ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage football coach Perry Escalante informed his team Friday afternoon he has resigned his coaching duties.
The 59-year-old turned in his letter of resignation Thursday but said he will continue his duties as a history teacher.
The War Eagles finished this season 0-10 after forfeiting a season-opening win over Olathe (Kan.) North after using an ineligible player. It was Heritage's worst season in Escalante's eight years, and it was surprising, he said.
"We didn't envision this at all," Escalante said. "We thought we were going to be OK. Then the wheels came off. That's just part of football. We started off with a bang, beat a really good football team on the road. Then one thing led to another and there you go."
He made the decision to resign after the season was over, Escalante said.
Escalante has been Heritage's only football coach since the school opened in 2008, and this was the worst finish of the eight seasons. Escalante had a career record of 33-54 at Heritage, including 16-40 in 7A-West Conference play.
He guided the War Eagles to the Class 7A state quarterfinals in just their second season and a 9-3 finish, but Heritage finished above .500 just one time in the next six seasons.
Mark Holderbaum, athletic director for Rogers Public Schools, praised Escalante's work in building the program at a new school.
"From day one, Coach E won the job in the job interview," Holderbaum said. "He and his staff have worked hard to put together a competitive program. There's been a lot of benchmarks established, and he's made a lot of positive impressions on young men's lives. We just appreciate the job he's done."
Escalante spent six years as an assistant coach at crosstown Rogers High, which helped him understand what he would be up against when taking the Heritage job.
"It's been good, my time here," Escalante said. "I knew it was a difficult job when I accepted it. Being with coach (Ronnie) Peacock over there for several years and the trials and tribulations we went through trying to put quality teams out there. There's just not a lot there, and when you split that talent pool, it's going to make it more difficult.
"We had some successful years, I thought. I thought we built a really solid foundation of a good program. I was hoping at some point I could walk away and feel good about it. Of course when you walk away right now, you don't feel good about it. You want to leave it better than what you got it."
Escalante isn't sure whether he will retire from coaching entirely or not.
"I have my degree in administration, and I could be an assistant AD or assistant principal," Escalante said. "But I still enjoy the classroom, and I still enjoy coaching. I just don't know if that's what I want to do."
Holderbaum said the search for Escalante's replacement will begin soon.
"We'll take the weekend, and I'll get together with administration," Holderbaum said. "We've got a lot of teams still in the playoffs here and in other states. But we'll try to get someone in place as soon as we can. It's not a process we're going to rush, but it's also not something we want to drag out."
Sports on 11/21/2015