Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

When the Epping/Newmarket High School football team begins practicing for the 2009 season, it will do so without a significant piece of the program's short history. 

Rich McFadden, who has been the program's head coach since it gained varsity status in 2004, resigned Thursday and cited family reasons for his decision. McFadden said he has accepted an offer to coach the New England Football League's New England Hawks, a semipro team that played its home games at Exeter High School last season.

McFadden, who played high school football at Spaulding, played for the Hawks during the 2000 season.

"It came down to the time I can spend with my family," McFadden said. "That's a big part of it. I still wanted to stay in football. In high school you're spending three hours a day, six days a week. The Hawks practice two nights a week and it's later at night. It's much less of a time commitment."

McFadden, 42, was instrumental in forming a varsity program at Epping, which became a co-op program when it partnered with Newmarket starting with the 2008 season. Epping remained a Division V program when the NHIAA expanded to six divisions last season.

"I wasn't excited about the upcoming high school football season like I normally am," McFadden said. "If I couldn't give it my all I'd be a detriment to the team."

Epping posted a 22-6 victory over Gilford in its first varsity game, but is still seeking its first playoff berth. The Blue Devils finished 2-7 in 2004, 4-5 in 2005, 1-8 in 2006, 2-8 in 2007 and 1-8 in 2008.

"The next coach has to be someone up for a challenge,"McFadden said. "It's a tough division and it's a co-op program, so it does offer some unique challenges. I think new blood will do the program good -- I really do."