By John Balch
News-Leader staff
Mineral Springs Head Coach Jason Hathcock has resigned after three seasons on the sidelines with the football Hornets.
Hathcock, who played high school football for Glen Rose and coached at Barton, Bismarck and Lafayette County before coming to Mineral Springs, leaves the Hornets with a 22-11 record.
“I know I have left the program better than when I took it over,” Hathcock told the newspaper last week. “In three seasons, the Hornets finished in the top 10 and made playoff appearances every season.”
He noted that the Hornets were 6-21 in the three seasons prior to his arrival including a winless 2021.
“The Hornets have had seven athletes and counting that have been offered athletic scholarship and the team GPA increased from 2.4 to 3.2,” Hathcock said.
During his short time with the school district, Hathcock said that he was also able to fundraise and make approximately $750,000 in business contracts used to improve the district’s sports facilities.
Hathcock said the main reason he resigned was that he felt that the district’s vision and his vision “no longer aligned.”
“When I accepted this positions, I was inspired by the vision for the district portrayed by the current administration. I feel the vision of the district has shifted, and our visions no longer align,” he said.
“There are no hard feelings, these things tend to happen in coaching. It is part of the business.”
Hathcock added, “I will cherish the memories made and will continue to support the young men that played for me at Mineral Springs.
“The relationships you build in this profession are what counts. I pray that the lessons that this football program has taught these young men enables them to have bright and successful futures in their careers, marriages and parenthood.”
Hathcock said he is unsure of his next step, but “Im trusting God to lead me to where He wants me to be.”
