Camden Catholic loses second football head coach in six months as Cody Hall resigns

For the second time in six months, the Camden Catholic football program has been rocked by the departure of its head coach.

Cody Hall, who took charge of the team in June and coached the Irish through the first seven games of this season, confirmed Tuesday that he has resigned. Hall said he also resigned from his position as an administrator at the school.

Hall said he resigned because of  "unforeseen circumstances" but declined to further explain his decision.

Camden Catholic athletic director Derrick Levine confirmed Hall's resignation on Tuesday and said former assistant coach Gary Onuekwusi will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

"We will revisit the position when the season is complete," Levine said.

Camden Catholic (0-8) has two games remaining, a consolation game at home against Pennsauken on Thursday night and a Nov. 21 game at Paul VI, the team's traditional Thanksgiving rival.

Hall confirmed that he has not been with the team for the last couple of weeks. His last game was a 56-0 home loss to Camden on Oct. 19.

Two sources close to the program said Hall was involved in an altercation with a player in the locker room area before the Camden game.

Onuekwusi served as the head coach in Camden Catholic's last game, a 48-12 loss to Cedar Creek on Oct. 26.

Hall expressed regret that Camden Catholic's players must experience the transition to a new coach for the second time since former coach Nick Strom was relieved of his duties under controversial circumstances in May.

"I feel badly for the kids," Hall said. "For them to have to go through this again, that's not what I wanted. They shouldn't have to go through this.

"They are great kids with bright futures on and off the football field. I wish them nothing but the best."

Hall, a former James Madison player, was a longtime assistant coach at Glen Mills (Pa.) School before he was named Camden Catholic's head coach on June 5.

Hall replaced Strom, whose teams were 34-6 in four seasons.

Strom had accused Camden Catholic's administration of asking him to play more white players and creating an uncomfortable atmosphere for the school's black students.

Strom's comments and his dismissal sparked a firestorm that included student protests as well as the decision of more than 25 former players to transfer from the school.

Camden Catholic administrators have denied Strom's allegations.

In the wake of Strom's dismissal and the departure of many of the program's top athletes, Camden Catholic has struggled on the field against a competitive schedule this season. The Irish have been outscored, 378-18, in playing seven games against teams still alive in the second round of their respective state tournaments.

On Oct. 17, Hall had expressed optimism about the direction of the program.

"We're up to close to 40 kids," Hall said at the time. "We've added 10, 12. I'm really happy with the mental makeup of these kids. They've really shown what kind of kids we have here. They've pushed through. They've persevered."

Two nights later, Camden Catholic hosted Camden.