Renton football coach Donald Ponds announced last month that he was leaving  the program to move to Eastern Washington to be closer to family.

Ponds will be replaced by Tim Tramp, pending board approval.

According to an email from Renton School District Athletic Director Brian Kaelin, Ponds will continue his teaching/coaching career in the Walla Walla area.

“Coach Ponds and his coaching staff have done an outstanding job with the football program at Renton High,” Kaelin said. “We appreciate all the work that he and his staff have done, and we wish him and his family all the best.”

On Wednesday, the school announced the hiring of Tramp. According to Kaelin, Tramp has 14 years of experience as a head football coach. In those 14 years, he directed his teams to post season play nine times.

Tramp has also been named Coach of the Year three times, including a 2003 KingCo 4A Conference award.

For the past several years, Tramp has served as an assistant coach in the area as he’s worked on obtaining his administrators credential. He takes great pride in developing a quality program both on and off the field, and is committed to the advancement of young people in preparing them for life after high school.

Kaelin said his philosophy and commitment mesh well with the Renton School District mission.

“We are excited that we were able to hire an experienced head coach that can continue to build the Renton High School football program both on and off the field,” he said.