Scott Feldman said he saw it coming more than two years ago.

Saw the downward turn that would leave McCaskey's football program groping for answers to a 3-7 finish in 2007 and an 0-10 campaign last year that was second-worst in program history to an 0-11 record in 1975.

Unable to secure what he felt was the needed cooperation from the McCaskey High administration, Feldman resigned Monday morning and ended his 11-year reign as Red Tornado head coach.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time," he said. "Oh-and-10 last year and we weren't even competitive. Three-and-7 the year before. That's 3-17, and I couldn't see us getting better.

"It's sad. I'm down right now, to be honest with you."

Feldman, who will remain as a social studies teacher at the school, leaves the program with a career record of 59-57 at McCaskey. His teams won two Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One titles, went 4-5 in district playoffs and played for the District Three Class AAAA title in 2001. Feldman was honored as Section One Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2003.

Still, he said he saw the coming changes in the program's fortunes as early as the 2006 season, when the Tornado went 7-5 and lost to Wilson 42-7 in the district quarterfinals.

"I saw this coming two-and-a-half years ago," said Feldman, who coached at seven schools before taking over at McCaskey. "But I don't think anybody believed it would happen. Last year, they saw it could happen.

"Obviously, things had to change. The days when we could create mismatches with our speed are over. We're going to have to put in the hard work like everybody else.

"The coaching staff and I had ideas about how things should change, not only on the football field but in the classroom. But the administration didn't feel like they could implement things we talked about."

What was talked about, Feldman said, was allowing him to use first period and homeroom — constituting an approximate block of time of some 75 minutes — to be with his players.

"It would be organizational, to get them ready for the school day," he said. "First, make sure they're there. Second, make sure they're going to class. Third, make sure they have all the materials they need for their classes.

"They were going to have to be competitive in the classroom. If not, then they couldn't be part of athletics at J.P. McCaskey."

"The ironic thing is, I think McCaskey's going to have those things in 5 to 10 years," said Penn Manor football coach Todd Mealy, a former assistant to Feldman at McCaskey.

Mealy played for Feldman at Bishop McDevitt for four years, ending with his senior season in 1996. He also served as a coach on the freshman team when Feldman took over at McCaskey in 1998 and took over as defensive coordinator from 2002  to 2006.

Mealy, Steel-High's Rob Deibler, York's Matt Ortega and Cocalico line boss Mark Stauffer are all former Feldman assistants who have gone on to enjoy coaching success.

"I've known 'Fel' for much of my adult life, since I was 14," Mealy said. "He and I have been in close contact so I wasn't caught off guard by this. I think it's unfortunate it happened.

"I know Scott had plans but they weren't going to be implemented at McCaskey. You look at the big picture and there are so many intangibles that coaches at McCaskey have to deal with. Coaches, teachers and administrators all have to be on the same page."

Feldman said it was made clear to him by administrators the day of the 2008 season opener against Elizabethtown — a 53-7 loss — that his ideas weren't going to be used.

"I didn't want all of it, but I wanted part of it," he said of his plan. "I wanted kids for 185 school days. It's what our competitors are doing. We're not doing it and we're way behind. It was our only chance to get back."

Mealy said that several schools in the L-L allot periods in which coaches can spend time with their athletes during the school day.

"It seems to be a trend," he said. "I know Scott wanted it for academics because there have been academic problems (on the McCaskey football team)."

Neither Feldman nor Mealy, however, believes McCaskey's current downward spiral in football is tied solely to academics.

"It's cyclical," Mealy said. "It seems to be one of those rough spots, one of those dry spells at McCaskey. Things will turn around."

If they do, it will be without Feldman. He said he has no firm plans for the immediate future in regards to coaching, but has no doubts he'll return to the sideline.

"I feel like I'm a good coach, that I have things to offer," he said. "I hate the feeling that I quit on these kids because I battled for them. I hung in there as long as I could."

McCaskey athletic director Jon Mitchell could not be reached for comment.

E-mail: egruver@lnpnews.com