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 At least three boys teams in the Madison area will have new coaches next fall, including two in the Southern Badger Conference.
Scott Barth stepped down after four seasons at Oregon and Rich Plier did the same following nine years at conference rival Monona Grove. Meanwhile, Vince Padilla resigned as the boys coach at Lodi but will continue as the Blue Devils' girls coach.
None of the three schools have announced new coaches.
Barth, who led the Panthers to a 52-25-8 overall record and two Southern Badger titles, is moving to Texas with his family. His wife was unemployed for nearly a year, but started a job in the Dallas area in January. Barth has remained in the area with his children, but they will head south in the summer.
Oregon hasn't lost in conference play since 2008, outscoring opponents 31-2 in going 6-0-0 against Southern Badger foes each of the past two seasons. "It's a lockdown-style defense we put in place," Barth said.
Barth, who grew up in Menomonee Falls, previously spent seven years as the boys coach at Milton and was an assistant for the boys and girls programs at Walworth Big Foot-Williams Bay. Before he departs, Barth is assisting Oregon athletic director Mike Chapes in finding the next Panthers coach.
"They've got a good program there," said Barth, who led Oregon to the WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinals and a 13-4-1 overall record last fall. "They'll be very strong next year. They've got seven, maybe eight returning starters."
Plier, a standout at Port Washington High School and UW-Oshkosh, compiled a 97-83-21 overall mark at Monona Grove.
He led the Silver Eagles to the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals in 2004 and the Southern Badger championship in 2007. They had winning records in five seasons under Plier, highlighted by a 16-5-2 record in 2007.
The growth of Padilla's photography business prompted him to step down as the Lodi boys coach.
"Overall, I've had a wonderful time with the boys program," he wrote in an email. "Unfortunately, the boys season happens to coincide with the busiest time of my year, and with my business growing like it is, I didn't feel like I could give the boys the attention they deserved."
The Blue Devils were 62-35-5 in five seasons under Padilla, including 26-12-3 in Capitol Conference action. Last fall, Lodi was 11-5-1 overall and went 7-1-0 to win the first conference championship in program history.
"I feel like this is a good time for me to step down," wrote Padilla, who also coaches in the Sun Prairie Soccer Club. "There are some great candidates who have expressed interest, and the boys program is on solid footing for the foreseeable future."
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