VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. –

For 13 years he has roamed the sidelines of Gates County High School.

That will change in the 2007 campaign.

Clark Harrell resigned Wednesday as Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for the Red Barons. Harrell resigned after being selected to become head football coach at Kempsville High School here.

“We’re very excited he’s coming here,” Kempsville Principal Shea Paisley said Friday morning. “He has a lot to offer our program and has distinguished service as a head coach.”

Harrell is to officially become the head of the Kempsville program on July 1 and will lead the football program into the 2007-2008 season.

Harrell heads to Virginia with 23 years of high school football coaching experience and leaves Gates County after 13 seasons. Those seasons included a trip to the Eastern Finals in 2001 and the semifinals in 2002.

The coach was the Defensive Coordinator for the East team at the 2006 East/West All Star game, has been named Coach of the Year for the Four Rivers Conference twice (2001 and 2002) and received the same honor in the Tobacco Belt Conference (1984, 1999), South Piedmont Conference (1993), Triangle Conference (1989) and Mid-State Football Conference (1987).

Prior to his service at Gates County, he was the football coach at Harding University in Charlotte, Sun Valley High School and Beddingfield High School.

Harrell, who confirmed his pending departure Friday morning, will teach physical education at Kempsville.