Bethlehem Catholic announced on Friday morning that football coach Joe Henrich has resigned.

Henrich has been a staple with the program for the nine seasons, helping the Hawks win four district championships during a run that saw him finish with a 67-41 career mark, good for second on the program’s wins list behind the legendary Bob Stem.

“Coach Henrich had a great run as head football coach at Becahi and we appreciate all that he has done for our school,” athletic director Chris Domyan said in a press release. “He led the football program with class and had many accomplishments during his tenure. We wish him the best in all future endeavors.”

Henrich took over in 2011 and immediately turned around a struggling program. They won back-to-back district titles in 2013 and 2014. The Hawks then had a run of winning three straight district titles from 2016-18, as they advanced to the PIAA semifinals before falling to state Imhotep in both seasons. Henrich took a sabbatical year in 2016.

The Hawks finished this season with a 4-4 record, losing to Central Catholic in the District 11 4A semifinals.

Henrich met with Bethlehem Catholic administration over the course of two days last week and had a feeling that things weren’t going to work out.

“We met for about five hours and I got a sense that we weren’t going to see eye-to-eye on the program moving forward,” Henrich said. “We didn’t have a good year, but I didn’t expect to hear some of the things that came out of those meetings. This type of job requires a lot of hours and if I’m not going to be valued or be on the same page philosophically with the administration, I felt it was best to resign.”

The question now is what’s next for Henrich?

“I don’t know what I want to do next,” he said. “I’m not going to beat down any doors for another opportunity. I just want to find the right situation or environment whenever that may happen.

“I fell in love with Bethlehem Catholic, the people, the kids and the culture, so it’s hard to walk away from, but whatever happens next, I’m just going to allow it to happen.”