Ex-Heritage football coach resigns at North Medford

What began as a dream job for Nate Becksted quickly disintergrated into a nightmare at North Medford High School.

Beckstead, the former Heritage football coach, resigned just seven games into his first season as head coach at North Medford (Ore.) on Wednesday.

The Black Tornado were 1-6 this season under Becksted. The lone win was 46-44 victory at South Eugene on Sept. 23. But other than a 14-7 loss to Grants Pass on Oct. 7, all other losses were by at least 42 points.

The final loss was a 68-13 rout at Crater of Central Point last Friday.

“The season we’ve had has been a struggle in this community,” Becksted told the Medford Mail Tribune. “Even though it was my first year, people had expectations over the last few weeks. There has been some pressure put on me and the school. It’s been tough on my family. I decided although this decision is 100 percent about me and my family and what was best for us, the timing was 100 percent about what was best for the kids and North Medford football.”

Becksted resigned after five seasons as Heritage’s head coach in December. He said he wanted to look for a job closer to relatives in Northern California. He was hired by North Medford in February.

Now, Becksted says he will remain a physical education teacher at North Medford through the end of the school year. After that, he’s unsure of his future, but added that he would not seek another head coaching job in the near future.

To read the full story, go to the Mail Tribune.