By Matthew Hatfield

Correspondent

David Coccoli has coached his final football game at Nansemond River High School.

After directing the Warriors on a surprise run to the Class 5, Region A Championship as a No. 4 seed last November, Coccoli announced his resignation to the team on Wednesday afternoon.

The decision was one Coccoli wrestled with, yet he ultimately felt the timing was right as he looks to spend more time with family and pursue a career in administration. He has two children; 4-year-old daughter Grace and 2-year-old son Caleb.

“I’ve got a lot going on with two young kids, and I’ll be getting my school administrative degree that I’ll be finishing up this summer. Trying to get all this done with a young family and not be able to commit to the off-season program like I’ve done in the past, it wasn’t right for me to continue to ask the kids and coaches to be there every day, but I can’t lead by example,” Coccoli stated.

“It just got to a point where I’m being pulled in too many directions and I felt it was time to step aside. No better time to do that than after the most successful season the school has ever had.”

Before last season, Nansemond River had not won a playoff game since 1995. In four seasons with the Warriors, Coccoli compiled a record of 27-20 overall. That was highlighted by last year’s 9-5 finish, where they reached the state semifinals. It was there that the dream of a state title was halted by Highland Springs, who rallied from a 10-0 deficit to oust the Warriors 28-18 on their way to capturing a third straight Class 5 crown.

Coccoli, 37, returned to the Hampton Roads area after orchestrating turnarounds at both Forest Park and Manassas Park, guiding both programs to the playoffs. He grew up around the game of football as his father, Don, coached at Warwick High School, his alma mater, in Newport News.

The younger Coccoli went on to play football in college at Christopher Newport and began his own coaching career at Warwick, where he spent six seasons as an assistant.

“I can’t be more blessed than my time at Nansemond River,” Coccoli said in looking back at his tenure. “We’ve taken some situations where kids needed to learn how to win, be leaders and develop so that they can impact the community. I feel like we accomplished those things. Every year we got better, and to culminate with this showed the growth of the program.”

With 14 starters back, the Warriors figure to remain a contender in the Southeastern District next season and challenge for their sixth straight playoff berth.

“There’s a lot returning, so I’m pleased to leave it with the cupboard full instead of on the downward trend like it can happen many times,” added Coccoli, who plans to remain teaching history at Nansemond River.

What Coccoli is most proud of goes beyond the victories, pointing towards the academic performance off the field. Eight players from last season’s team signed to play football in college.

“We never had a kid below a 2.0 GPA that played on our team or had to use a waiver. Ever year, our GPA’s rose on the team, so that’s always important,” Coccoli noted.

“It’s reflective of getting more kids into college. That’s one of the things we really emphasized and harped on because winning is one thing, but you need to be able to do something after high school.”