Bertie High School Head Football Coach Tony Hoggard is stepping away from the game.

Earlier this week, Hoggard announced his resignation from the post as he moves into the administrative track and begins to focus full-time on his job as an Assistant Principal.

The decision was a difficult one for him, but the truth is that no person can handle the dual roles of administrator and Head Football Coach. Each is a full-time obligation at a high school and neither can receive proper focus if someone tries to do both. Hoggard did both without complaint for the last year, but he deserves the opportunity to show his worth to the district as an administrator and certainly deserves more time with his daughter, McKenzie.

While we’ll miss Hoggard on the sidelines (he is one of the liveliest of the coaches in this region), we respect his decision to move in a different career path.

Every educator is not cut out to move into administration, but it seems clear that Hoggard is. He has already garnered the praise of BHS Interim Principal G. Fisher Mitchell for his performance. Mitchell is a straight shooter and if he says Hoggard has a future as a principal, you can rest assured it is true.

Tony Hoggard has given his heart and soul to the Falcons for many years. He played at Bertie, came back to the school district and rose through the ranks from middle school coach to assistant on the junior varsity and then varsity levels, to coordinator to Head Coach. His pathway has been exemplary.

We applaud the work Coach Hoggard has done during the past four years of leading the Falcons. Taking over a program that wasn’t as strong as it was once was not an easy task, but he has handled it with pride and dignity and has always advocated for his student-athletes.

We wish Coach Hoggard the best as he becomes “Mr. Hoggard” at Bertie. We know he will do a great job and we’re looking forward to the day when his leadership on that campus is from behind the principal’s desk.