STA’s Bryant steps down

By rbrown
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Updated: January 27, 2020

Dave Bryant has resigned after one season as the varsity football coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover. Bryant cited his profession in the Navy as the reason for his decision.

Bryant was the head coach at Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine, for the 2018 season, and served as the defensive coordinator on Ryan Brown’s staff at St. Thomas in 2017. Brown, who is also the athletic director at St. Thomas, resigned following the 2018 season, but is expected to return as the program’s head coach this fall.

“I’m excited to get back into it,” Brown said. “I’m in a position now where I can come back and do it. It should be a lot of fun. Most of the coaches are returning and we have a good group of players coming back, so hopefully we can pick up right where we left off.”

St. Thomas finished the 2019 season with a 5-5 record (5-4 in Division II) following a 35-14 loss to Division III champion Trinity in the first Bishop’s Bowl the night before Thanksgiving. The Saints failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

St. Thomas will open the 2020 season at home against Timberlane, which dropped from Division I to Division II this season. Brown said he’s hoping the Saints will be able to play in their new stadium this fall.

“It will have lights and turf,” Brown said. “We expect it to be ready to go in the fall at the latest.”