Trojans coach says 13 years is enough

The Park Hill football program will be absent of a significant presence they’ve had on the sidelines the past 13 seasons next year. After building the program into one of the most consistent contenders in the metro, last week during a team meeting head coach Greg Reynolds announced he was stepping down.  Citing his intention to pursue other opportunities including a possible role in administration, Reynolds said the decision and timing were made on his own after considering it in recent months and discussing it with assistant coaches and Athletic Director Bill Sobbe.

“I had been thinking about it for a couple months. I decided now was a good time to do something different and pursue some other opportunities,” Reynolds said. “If it doesn’t work out, coaching is always something I can come back to in the future.”

Mindful of waiting until after his team’s annual end of the season banquet, he wanted to make sure they got the recognition they deserved without distraction.

“The banquet is about the players and recognizing their efforts, nothing else, so I wanted to wait until that happened.”

Reynolds said there were several factors that made the timing right. Since most opportunities within the district aren’t made available or decided on until later in the school year, he wanted to make sure a thorough search process could take place to find his coaching replacement well ahead of the start to next season. Another was due to several assistant coaching positions that will be open coming into next year. Having the flexibility to fill those positions with their own preference was something Reynolds said would be advantageous to a new coach.

Reynolds, who is also the varsity baseball coach, intends to coach the team through the end of this spring’s upcoming season.

During his 13 seasons, he compiled a 105-46 record (.695 winning percentage), 10 district titles, six state semifinal appearances, and a state championship in 2003. Before taking the top job in 2000, Reynolds served as an assistant coach for several years. He has been involved with the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association, serving as President in recent years and in 2010 was one of 100 coaches nationwide selected to attend the NFL-USA Football Summit.

The head coaching vacancy at Park Hill is now expected to be one of the most sought after football positions in the metro this offseason. Athletic Director Bill Sobbe said he will meet with Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Bill Redinger this week to discuss how the search process will be carried out. Sobbe said he believes applications will be accepted through the middle of January and a decision will be made by the beginning of February. While Redinger will oversee the process and make the final decision, Principal Brad Kincheloe along with Sobbe will also have a say in who the selection should be.

“We will be looking for someone with high character and someone who has the ability to get us to where we’ve been in the past so we can see that kind of success in the future,” Sobbe said.