Staley High School football coach Fred Bouchard to step down after 2015 season

On Aug. 21, Staley High School football coach Fred Bouchard will lead the Falcons onto their home field as they play host to Blue Springs. The occasion will officially mark the beginning of his 30th season in coaching.

And the beginning of the end, too.

Bouchard has announced that 2015 will be his final season as a head football coach. He will relinquish the Staley job to defensive coordinator Phil Lite after the season.

Bouchard has accepted a district-level position with the North Kansas City School District.

“Every so often, things just hit us,” Bouchard said. “And I guess it just hit me that it’s time.”

Staley conducted its annual preseason scrimmage on Saturday, during which former players surprised Bouchard with a pre-game ceremony to recognize his career accomplishments.

There have been plenty.

He has won five Missouri state championships — four during his six-year tenure at Harrisonville High School and one at Staley, which came in 2011. He is the only head football coach in Staley’s eight-year history.

“I don’t look at is as leaving the profession — it’s just a different layer of being an educator,” said Bouchard, who has taken over as the district’s executive director of human resources. “About five years ago, I had a lot of people inquiring about my interest in moving to the district. It just kind of made sense.”

His son, Faizol Bouchard, will be a senior with the Falcons’ football team this season. Another son, Kahluna, graduated last spring after leading the Falcons in rushing in 2014.

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Staley High School football coach Fred Bouchard to step down after 2015 season."