Todd Kiley has stepped down after 21 seasons as Holliston High’s head football coach, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to New England Football Journal, he is expected to be named head coach at Franklin.
No official announcement has been made regarding Kiley’s move to Franklin. But Eian Bain, the new coach at Bridgewater-Raynham after spending eight years at Franklin, praised Kiley in a text to the Daily News and weighed in on his former team’s future.
“Coach Kiley represents the best of the best in football coaches in the state of Massachusetts,” Bain said. “I’m very excited for him, the Franklin players, and the Franklin community. I know they are in the best of hands moving forward.”
Kiley, a 1989 Holliston grad, led the Panthers to seven Tri-Valley League championships, an Eastern Mass. Super Bowl in 2010 and state championships in 2014 and ‘15.
His son, TJ, played for him through 2022 and became just the fifth Holliston player to surpass 3,000 passing yards.
After playing quarterback his senior year at Westfield State, Todd Kiley’s first coaching duties were as an assistant at Fitchburg State. One of his first jobs out of college was as a part-time physical education teacher in Framingham. He also spent five years as an assistant at Natick High under Bob Ghilani.
The Panthers finished 6-5 last season, but the fall and the ensuing offseason were known for much more than football. The team honored the life of former Panther Tim Garry in an October home game against Hopkinton. Garry died on Sept. 3, 2023 at age 30.
The program also lost former head coach Tom Caito, who died at age 86 on March 17. Caito coached the Panthers from 1969-75, won a state championship in ’71 and was a member of Holliston’s first Hall of Fame class.
Holliston opens the 2024 season against Canton at home on Sept. 6. Next season’s captains are Caleb Greenberg, Charlie Scott and Lukas Jacob Beadenkopf.