KINGSTON — The Kingston Buccaneers are out a head football coach.

Dan Novick resigned from his positions at Kingston High School following an offer to become assistant principal at Ridgetop Junior High in the Central Kitsap School District.

The decision to leave KHS wasn’t easy. “I put my heart into Kingston High School,” Novick said Tuesday morning.

Novick was also the athletic coordinator (.06 FTE) and an instructor (.04 FTE).

The assistant principal position is the first Novick has applied for since taking the job at Kingston.

Novick said he “worked with some awesome people.” The most difficult part for him: leaving the football program behind.

The Bucs football coaching staff helped lead the team to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011. The Bucs lost to Lindbergh (41-20) in 2010 and Steilacoom (38-17) in 2011.

Novick said the Bucs bought in to what the coaches were trying to teach them and the team has a solid foundation.

Working at Ridgetop will bring his family closer together, Novick said. His wife works in the district and his children will attend school there. In his new position, Novick will not coach, though he said coaches make the best teachers. He said his new position will allow him to work with students in a different capacity and impact their lives earlier in life.

Novick said there are plenty of replacement choices within the school to choose from. However, as of Tuesday just before noon, Novick did not know who would succeed him as head coach. He hopes the district hires from inside.

Though Novick will no longer be a Buccaneer, he will keep up-to-date on his old team.

“I’ll be their biggest fan,” Novick said.