Palmyra’s Hill leaving to coach football at Class 6 Waynesville

PALMYRA, Mo. — The injection of life Dalton Hill put into the Palmyra football program was noticed by administrators around the state.

Waynesville is hoping he can do the same for its program.

Hill, a Mark Twain graduate who spent the past two seasons as the head coach at Palmyra, recently accepted an offer to become the head football coach at Waynesville, a Class 6 program in the Central Ozark Conference.

“I’m excited about the move and excited to coach at the Class 6 level,” said Hill, who led Palmyra to victories in three of its first four games last season and a 5-15 record overall in two seasons. “Like anything, there are different rewards and different challenges. I’m excited to see what lies ahead.”

Waynesville finished 0-10 last season and hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since 2019 when the Tigers went 7-4. Waynesville, which has an enrollment of 1,627 students, is 9-41 in the five seasons since.

“Waynesville intrigues me because they have all the bones to be successful with their program,” Hill said. “They have a large number of kids that come out and play every year. They have an awesome football complex in terms of weight rooms, coaches meeting rooms, locker rooms, athletic training rooms and field, etc.

“Anytime you have a chance to compete in one of the best conferences in the state and have all the resources you could possibly need, you have a real opportunity to turn the program around.”

Hill took over the Palmyra program in 2023 following the dismissal of Kevin Miles and members of his staff. The former Northwest Missouri State starting offensive lineman injected life into the Palmyra program with his hands-on approach and fierce intensity.

“I enjoyed the kids,” Hill said. “A lot of the kids I worked with were great. I enjoyed my staff. I enjoyed my administration team. I really enjoyed getting to work with kids in all athletics in the weight room. Those are the things that made it hard to leave.”

Yet, he’s excited to see what the next chapter brings.

“I do believe my time at Palmyra has helped me prepare for this moment,” Hill said.