Firing line

It's one of the unfortunate realities of even the high school games - coaches who don't win are likely to be looking for employment elsewhere. Such was the case a few days ago when Elk Grove football coach Tom Whalen was told he was being let go as administrators decided "to go in a different direction."
Whalen was in charge for only four years and I know myself and others were hoping he'd get another shot considering the Grenadiers went from no wins two years ago and one last year to two this year with a team that was more competitive and had a lot of talented underclassmen on the way. It wasn't a lack of effort that kept the Grens out of the win column - a few days before they played their regular-season finale with Prospect, they were still out practicing in darkness even though there were no playoff or conference title hopes.
It's always tough to see someone you work with and get to know have this happen. But Whalen handled his exit with class, grace and dignity and will be a great addition to someone's coaching staff.