Spring sports kicked off its season this week with the first days of practice.

And for the Tahoma boys soccer team, a new face appeared on the sidelines.

Zack Pittis is the new head coach this season for the Bears.

He joins Tahoma after spending the previous 11 years coaching soccer at Cedarcrest High School in Duvall.

Pittis has been playing soccer since he was 5 or 6 years old, he said in an email.

While attending high school at Highline in Burien. Pittis was a three sport athlete playing basketball and baseball along with soccer.

Because baseball and soccer are played in the same season, he said he had to chose one or the other.

“I remember it was a tough decision for me but I ended up choosing soccer,” he said. “(And) I’m glad I did.”

He went on to play at the collegiate level locally from 1993 to 1997 at Seattle U.

Pittis stumbled upon the coaching job at Tahoma when he applied for a teaching position.

“I wanted to teach in the Tahoma district,” he said. “I had heard great things about the community, the progressive nature of the district and (I) wanted to be closer to home.”

He added, he was happy to learn that the coaching position was open and available when he was applying for teaching positions.

He is currently teaching at Tahoma High School where he said he splits his time between AGGI classes and psychology.

The goals he has for his team is similar to goals he sets for his students, he said. “Enjoy the process of learning and dedicate yourself to getting better every day.”

He added, there will probably be things he does differently from previous coaches, Jason Johnson and his staff Alyssa Hurt and Adam Rubeck, but he will work to continue the great program that those previous coaches had created.

“I hope that I can continue some of the very successful traditions and routines that they implemented,” he said.

This season, Pittis will also be reunited with a former teammate of his from Seattle U, George Czarnowski.

Czarnowski is a fourth grade teacher at Rock Creek Elementary and will join Pittis as an assistant coach this season for the Bears.

Pittis said that before the two became teammates, they used to play against each other in youth soccer and several times in high school.

Czarnowski has also been playing soccer since he was 5 years old. He said he also played basketball during his time at Tahoma.

He has spent some time as an assistant coach and a head coach for 15 years. For two years he was an assistant coach at Tahoma and for one year he was an assistant at Auburn Riverside.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Zack this season,” Czarnowski said. “It will be pretty cool (to) be back on a soccer field with him again. Only this time, we’re sharing the field as coaches and not as teammates.”

Pittis agrees with Czarnowski.

“I am really excited for the opportunity to share the sidelines with George,” he said. “We have been friends for over 20 years! He is a great soccer player and still holds some scoring records at Seattle U. I believe that the boys will benefit immensely from his soccer knowledge and desire to win.”

The Bears season kicks off with a non-conference game Tuesday, March 14 against Todd Beamer. Tahoma will host the Titans at 7:30 p.m.