching football for twelve seasons and prior to taking the job at Tuscarora High School, he served as the Head Football Coach at Broad Run High School and Santa Monica High School in California. At Broad Run, he led the Spartans to two state championships and twenty-eight consecutive victories, while accumulating a record of 43-6. He was named the Washington Redskins Coach of the year in 2008 and the VHSCA AA Coach of the year in 2008. He was also named the Virginia Preps AA Coach of the Year and Gameday Magazine AA Coach of the Year in both 2008 and 2009. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine where he played Varsity Football and Basketball and received his law degree from the University of Washington, in Seattle. Coach Burnett is married to Kimberly Burnett, and has two sons, Jack and Sam.

Jeff Kaplan, Head Golf Coach

Tuscarora High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Jeff Kaplan as the inaugural Head Coach of the Huskie’s Golf program. He is extremely excited and looking forward to developing a new Football program at Tuscarora High School. Mr. Jeff Kaplan is very excited and honored to be the inaugural Head Coach of the Tuscarora High School Golf program. Mr. Kaplan has been teaching and coaching for 16 years. He is currently a Health and Physical Education teacher at Smart’s Mill Middle School and coaching baseball at Heritage High School both located in Leesburg, Virginia. Although Coach Kaplan has an extensive baseball background (14 years high school), he has a great passion and knowledge for the game of golf. For the past three summers he has worked as a Starter /Marshall at Raspberry Falls Golf/Hunt and Belmont Country Club.

Mr. Kaplan graduated from Frostburg State University in 1990 with an Exercise Physiology degree. At Frostburg he was a member of the Baseball, Football and Rugby teams. Upon graduation, He worked as an assistant Athletic Director / Trainer at Worldgate Athletic club in Herndon, Virginia. In 1994, he received his Health and Physical Education degree from University of Maryland, College Park Maryland. Mr. Kaplan resides in Leesburg with his wife Christie, two sons Brady and Garrett and daughter, Courtenay.

Woodgrove

Scott Burns, Head Cross-country Coach

Mr. Scott Burns comes to Woodgrove after serving as the Head Cross Country Coach at Handley High School for 14 years. He has led his teams to 1 state championship (1993), 1 state runner-up (1990) and 4 top five finishes at the state meet (1992, 1998, 1999, 2000). Currently, Mr. Burns serves as an assistant coach at Loudoun Valley High School. Mr. Burns teaches middle school physical education and health at Farmwell Station Middle School in Ashburn.