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Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park vs. Oak Mountain Football
Oak Mountain head coach Tyler Crane talks with his players during a game between the Spain Park Jaguar and Oak Mountain Eagles at Jaguar Stadium in Hoover, AL on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. Photo by Richard Force
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Photo by Laura Chramer.
20220819 Oak Mountain vs. Northridge football
Oak Mountain head coach Tyler Crane watches during the second half of a football game between Oak Mountain and Northridge at Heardmont Park on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, in Birmingham, Ala. The Eagles beat the Jaguars, 23-14. Photo by Laura Chramer
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Laura Chramer
20210827 Oak Mountain at Pelham football
Oak Mountain head coach Tyler Crane looks on during the second half of a football game between Oak Mountain and Pelham at Pelham High School on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in Pelham, Ala. The Eagles beat the Panthers, 21-0. Photo by Laura Chramer
Oak Mountain High School is searching for a new head football coach.
After two seasons, the school has parted ways with head coach Tyler Crane. The Eagles posted a 3-7 record this fall, failing to qualify for the state playoffs.
OMHS administration confirmed the news to 280 Living on Tuesday morning.
"We have decided to go in a different direction with the leadership of our football program," Oak Mountain High School principal Andrew Gunn said. "We appreciate Coach Crane's service to our school and community. The position will be posted in the coming days and we hope to have a head coach in place by the second semester."
Oak Mountain struggled in 2022, losing seven straight games after a pair of season-opening wins over Northridge and Pelham. Six of those losses were in Class 7A, Region 3 play, plus a game against crosstown foe Briarwood.
But the Eagles won their final game of the season last week, beating Spain Park 9-3 to end the year on a high note.
Crane's first season had some high marks, as Oak Mountain posted a 7-5 record in 2021 and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs.
Led by star quarterback Evan Smith, the Eagles got off to a 6-1 start, the best in program history. They also beat James Clemens 38-35 in the first round of the playoffs on a game-winning Garrett Murphy field goal.
Before being the head coach at Oak Mountain, Crane served as an assistant coach for two years at the school, 2016-17. He graduated from Jacksonville State University and has coached at Sand Rock, Winterboro, Cherokee County (twice), Foley, Northridge and Central-Phenix City.
