After one of the most successful stretches in program history, Chad Barger has stepped down as Sequatchie County's football coach. Barger resigned Monday following the first losing season (2-8) in his five-year tenure with the program.
"I just felt like I need to step back and let somebody else have a shot at leading the team," Barger said. "We struggled this year. We went backwards. You rack your brain to see what you could do. We were extremely young, but that's no excuse. Maybe some fresh blood will help turn things around.
"I'm sure I'll get the coaching bug -- it'll bite me again. But I just think if I'm going to coach again, it needs to be somewhere else."
Barger, who compiled a 29-26 overall record with the Indians, brought stability to a program that had had four coaches in six years and had gone 1-19 the two seasons before he took over. A 1996 Bledsoe County graduate, he was a Sequatchie County assistant from 2001 to '04, working as defensive coordinator and later offensive coordinator.
He previously worked at Cannon County, taking that program to its first winning record in 29 years.
He guided the Indians to a 6-5 record in his first season, the first winning record for the program in eight years, and led them to consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 13 years. They reached the second round of the Class 3A playoffs two years ago.
"We really appreciate what he's done for our program," Sequatchie County principal Tommy Layne said. "I told him he didn't have to [resign], but he had his mind made up. He did a super job of turning the program around. The numbers are up, and the future is very bright because of what he's built."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.
Stephen has covered local sports in the tri-state area for more than 20 years, starting at the News-Free Press as a 19-year-old reporter. He has been with the Times Free Press since its inception and has been an assistant sports editor since 2005. Stephen is among the most decorated writers in the TFP’s newsroom, winning numerous state, regional and national writing awards. He was named one of the top 10 sports writers in the nation ...
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