If you thought we were done with the news from the Catholic league, you would be wrong. In the ‘AA-2’ yet again, there is drama, and this time with Christ the King Regional High School. I have heard rumors of this over the past few weeks, but was just confirmed that Head Coach Benjamin Krauz resigned as head coach of the football program. The Associate Head Coach, Nazareth McFarlan takes over a program that took a big stride in the year that Coach Krauz was there. It is important to note that the rest of Mr. Krauz’s coaching staff is will still be there, signifying that there will be continuity in the Christ the King football program.
While typically I would criticize a coach for leaving so close to the season’s start, I did some investigating and learned the Mr. Krauz left for career reasons. He was a science teacher at Christ the King, and got a very good offer to move schools in the city which would have made coaching the Royals difficult at best. As many of you know, coaching is a volunteer, part time gig in New York, and people have to advance their careers and take care of their families. Job opportunities can pop up and solidify at any time, especially in education, so there was likely nothing he could do about the timing. I respect that. You have to do what you have to do to build your career. The fact that the entire coaching staff is staying together speaks volumes to where the program is compared to just 1 year ago.
Also, Christ the King couldn’t do anything to keep him? The city always gets a strong buzz whenever CTK is makes noise. Could nothing be worked out to keep Mr. Krauz on staff? For a school like Christ the King, a strong football team would very much attract more interest and coverage. For a school that is well known for its strong basketball program, it remains a mystery why they aren’t willing to make it work for the football program as well.
Anyways, good luck to Ben Krauz!
Ben Krauz took over a team that had not won a game in nearly 3 seasons, and took them to a 6-5 record with losses coming to Holy Cross twice, Xavier, St. John the Baptist, and an out of state opponent John Carroll High School in Maryland. The Royals were an overtime period away from going to the championship game, falling 14-8 to Holy Cross in the ‘AA-2’ semifinals. While last season the running back Isaiah Smith got all the accolades, it was perhaps the defense that made the biggest strides for the Royals. Christ the King brings in a large freshman class, and a have a strong foundation for Coach McFarlan to build on.
With Isaiah Smith back at Malverne, I have to wonder what the Royals will look like, who they brought in, and what they will have to work with this year. Luckily, the Royals avoid any ‘AA-1’ foes this year, so this is an ideal situation for Christ the King during a transition year. On the ‘AA-2’ level, this makes it so Holy Cross and Mount St. Michael are the two runaway favorites, until proven otherwise.