Gehrig steps down at Huntley

Huntley football coach Matt Gehrig resigned Friday afternoon during a meeting with principal Dave Johnson and submitted his official letter of resignation Monday, Huntley athletic director Bruce Blumer confirmed.

Gehrig, 32, opted not to address the reason behind his resignation when reached for comment. He remains a Health Education and Driver Education teacher at the high school.

“At this point I just want to thank Dave Johnson, and our athletic director, Bruce Blumer, for giving me the chance to work at Huntley,” Gehrig said. “I’d also like to thank the many dedicated players for their loyalty and commitment to the program.”

Gehrig was hired in 2010 after former Huntley coach Steve Graves (25-23) stepped down. The Red Raiders finished 4-5 in Gehrig’s first season but slipped to 2-7 last fall.

“Dave informed me Friday afternoon that he had met with Matt and Matt told him he was going to resign,” Blumer said. “To a certain extent, I didn’t see it coming.”

A 1997 Burlington Central graduate who went on to be an all-Ohio Valley Conference lineman at Eastern Illinois University, Gehrig came to Huntley after coaching Larkin to a 9-9 record in two seasons. He previously coached at the junior college level and spent one year as a defensive line coach in the German Football League.

Blumer said the resignation must be officially approved at the District 158 school board meeting on Thursday, after which the coaching vacancy will be posted.