By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
After seven seasons as head coach at North Pulaski High, Tony Bohannon is calling it quits.
The Falcons concluded their second consecutive 1-9 campaign, losing their final nine games of the season. From 2004 through 2007, the Falcons endured a 32-game losing streak. Bohannon compiled a 5-65 record at the school.
Bohan-non did not say whether his resignation was requested, only that “there is always pressure.” He will remain as athletic director, a position he has held for the past three seasons.
“I’ll also still be the ninth-grade football coach,” Bohannon said. “We’re just going to approach (the varsity) program from a different angle and see if we can make it work.”
Bohannon said the position had not been officially opened up as of Friday morning and was unwilling to speculate as to whether any current assistant coaches would be considered for the job.
“All of that will be handled by Tracy Allen, our principal,” he said. “He’ll make the move and that’s going to be up to them. I probably won’t be in on it, but I’m a team player and I take my role as AD very seriously. I’m for what’s in the best interest of the athletes.”
With eight starters back on both defense and offense, prospects for a multiple-win season were higher than ever, but injuries cut short the Falcons’ hopes. North Pulaski opened with a 21-15 win over Searcy and was competitive in three other games but failed to win another.
“When you have 15 or 16 starters get hurt, and you lose (running back Darius Cage) for half the season, it makes it kind of hard,” Bohannon said. “And we didn’t have a lot of depth to begin with. But I have no regrets. I’m not giving up on this program. We’re going to get the best in here we can get.”
Before taking over at North Pulaski, Bohannon was an assistant coach at Mills.
