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Football jobs on hold for Crater, EP By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Under normal circumstances, Eagle Point and Crater high schools would have been well along in their efforts to hire head football coaches. Crater has been without a head coach since Randy Heath resigned on Nov. 9, while Eagle Point has been minus a mentor since Mike Johnson stepped down on Dec. 11. Both schools have sent brochures throughout Oregon and California and put their openings on Web sites, and both wanted to have new coaches hired by spring break in late March. But the expected budget shortfall involving the state's public schools has Crater and Eagle Point in a holding pattern with their coaching openings. A special session of state lawmakers will be held Feb. 8 that will address a budget shortfall that has been projected as high as $830 million, including a $112 million deficit for schools. "When they (the politicians) come out of that meeting, the schools are supposed to know what to expect and how much the shortfall will be," Crater Athletic Director Dan Speasl says. "Until then, our hands are pretty much tied." Speasl said about 15 coaches have expressed interest thus far in the Comets' football job. "We can't make any promises right now in terms of what job openings we might have because we just don't know," Speasl said. "The Oregon guys understand this - the California people often don't." Speasl said a selection committee has formed but the football job remains open and no teaching positions will form until after Feb. 8. The scenario is similar at Eagle Point, where a handful of applications has filtered in to the district's personnel office, Athletic Director Bob Bergen said. Eagle Point is also seeking a head volleyball coach to replace Lisa Hutchins, who resigned in November. "We just have to wait this thing out," Bergen said. "The part that worries me is a hiring freeze (for teaching positions). No one has talked about that, but if one hits, we'll be facing a much bigger problem." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.