Football: Brunozzi resigns at Paul VI

In a stunning move, Paul VI High School football coach Phil Brunozzi, who was hired in March, issued his resignation on Wednesday.

Brunozzi walked away after coaching the Eagles for four games.

Assistant coach Glenn Hutton was promoted to interim head coach, Paul VI athletic director Tony Mitchell said.

Paul VI (2-2) plays at Clearview (2-1) in a West Jersey Football Confererence National Division game on Friday night.

Mitchell said it was "totally" Brunozzi's decision to resign.

"He sent a letter today and we accepted it," Mitchell said.

Brunozzi, a St. Augustine Prep graduate who spent the previous three years as defensive coordinator at Vineland, was unavailable for comment.

Clint Wiley, the former Sterling head coach who was Paul VI's defensive coordinator, also has left the team, according to a source close to the program.

The source said Wiley was dismissed from the coaching staff this week, a move that might have helped to trigger Brunozzi's decision to resign.

Mitchell declined to comment on the specifics of Brunozzi's decision or other developments around the program but indicated that the school's administration has strict standards for its coaches in every sport.

"We expect all our coaches to act a certain way and there might have been some on the staff that were not acting that way and we took steps to correct it," Mitchell said. "We're a Catholic school and we expect certain things and if we are not seeing those things we have to act and act quickly."

In a statement announcing Brunozzi's resignation, Mitchell referred to the school's Play Like a Champion Today program.

"For several years, we have actively promoted the athletic program Play Like A Champion Today, which focuses on educating ethically responsible sports leaders -- athletes, coaches, parents and athletic adminstrators," the statement read. "We expect all of our coaches to support not only the mission of a Catholic high school but also the Play Like A Champion Today endeavor.

"The goals of Paul VI and its football program remain unchanged."

To help in the transition to a re-structured coaching staff, the school announced it had hired former assistant coaches Ray Kenney and Joe Santino to rejoin the program.

Hutton was a standout quarterback at Paul VI, graduating in 2009. He played at Bloomsburg (Pa.) State and works in the Paul VI admissions department.

He has been an assistant coach with the Eagles for the last three years.

Brunozzi was hired to replace John Doherty, who resigned Dec. 1 after his 13th season with the Eagles.

Doherty's teams were 75-66, won seven division titles and made 10 appearances in the state tournament.

-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com

-- Follow @PhilAnastasia on Twitter

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