Prep football | Elijah Freeman resigns as Bayshore's head coach

BRADENTON -- For the second time in the past week, Manatee County has a new head coach opening. Elijah Freeman stepped down as the head coach at Bayshore on Monday, athletic director Chris Brady said in an email Tuesday. Freeman informed his players and staff Tuesday afternoon.

Freeman's resignation comes six days after John Warren stepped down from the head role at Southeast, which plays in Class 5A-District 11 with the Bruins. Freeman, who graduated from BHS in 1993 and played at Tulane, recently completed his third season as head coach. He went 5-24 in his three seasons and will remain a teacher at the school.

"It has been a pleasure having Coach Freeman as our head football (coach)," principal David Underhill said in a statement. "He has an excellent football mind and holds student athletes to a high standard of behavior and academics. We wish him success in the future. He will continue as a math teacher at Bayshore High School as a positive role model for our young people."

The Bruins sandwiched a one-win season in 2014 with a pair of two-win campaigns under Freeman. This past season, BHS earned a pair of wins against Cardinal Mooney and district rival Sarasota Booker. Freeman won one district game in each of his three seasons in Bradenton.

Bayshore's coaching search will begin immediately, although Brady said there is no timetable for a hire to be made.

Freeman took the head job with the Bruins in 2013 after serving as defensive backs coach at Palmetto for eight years, first under former head coach Ray Woodie and then for current coach Dave Marino. He was also previously a teacher at PHS.

While BHS did show some progress during Freeman's final season -- particularly on defense, where the Bayshore allowed 24 points or fewer in five games and shut out Braden River for a half early in the season -- Freeman couldn't end the Bruins' prolonged playoff drought or bring Bayshore a winning season. BHS hasn't reached the postseason since 2005 and hasn't posted a winning record since 2003.

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Prep football | Elijah Freeman resigns as Bayshore's head coach ."