In early September, Pusch Ridge Christian football coach Troy Cropp quietly told assistant coach Jerry Harris he planned to resign at year’s end.
The Lions were 2-1 at the time. No one had any idea of what lay ahead.
Two weeks later, Cropp told Pusch Ridge athletic director Lonnie Tvrdy he was seriously considering leaving coaching; the 45-minute drive to Pusch Ridge — Cropp operates a State Farm Insurance agency on the far east side — and the time required to properly coach the Lions was costing him precious time with his family.