LANCASTER - Told you back on February 8 that Columbia was leaning toward hiring James Burke as its next head football coach.
Now it's official.
On Thursday night, Burke, who most recently served as an assistant coach with Columbia, received school board approval and he is the Crimson Tide's coach.
Burke's uncle is former longtime Columbia football coach Mike Burke, and his cousin is Mike Burke IV, who resigned his post as the Tide's coach in December.
"I've been around the program since I was very young, from ball-boy to a player and then as a coach," James Burke said Thursday night after receiving school board approval. "My uncle and his sons, as well as my dad, were all coaches and involved since the 1980s. We all value the small-town community life, and understand that there are positives as well as challenges to living here.
"I'm a Burke," he continued. "But I'm also my own person with a different, younger and fresher perspective. There are a lot of changes in the way students live and interact, and you have to be on top of those things. We want to build a positive environment at practice and grow the program. We want to put an emphasis back on education."
Columbia went 4-7 last season, including a loss to Delone Catholic in the District 3-A semifinals - one season after the Tide won the district title under Burke IV, who guided the Tide to a 15-20 mark in his three seasons.
Now another Burke will be calling the shots on the hill.
That leaves one L-L League football coaching vacancy: Conestoga Valley.
REINHART ON TWITTER: @JeffReinhart77