We interrupt The Huddle’s offseason hiatus to bring you some sad news: Scott Feldman has stepped down as head coach at McCaskey. Click here for an updated story with quotes from the coach.

Feldman’s decision is not entirely unexpected. In fact, the only real surprise is that he lasted this long. His frustration level with what he perceives as a lack of cooperation from the McCaskey administration has been at the red line for quite some time. Rumors that he was considering such a move had been circulating around the L-L League grapevine for at least two years.

Feldman will be missed by us local media types. In a world where so many coaches prefer to consult the Big Book of Football Cliches before they answer even the most run-of-the-mill questions, his tendency to speak his mind was a breath of fresh air. The former McCaskey skipper was not prone to burying his emotions deep inside. If he thought his team was good, he’d tell you. If he thought it wasn’t … well, he’d say that too, often in very colorful terms. He was an interviewer’s dream — just sit him down, turn on the tape recorder and off he’d go.

During the 2006 season, I approached Feldman moments after his team had been the recipient of a 28-0 drubbing by Coatesville and asked him for a post-mortem of the game. His response was a vintage Feldman-style rant.

“This was as bad a (butt) whippin’ as we’ve taken since I’ve been here,” he said back then. “It’s as bad as it gets. We were beat before we even got off the bus.”

Feldman was a go-to guy for me whenever I was looking for perspective on a football-related issue. He was a vocal critic of the District 3 playoff system back in the days before the field was expanded from four to eight teams (and he’s just as critical now that it has moved from eight to the ridiculous 16-team field in Class AAAA). He always returned my calls or emails, never shied away from giving an interview and understood that sometimes fielding annoying questions comes with the territory.

Feldman went 59-57 in his 11 years at McCaskey’s helm. When he took over for Jack Neal in 1998, the Tornado was coming off a 2-8 record. Three years later, Feldman had McCaskey in the District 3 title game. That was the high point of his tenure, when he had four major-college recruits — quarterback Perry Patterson (Syracuse), wideout Danny Melendez (Maryland), hulking lineman Joel Holler (Penn State) and halfback/linebacker Niquan Lee (Delaware) on his roster.

During that magical season, McCaskey defeated Reading in an incredible 53-46 shootout in the final week of the regular season to clinch a spot in the playoffs, then knocked off Central Dauphin 35-28 a week later. Those two games are in my personal top five of the best games I’ve ever witnessed.

Unfortunately, Patterson suffered a knee injury during the playoff win and was sidelined for the Tornado’s 28-18 loss to Cumberland Valley in the title game. Many observers — including this one — believe McCaskey would have won that game with Patterson under center.

Feldman kept winning for a few years after that, but gradually the program began its downward spiral. McCaskey’s last winning season came in 2006, when it went 7-5 and lost 42-7 to Wilson in the first round of the district playoffs. You could see the warning signs then. The following year, the Tornado went 3-7, and then hit rock bottom with an 0-10 campaign last year — second only to an 0-11 campaign in 1975 as the worst in school history.

Part of McCaskey’s decline can be attributed to the fact that Feldman’s players no longer seem to have the year-round commitment to football a winning program requires. In recent seasons, he was up front about the Tornado’s issues in the weight room — and in the classroom. That’s why he approached the administration, asking for its help in turning things around on both fronts. When his requests were refused, his decision became clear.

Ed Gruver’s print article says Feldman will retain his post as a social studies teacher at McCaskey. His future in coaching is unclear, but it seems likely that Feldman — a football lifer by any definition — will be back on the sidelines again soon. Here’s wishing him luck in whatever the future holds for him. Scott, you’ll be missed.