Alvirne will be looking for a new football coach as Tarek Rothe, citing personal reasons, has stepped down. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

HUDSON – After going through arguably the most difficult season of his six-season tenure, Tarek Rothe has stepped down as the Alvirne High School football coach.

Rothe informed Broncos athletic director Karen Bonney Wednesday morning of his decision, citing personal reasons.

He took over the program in 2017, and after a year in Division I, the Broncos went down to Division II and were much more competitive, with an appearance in the finals in 2018 and semifinals in 2019. But in 2020 they moved back up to Division I to fill the void of Timberlane dropping down to II, and the results have been just the opposite. The Broncos suffered a 23-game losing streak which they finally snapped with a win over Goffstown in the final game this season to finish 1-9.

One of Rothe’s biggest plusses was he teaches in the building, something the Broncos had lacked for years.

“If you talk to any athletic director, you always want somebody in the building,” Alvirne AD Karen Bonney said yesterday. “It makes a huge difference. So whether or not I have someone like that, I don’t know. I appreciate the time that he and his staff has done over the years. It’s provided us stability that is important in any program.

“I hope the next hire can provide that same consistency and hard work. We’ve got our work cut out for us in Division I. But throughout the whole season the staff and the kids hung in there. They faced a lot of adversity with a lot of things and hung in there and came out of it.”

Numbers were an issue, and the team endured the tragic loss of sophomore Gavin Huntoon in a dirt bike accident in early October.

It’s a lot of those details that made Rothe feel the job needed someone who could devote their full attention. Rothe said in his life off the field, at this time there were too many distractions, etc. that would impact his ability to do the job as football coach properly, too much “to give this job everything that it requires from a head coach.”

“I feel I need to take care of me for now,”Rothe said. “Head football coach is a 12 month a year job. I can’t give it that.”

Bonney said the position will be posted, but doubts that there will be anyone in the building who will be interested or is fully qualified. She said that a couple of freshmen team coaches who teach at the school have admitted they need more seasoning.

And she’s not sure of what the response will be in terms of candidates applying.

“I’m struggling to find coaches as is,” she said, noting she had to coach freshmen volleyball early in the fall.

“I’m hoping. But again, whoever comes in knows they’re faced with the challenge of our history. … It really comes down to someone connecting with the kids. … Someone who’s willing to do the hard work to turn this around, if we ever do.

“Tarek is a solid guy, so is his staff. It’s not easy finding coaches, and it’s even harder finding someone to take over this program in the state that it’s in. But we’ve got kids committed here to play football.”

Bonney said she will talk to the other assistants on the staff to gauge their interest. “We’re going to turn this around fairly quick because we have to start our off-season stuff, lifting, etc.”

It certainly seems as if we haven’t seen the last of Rothe on a sideline. But not in the near future.

“I love to coach,” he said. “It’s in my blood. But all that goes with being a football head coach is too much right now.”

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