After two years at the helm of the Granite Falls High School football team, Tigers coach Tim Dennis has resigned.
Dennis is seeking a full-time teaching job and the Granite Falls School District, which has three teaching layoffs planned for next school year, doesn’t have any positions available, school officials said.
“We thought it wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest if he gets a job in August and (has to leave the team then),” Granite Falls athletic director Joey Johnson said.
Dennis led Granite Falls to back-to-back four-win seasons and a spot in the 2016 2A Northwest District playoffs, the school’s first postseason appearance since 2009. He took over a program that was coming off a one-win 2015 season, and his eight victories as coach of the Tigers matched the team’s win total from the previous five seasons combined.
“He did a nice job,” Johnson said. “He made some improvements for us, and he let the kids know they could win.”
Johnson said the job opening closes Friday and the school has some internal candidates in mind, but the position is still open to outside candidates.
The hire will be on a one-year interim basis because the school does not have a teaching spot to offer, but Johnson said next year there likely will be an opening to pair with the coaching job.
Granite Falls’ next coach has an opportunity to start fresh in a new conference and in a new classification.
The Tigers, who had the lowest enrollment of all Class 2A schools in the state during the last classification cycle in 2016, will drop to 1A this fall and leave the disbanding Cascade Conference to enter the newly formed North Sound Conference.
Granite Falls joins Sultan, South Whidbey, King’s, Cedar Park Christian and Coupeville in the new six-team 1A league.
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