Breaking News: South Hills football coach Albert Rodriguez resigns

South Hills football coach Albert Rodriguez resigned on Thursday. Rodriguez led the Huskies to a glorious finish in 2014, rallying the Huskies from nowhere to upset Glendora to capture the Palomares league title. This past season the Huskies finished 4-7, but they made the playoffs winning their final two league games before losing to undefeated Summit in the first round of the playoffs. Rodriguez will remain a teacher at the school and is open to remaining on staff with whoever South Hills hires next.
Roriguez released a statement explaining his decision….
fudge“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments that our student-athletes have achieved over the past four years, especially the success we have had against the Palomares League,” Rodriguez wrote. “We finished 14-4 against our league opponents, including an undefeated league championship in 2014 and we qualified for the CIF playoffs every season during my time at South Hills.
“Without the hard work of the quality men on my football staff as well as the dedication of our players none of these accomplishments would have been possible. I am also grateful for the support from the student body, fellow teachers and staff members, parents, and the South Hills community as a whole.
“My decision to step down was not an easy one. There is a lot more to being a head coach than the X’s and O’s. For me the football and the relationships built with my players was the aspect I truly enjoyed. The past four years I would never take back, it was truly a wild ride. I will take this experience, learn from it and continue to grow professionally. My intention is to stay on staff at South Hills as long as they will have me. South Hills is my home and that will never change.”

MY THOUGHTS: Rodriguez was always a solid coach in a tough spot and I thought his statement came from the heart. But here comes the obvious, what will South Hills do next? Well, there are two former coaches with seven titles between them at the school. Steve Bogan, who won four championships and was the previous coach before Rodriguez, is the head coach at Maranatha but he’s still a teacher at South Hills. Could he be convinced to return or would he even want to? Ryan Maddox is the Dean at South Hills, but just a few years ago he won three straight championships at Monrovia. Is he a possibility? Could all three be on staff with either Bogan or Maddox leading thew way? Who knows, but I’ll tell you this: South Hills isn’t what it was during Bogan’s glory days, nor does it have the talent Maddox had during his three-peat. South Hills isn’t drawing the talent from surrounding areas the way it once did, that was clear toward the end of Bogan’s run at South Hills and during Rodriguez’s tenure. Football players just aren’t flocking there like they use to. But it does have a strong football tradition that’s appealing so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

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