Cites personal reasons. Had some momentum going at the school for once. I know you have to do what's best for you and your family but poor ER can't catch a break. It's very late in the year to try and find a coach at this juncture. I hope Eric Ratliff gets the job but I heard thru the grapevine that he has already moved to an assistants job at Shelby Valley.

How many years has Allen been coaching at East Ridge?

I hate to hear this. Brad has done a good job at East Ridge and established some consistency. He has been there I think 6 seasons after the school had gone through a coaching carousel for years. Whoever they hire, I hope it is somebody who will step in, continue the upward climb, and stay with it.

Hard place to get somebody to come to is it not? As is...but, especially at the end of June. In the absolute middle of nowhere isn't it?

 

I hate it that he felt the need to resign so late, too...but, a man has to do what a man has to do for sure. People are just getting burnt out of doing that job. I've noticed on the coaches list serve that several schools are still trying to find assistant coaches this late in the year, some of them needing multiple coaches.

 

What's the total number up to again this year? 40+ again?

Allen has worked his butt off at East Ridge and truly tried to do the best he could to bring that program's competitiveness up.

 

Last year they did not compete in a District but he was able to lead them to a 6-4 mark and at one point the Warriors were 5-2.

 

Really tough gig. East Ridge is a 3A school by the numbers, but the three schools that consolidated to form ER were three 1A schools... two of which that did not even field football programs. A very spread out District, one of the the most poverty stricken areas of the entire State, and to top it off historically forced to compete in a strong District.

 

I really thought ER was in a position to finally start to make headway in their program. They are set to drop to 2A the next alignment in a much more user friendly district, and will have had two years of Non-District football to win games and build numbers.

 

Here's wishing the best for Coach Allen.