Arizona football coach abruptly resigns one hour before first spring practice

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By:  and USA TODAY High School Sports

USA TODAY High School Sports is a partner of High School Football America

About an hour or so before Goodyear (Ariz.) Millennium’s first spring football practice on Monday, James Carter resigned, calling it “personal.”

Carter said he had been debating the move in his mind for a while, before deciding to do it before the team took the field.

He said that his assistant, Ryan Desrochers, is taking over on an interim basis.

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A teacher at Millennium, Carter said he isn’t sure if he will coach as an assistant next season.

He didn’t get into specifics on why he decided not to continue leading the Millennium program, only calling it “personal.”

Principal Tamee Gressett wrote in an email that the priority is to find the best possible coach.

“Coach Carter’s priorities are away from football,” Gressett wrote. “We respect him for the decision he has made and want to thank him for the time he gave Millennium.”

Carter had a 4-6 record in his only season at Millennium in 2016.

Carter had led Peoria Sunrise Mountain to a 20-3 record in his final two seasons there and a 47-20 record with five state playoff appearances from 2010-15.

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.