DOWAGIAC — When the Dowagiac Board of Education voted 3-3 to confirm Union High teacher Matt Alward as the new varsity wrestling coach Wednesday night, it assured that the Chieftains will not have an official head coach when preseason practice begins.

After several attempts to confirm Alward have failed, new Dowagiac superintendent Mark Daniel said Thursday afternoon that the position will be re-posted.

The position must be posted 10 days, which means the ability to just apply for the job goes beyond the start of the season. Preseason practice is scheduled to begin on Monday, Nov. 8.

Daniel spoke with new Dowagiac athletic director Scott Lawler Thursday morning and “I asked him to think of some options,” he said. “We will most likely be posting the position and that has to sit for 10 days.”

Since wrestlers should have already been conditioning for the upcoming season, Daniel said that Lawler will be getting together with the coaches that are still a part of the wrestling program and they will get them to begin conditioning on Monday.

After the posting closes, a selection committee will once again get together and the process will begin anew.

“Those are the tentative plans as of this afternoon,” Daniel said.

On Wednesday night at the special meeting, President Larry Seurynck, Sheryl File and Stacy Leversen supported the recommendation by Lawler of Alward. Former board president Randy Cuthert, Mark Dobberstein and Julia Smith voted against the hiring.