Adam Caine, who took Sequatchie County's football program to new heights, resigned Wednesday morning after three seasons and will take over as head coach at Upperman High School.
In three years as the Indians' coach, Caine compiled a 26-10 record that included a program-best 13-1 record in 2016, when they reached the Class 3A state semifinals for the first time in school history.
"I'd give all the credit to the players we inherited," Caine said. "They put in the work. Their mentality and my philosophy were a perfect match, and we were able to achieve some historic success here. I've had a lot of kids who worked really hard and played really hard for me since I've been here.
Adam Caine resigned as Sequatchie County High School's football coach on Wednesday. The Indians went 26-10 in three seasons under his direction, including 13-1 last year."It wasn't an easy decision because of the relationship I have with the kids. But when I was offered the job at Upperman, it just felt like the right time. There are a lot of people who reached out to me about it and made me feel comfortable with the direction and vision for the school and the program. That got me excited."
Caine takes over for Ben Herron, who resigned as Upperman's coach after seven seasons that included five straight playoff appearances. Upperman competes in the same Region 4-3A as Sequatchie County and finished 6-5 overall last season with a win over the Indians.
A 1989 McCallie School graduate, Caine coached previously at Hewitt-Trussville in Alabama, where he was the defensive coordinator and helped that team reach the 7A state quarterfinals. Before that he worked at Shiloh (Ark.) Christian School for two seasons and at McCallie for three seasons. He also worked at another Birmingham high school, John Carroll Catholic.
He also has college coaching experience - he was the defensive coordinator at Sewanee for three years, coached at Samford twice and worked at Washington & Lee as well as at Austin Peay.
"We'll meet with the director of schools to decide what direction we will go for our new coach," Sequatchie County principal Tommy Layne said. "The record speaks for itself. To come back last season, after losing so many seniors, and be competitive and reach the playoffs, that says how good a coach he is.
"Adam is a class guy and one of the best football coaches I've ever been around, and we wish him and his family well."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.