Higgins out as Susquehannock football coach

After a little over 13 months on the job, Jerry Higgins (above) is out as Susquehannock head football coach.

The school announced the coaching vacancy via email Tuesday morning, 11 days after the Warriors completed a dismal 0-10 season.

It was not immediately clear whether Higgins resigned or was forced to leave. When reached by phone Tuesday, Susquehannock athletic director Chuck Abbott refused to comment on the situation.

Higgins took over the Warriors after former coach Tom Waranavage abruptly resigned midway through the 2008 season. The Warriors were 1-14 with Higgins at the helm.

This year, Susquehannock was shut out its first three games and managed 57 points the entire season. The Warriors lost their 10 contests by an average of 37.8 points.

Update: Got off the phone a little while ago with Higgins, who said that he was informed Monday during a regular evaluation meeting that he would not be returning to the program.

What's more, Higgins -- who in all spent 11 seasons with the Warriors program as an assistant and head coach -- didn't feel he was given ample time to succeed.

"It's very difficult having the rug pulled out from under you," said Higgins. "I felt I went the extra mile and gave them what I had, and I don't know that a year was enough to show them what I could do."

Higgins blamed the winless season on a combination of factors -- namely injuries, inexperience and a tough schedule.

"I think I probably overestimated some of the talent that we had," Higgins said. "We were very short on senior leadership. We had a total of six seniors, and only four of those played football before.

"We threw our best shot at it. The administration wasn't happy with the progress. They didn't feel the kids were getting better."

For more of what Higgins had to say, check out the full story on GametimePA.com.