After seven years as the head coach of the Falkville Blue Devils and a school record 49 victories, Joel Schrenk has resigned to take the head coaching position at 6A Hazel Green.

“Donna and I are excited to be moving to Hazel Green and to be leading the football program there, at the same time, we know that we will miss Falkville and the relationships that we have with the school, the parents, and especially, the players,” Schrenk said. “God has blessed us with seven great years in Falkville and we are so grateful for the wonderful friendships that will always be in our hearts.”

“Coach Schrenk has been a big part of this school and community,” Falkville principal Dennis Morris said. “We’re going to miss him.”

Schrenk will be Hazel Green’s third head coach in the last year. He is replacing Smitty Grider who was hired last March to replace Will Wagnon who resigned following three seasons at the 6A school.

“I’m am so excited to introduce Coach Schrenk to our staff and students at Hazel Green,” principal Dr. Errol Headen said. “He will be such a wonderful addition to the Trojan family.”

“Taking the job at Hazel Green means a world of change for us,” Schrenk said. “We have a contract on a house and will be moving soon. It means getting to know a new school, a new community, new coaches and a new team. It means a new challenge, a big challenge.”

“Everything we need is in place to turn this ship around. We have great facilities, great kids, a great community and a supportive administration,” said Schrenk. “We just have to hunker down, get to work, and love on the program. When we get the culture right, and we will, football will take care of itself. “

Hazel Green went 4-7 last year and finished second in the region. They lost to Oxford in the first round of the playoffs at home. Hazel Green has never won a playoff game.

The Trojans will be replacing nine starters on defense and six on offense, as well as a kicker and punter.

“There are many similarities between Hazel Green and Falkville, so I feel very prepared and ready to build a championship culture at Hazel Green, like we did at Falkville,” Schrenk said.

Schrenk led Falkville to their most successful season in school history this past season.  They finished 11-1, losing to Pickens County in the second round of the playoffs. The Blue Devil offense set several school records including scoring 573 points.

He went 49-27 in seven seasons as the Blue Devils head coach which included five trips to the playoffs with three playoff victories – both are school records – and two region titles.

In the three seasons prior to his arrival at Falkville, they had only won four games. The Blue Devils had gone without a winning season since the 2000 season.

Prior to coming to Falkville, he was the head coach at two Tennessee schools, first at Cannon County for three seasons and then Clarksville Northwest for two seasons. Prior to receiving his first head coaching position, he was an assistant coach for 13 seasons at Austin.

“We are going to move forward and find the person who is the best fit for our school,” Morris said. “Our football program is in great shape and we look for it to continue to be successful.”