060209 - "Hibbs resigns as head coach at Biglerville"

http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/articles/2009/06/02/sports/doc4a2508c70f91c839765508.txt

BY ADAM MICHAEL - Times Sports Writer

Published: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 7:10 AM EDT

Tim Hibbs resigned from his position as Biglerville football’s head coach, Monday.
“I can confirm that one,” Hibbs said, adding he needed some time before revealing more information concerning his future plans. “I told the players today, so that is confirmed.”
As the head coach for a five-year tenure, Hibbs led his team to an overall 24-27 record, including a 7-4 slate in 2008 that included a share of the YAIAA-3 championship, breaking a 37-year drought of Biglerville teams without a division title. The Canners season ended when they lost their first-ever District 3 Class-AA game to Lancaster Catholic, 42-14.His efforts also earned him his first Times Area Coach of the Year award.
Biglerville athletic director Anthony Graham said it would be difficult to replace a coach as well respected as Hibbs.
The late resignation leaves the Canners at a bit of a disadvantage trying to find a head coach. With team camps beginning in mid-August, Graham will have to work quickly in order to advertise for the position, interview potential coaches and have one approved by the school board.
“Hopefully we can move quickly but not short-change the football players and student athletes as far as who we bring in,” Graham said. “We still want to find a quality coach to replace coach Hibbs. The standard is set pretty high, but we’ll just have to wait and see what we get."
“Hopefully with what coach Hibbs did with the program here in the last six years, we’ll gain some interest from some quality candidates," Graham said. "Coach Hibbs definitely turned the program around.”
Graham added that Hibbs has not indicated to him whether or not he will stay at the school as a teacher. However, Graham did say that Hibbs would be tough to replace in several facets.
“It’s going to be very difficult to replace a Tim Hibbs,” Graham said. “Not just as a football coach but as a strength coach and a track coach. He’s a certified strength coach. Everything he provided for the kids at Biglerville high school, it’s going to be greatly missed.”
The reaction from his players ranged from shock to sadness. Biglerville soon-to-be senior Zach Campo said the team met in the middle of the day because of a modified finals schedule.
The Canners meet once every two weeks to discuss workouts and to lay out plans for the summer.Expecting business as usual, Campo said they were stunned into silence.
"When he first told us it was kind of like, shock,” he said. “We didn’t know what to think at the time. There was really nothing said. Everyone was just kind of in disbelief. There were a lot of us really sad.”
Known for his tireless work ethic, his late night preparation of scouting reports following Friday night games, and his Speed, Agility, Quickness program, Hibbs will surely be missed, said Campo.
“I’m still a little upset because all I’ve known is coach Hibbs football,” Campo said, adding Hibbs was a mentor in all sports seasons. “He’s affected the way I played all my sports including basketball and baseball, using his philosophy of athletics. It’s a big change for me. I’ll come with his philosophy next year, 100 percent every single play, but it’s going to be a little different or a little weird.”
Hibbs took a temporary vow of silence with his students, not confirming his resignation from Biglerville, except as a football coach. He also declined to talk about his future in athletics.
“He just told us that he’s proud that we played for him and that if we need to talk to him, we can talk to him. He’ll be there,” Campo said.
Following the announcement, Graham, took over offering words of advice that Hibbs typically armed himself with.
“He just said we’re sad to see coach Hibbs go, but we need to understand that people move on and we just have to take from what coach Hibbs taught us: overcome adversity,” Campo recalled. “We’ll take from that and try to overcome this.”
The Times Area Most Valuable Player, graduating senior Parker Showers also said he was sad to hear that Hibbs was moving on.
Though players finished with the program were not invited to the meeting, Showers said he found out soon after.
“I was glad to have him as my coach, I’ll say that,” Showers said. “If he decides to go somewhere, I know they’re getting one heck of a coach. Biglerville would be losing a head football coach and all around athletic training coach.”
Adam Michael can be reached at amichael@gburgtimes.com.