Southport Athletics announced on Monday, Nov. 18 that the football team would be parting ways with now-former head coach Alex Bettag. 
After four seasons as head coach, Bettag recorded a 2-39 record, with the two wins coming from the 2023 season.
The first win came on Friday, Sept. 9, 2023 against Terre Haute North Vigo with a final score of 43-7. The second win was the first game of sectionals, on Oct. 27, 2023, against Arsenal Tech, winning 41-12. That win was the first sectional win since the 2019 season.
Bettag’s final season record this year was 0-10. The last loss of the season was against Perry Meridian in the first round of sectionals, losing 42-12.
“Obviously, anytime you pour your heart and soul into something, you don’t get an opportunity to truly get to whatever the end reward might (have) been,” Bettag said. “That’s the worst part of the whole deal.”
As for the reasons for his departure, the athletic department cannot discuss personnel matters regarding Bettag and SHS football.
“It’s never an easy thing to make changes like this. I think it’s across the board, we want to make sure we’re staying committed to the student-athletes here,” Athletic Director Nick Stevens said.
At the end of each football season, Bettag and Stevens have a postseason meeting to discuss how each season went. But this time, it was different. On Thursday, Nov. 12, Bettag quickly found out that he would be let go from the head coach position.
“I knew pretty early in the meeting that this was not just a typical post-season review,” Bettag said.
In the moment, he felt shock and a wave of anger and sadness.
“I’m pretty gutted (and) disappointed. I had a kind of melting pot of emotions the last week or so,” Bettag said.
Even though Stevens broke the ice, Bettag doesn’t know who was involved in deciding to let him go. Additionally, the athletic department could not disclose that information.
“It was not my decision. I am assuming that was not just one person’s decision,” Bettag said. “I don’t know for a fact, but I would be very surprised if it wasn’t an entirely administrative team decision.”
Bettag says that during the meeting with Stevens, the win-loss record was not brought up in the conversation. He stated that there were other reasons mentioned for the decision of his departure, but that he cannot comment on what those were.
Reflecting back on Bettag’s journey coaching, he believes he was able to grow his football program the right way by focusing on his players’ academics, helping them stay out of trouble and being an outlet for them.
“I’m proud of them. I love them,” Bettag said. “They need to keep their chins up. They need to keep attacking things … I think most importantly, they need to know I’m always there for them.”
The future for Bettag is uncertain. Short-term, he is unsure if he will finish teaching this school year. Depending on if other opportunities arise, his decision to stay teaching at SHS or moving on will remain pending.
“I don’t know. I’ve had a few conversations with some people,” Bettag said. “Some of those guys are in the coaching world, some of them are outside of education and coaching,”
Looking forward to the 2025 football season the athletic department does not know who the head coach will be. As of Nov. 21, the job position has not been posted for anyone interested.
Once it is posted, the athletic department will reach out to anyone who has expressed interest in the position, and then they will be able to apply for head coach. As for the assistant coaches, their positions will be undetermined until the new head coach is hired.
“Once we do hire a new coach, that person will then typically meet with the staff and make the best decision for his staff,” Stevens said.
Although Bettag’s time at SHS as head coach may have run out, his future and the future of SHS football are up in the air and possibilities are unknown.
“I think it’s important that players and the Southport community know that I don’t necessarily hold any animosity towards anybody at Southport … ” Bettag said. “To find a way to get the wins on Friday nights, if they can find somebody to do that, I will be the first person knocking on his door to find out what exactly it is he’s doing.”
