Right place, right time for Nash to leave Hudson

Posted Mar 13, 2010 by Bart O'Connell

Updated Mar 13, 2010 at 02:01 PM

SPRING HILL – He took a perennial losing program and turned it into a winning one. No matter how long the odds, or how daunting the challenges, Mark Nash relished his time at Hudson – the small public school with football players that won more games under his watch with heart and toughness than with speed and agility.

The very culture Nash created made it difficult to leave, but Friday evening he got the call that he was selected as Coach at Brooksville’s Nature Coast Tech, a school within walking distance from his home. And it was the perfect job, coming open at the best possible time, so he took it.

“There’s never an easy time to leave,” Nash said. “Players that you started to bring along, it’s a tough thing. But at the end of the day, I have a commitment to myself, professionally, and I need to fulfill that.”

Nash quickly dismissed the notion that he was leaving because his top players from last season’s playoff team, including quarterback Zack Wynn and receiver James Tello, are mostly seniors who won’t be coming back.

He also didn’t consider how good the athletes at one school are compared to those at another.

But he did point to Fivay High, quickly nearing completion on State Road 52, and expects Hudson’s classrooms and athletic programs to have a major short-term negative impact because of it. Fivay is being built to alleviate overcrowding at Hudson.

“I think it’s going to hurt Hudson,” Nash said. “I’m sure they’ll rebound eventually.”

Nonetheless, the hardest thing for Nash to do upon accepting the job was to inform his now former boss, Hudson principal David LaRoche that he was leaving.

“He was my boss, but he is also my friend,” Nash said. “And most people at Hudson feel the exact same way.”

Nash expects to bring Hudson’s offensive coordinator, Rob Mahler, with him to Nature Coast. He has also met the majority of Nature Coast’s assistants from last year, and would welcome them all onto his staff.

Mahler’s commitment was critical, as it was one of the reasons Nash pulled his name out of consideration for the Zephyrhills job a few months ago. While Nash was never offered the job at Zephyrhills, Mahler would not have been able to join him had the offer came, and the idea of going to the school without anyone from his Hudson staff was not appealing.

With Nash going to Nature Coast, it leaves a void at Hudson that likely would need to be filled before spring football practice begins in May.

A logical choice for a successor would be Hudson defensive coordinator Keith Newton, the only remaining teacher on the coaching staff who was Head Coach at Gulf previously. But it’s unclear if Newton would want the job. The two had dinner Friday night after Nash learned he got the Nature Coast job.

“I don’t know if Coach Newton is interested in being a Head Coach again,” Nash said. “I’m not sure what direction he wants to go in.”

Nash was 34-31 at Hudson in six seasons, including three playoff appearances, most notably a memorable run to the regional semifinals in 2005. In the six seasons before Nash’s arrival, Hudson was 17-43. The program had no playoff appearances since 1979 and no winning seasons since 1986.

“I am proud of that. But it wasn’t just me,” Nash said. “We were fortunate to have a coaching staff and football players that cared, and made the program relevant. I am proud of that. I am proud for our players.”