Northern Elite Predators head coach Ben Laarman instructs players in a preseason practice at Pembine High School on Sept. 16. Laarman has tendered his resignation as head coach, leading the program for nine years. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

NIAGARA, Wis. — After nine seasons as head coach, Ben Laarman has resigned from leading the Northern Elite Predators varsity football team.

Northern Elite is a co-op team of the Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine, Niagara and Goodman-Armstrong Creek school districts.

“It’s very hard to walk away, but I had to face the reality that I was unable to create the culture necessary to have a great program,” Laarman said. “By a great program I don’t just mean wins and losses, but the totality of the experience the kids have in it and the impact it has on their lives. I believe in the power of leadership to shape the culture of a program, and it became clear to me that I wasn’t connecting. I’m hoping that a new leader will give the program the spark that it needs,” he said.

With Laarman at the helm, the Predators made the playoffs in 2012-2018. In those seven postseason appearances, N.E. had a playoff win in 2016, defeating Rib Lake/Prentice 21-14.

Enrollments of all schools in a co-op are combined for postseason placement. Each year, the Predators were placed a division or two higher for the playoffs than the majority of the teams in their conference.

“This has been a very difficult decision for me as I truly love and believe in the kids who are in the program, the families that have been so supportive, and the power of football to have a positive impact on the young people who participate in it,” Laarman said. “But I also have to face the fact that I have been unable to lead the program to where it should be, and the kids, schools, and communities deserve better. I’m hoping that a change in leadership will prove beneficial.”

Recently, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association allowed the three school districts involved in the Predators co-op to split apart and form two eight-player teams, which would begin competition in 2022. Niagara would field its own team, as would Goodman-Pembine, which are co-op partners for several other sports.

Laarman was asked if the decision to disband the current co-op and switch to eight-player competition in 2022 had any bearing on his resignation.

“I think they made the right move, as hard as it is to see the Predators come to an end,” he said. “With so many area teams going eight-man it had gotten very hard to find 11-man games. Plus, the new conference alignment we are currently in, had us traveling long distances to play schools much bigger than us.”

Laarman added, “It doesn’t make much sense to go an hour and a half or two hours to play Tomahawk and Oconto Falls when they could be playing Florence or Wausaukee, who are both about 20 minutes away.”

Both the Bobcats and Rangers have been in eight-player football for a handful of years combined.

“Mr. Laarman was head coach for nine years,” Niagara athletic director Scott Trevillian said. “Ben put in countless hours trying to recruit athletes and instill a passion for Predator football. His vast knowledge of the game and commitment to his players was unwavering. We would like to thank him for his dedication to Predator football.”

Once the Niagara School Board accepts Laarman’s resignation at their January meeting, the job will first be posted internally, Trevillian said.