As the winter season begins, the program heads of the football, girls volleyball and lacrosse teams stepped down from their positions. Program Heads Aaron Huerta, Mitch Kallick and Erik Krum left the Athletics Department within a fourteen-day span from Nov. 4 to Nov. 18. This year, football finished the season with a 4-6 record and girls volleyball finished with a record of 13-15. Last year, lacrosse finished with a 4-7 record.
Defensive tackle Abraham Avalos ’26 said Huerta’s resignation will be a big loss, but he is still feeling optimistic about the upcoming season. “Coach was the leader of the team in every way,” Avalos said. “It is [going to] be really weird for him to not be there next year because all my time on the football team, he’s been there. Even though Huerta won’t be there next year, I still think we will improve from this last year. I think we were a lot better than what the record showed because we were playing some really good teams.”
Jim Coleman ’26, a player who left the team a year ago, said he felt Huerta showed preferential treatment to certain players and failed to connect with others. “He would favor certain kids and make them do less work while the kids he disliked would have to run extra, and he would not let them in games, even when other coaches asked to put them in,” Cole- man said. “He never checked in on any of us either, he never tried to connect with us. Instead, he would stop us from having fun. Any coaches that tried to connect or have fun would get fired.”
Head of Athletics Terrence Barnum said after nine seasons of leading the lacrosse program, Coach Krum has left a significant impact on the team.
“He really brought stability and organization to our lacrosse program,” Barnum said. “He was well liked by his players. He brought an excitement to our lacrosse program that we hadn’t had previously and we had a lot of success under him.”
Rael Kreiz ’26 said Krum brought great value to the team both on an individual level and for the team as a whole.
“Coach Krum was a key motivator for the team, guiding us not only in skills but also in our mindset and teamwork.” Kreiz said. “Personally, he always pushed me to be my best and always believed in my potential.”
Banyan Kline ’25 said he is not very worried about the future of the team because of the team’s senior leaders. “Most of us are both excited and a bit nervous about how the team will work out,” Kline said. “We have a great group of players and good senior leadership but the program is trying to work with the coaching staff and we will have to see whether they work for good or not.”
Kreiz said that with Krum gone, the expectations remain the same.
“Every year, the playoffs are the end goal,” Kreiz said. “Last year, we finished 4-7, and not only did we miss the playoffs, but we also had a losing record, which was the most disappointing part. This year, even with Krum gone and the uncertainty we’re facing, I believe we’re going to be better and hopefully make the playoffs.”
Despite only being the volleyball coach for two years, Kallick was a big part of the team, middle hitter Lauryn Lewis ’26 said. Lewis said Kallick worked hard to help the team succeed, including working with team members one on one.
“Mitch was responsible for creating practice plans, leading film sessions, and ensuring that we worked well together,” Lewis said. “He provided direction during games and incorporated strategies that were intended to help the team suc- ceed. On a personal level, Mitch worked with me to improve specific skills, offered feedback and pushed me to be more disciplined and focused.”
Lewis said that despite the difficulties which may come with Kallik’s departure, the team is looking forward to learning from new coaches and bringing in new perspectives next season.
“While any transition can bring challenges, they can also provide opportunities for our team’s growth and improvement,” Lewis said. “New players and adjustments to the team dynamic can offer fresh perspectives and strengths, and we’re focused on adapting to those changes in a way that maximizes our potential. There may be a period of adjustment as everyone gets used to new roles and strategies from different coaches, but our goal remains to improve as a team, build on our strengths and work together toward achieving success this season.”
Barnum said the school does not have a set deadline for when the new coaches must be hired, and that their first priority finding coaches who will best support individual players as well as helping the entire team improve.
“We want someone who’s going to be able to come in, be able to recognize and evaluate the talent we have, then put our players in a position to succeed and whatever system can best achieve that is what we want,” said Barnum. “We don’t want to tie ourselves to a date but obviously we would like a replacement sooner rather than later because we already have a team ready to practice. That being said, we want it to be the right person.”
