centreville — When David King decided to take on the roles of headmaster and head football coach at Adams County Christian School, he did not have to look far to find a success story to show him both jobs can be done by one man.

In fact, King happens to already be friends with Bill Hurst, who has successfully filled both roles at Centreville Academy for more than 30 years.

Hurst said he and King have spoken about the challenges King faces several times since King took the positions.

“We’ve carried on and off quite a bit about it,” Hurst said. “I have the utmost respect for David. I think David will do well at it. He has a good personality, people there like him, he’s a great coach, and I think he’ll be a great administrator.”

Hurst said the key to doing both jobs effectively is having a great support staff.

“You have to have great office personnel that can run the office, and you have got to have good teachers and good people working around you,” he said.

Hurst said his staff is effective enough that it allows him to get out of the office when it is time for football practice. He said years of experience have made it so even the parents know his busy schedule.

“Parents know that if they need me, they have to see me in the morning,” he said. “In the evening, I’ve gone to football practice. It’s worked OK for us for years.”

Hurst said one of his biggest challenges comes when there are issues at the school, and he is forced to spend extra time away from the field.

“Sometimes you run into problems dealing with problems that students, parents or teachers have, and you have to deal with that,” he said. “You may have to go to football practice, but you have to let practice go. That’s why you have to have great coaches working around you also. You really have to be flexible.”

Hurst said both roles are important, but he knows his academic role takes precedence over athletics.

“Headmaster has to be first, and coaching will fall into place,” he said. “The kids have to get their education, and teachers have to know you’re there for them to help them.”

Having one voice over the athletic department as well as the academics really benefits both departments, Hurst said.

“I think at one point discipline in the classroom up at the school reflects back to the football field,” he said.

Hurst said having his eyes and ears on the academics of his football players keeps them motivated as well.

“If kids are falling behind in the classroom, I can discipline them more in practice,” he said. “My kids normally do better during football season than when football is over, because they know they have to answer to us in the evening.”

Hurst said having understanding teachers helps him as well.

“During football season, the teachers work much, much harder, I feel like, to take care of any type of problem going on in the classroom,” he said. “I think they go over and beyond to take care of the problem in the football season, especially with big games. They know the big games I’m really keyed up about, and I see them flex their muscles a little bit more to take care of those problems.”