By Andy Walter

CAMDEN — Shaun Strickland always wanted the chance to go home again.

Now he is.

On Wednesday, the Caesar Rodney High grad and current Milford coach accepted an offer to be CR’s new football head coach.

The 39-year-old Strickland replaces Dan Candeloro, who stepped down as the Riders’ coach after this past season.

Strickland has been Milford’s head coach for the past eight seasons, leading the Buccaneers to the DIAA Division I state title game in 2017.

He finishes with a record of 41-37 at Milford with a pair of state tournament appearances.

“Any time you get to go home and make a difference there ... it’s Caesar Rodney,” said Strickland. “They’re one of the top programs in the state, year in and year out. And they’re always competitive in different sports.

“It’s just one of those things. It’s a dream to go home and be able to coach at a program of that magnitude. It’s exciting to jump from a program where we’re sitting in the 50-60 (player) range to double, triple that.”

A standout lineman at CR, where he graduated from in 2001, Strickland played at Lehigh in college. He’s also been an assistant coach at The Hill School (Pa.), Wesley College and CR before going to Milford.

The Riders are coming off a couple tough seasons having gone just 1-20 over the last two years. They were 5-2 in 2020.

In 2021, CR became part of Class 3A - with the biggest programs - after the state went to a three-tiered classification system.

Strickland met with his Milford players on Thursday morning to tell them the news. The Bucs have gone 12-22 over the past four seasons.

“It’s very hard,” said Strickland, whose father, Bill, has family roots in Milford. “It’s bittersweet to walk away. But, again, I’ll always be there for these guys. It’s hard to say goodbye but when Caesar Rodney comes knocking, it was just time.”