WRFA High School Sports Correspondent Collin Wood talks with Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove Varsity Football Coach Curt Fischer.

Listen to “Knock on Wood” with Collin Wood – a weekly HS Sports report focusing on Jamestown and the Chautauqua Region – every Friday morning at 7:45 a.m. on WRFA-LP.

Curt Fischer

BEMUS POINT – Longtime Maple Grove football, basketball and softball coach Curt Fischer has announced that he has left his coaching positions at the school.

Fischer sent an email to regional media on Friday to offer details of his departure, which said his family was a higher priority than his coaching positions. He said that accepting blame and ridicule is part of coaching and something he took in stride for many years, but now that his children are part of the process it is time for him to become a father and not a coach.

Fischer elaborated to the Buffalo News, saying the parents at Maple Grove don’t care for him and it was starting to hurt his children, so it was time to move on.

Fischer guided Maple Grove’s football program to nine Section VI championships, two state championships (1998 and 2008) in four title-game appearances.

Fischer also guided the boys basketball program to state titles in 2008 and 2010 and four Section VI championships in 14 seasons.

In nine seasons as softball coach, he led the Red Dragons to one Section VI title. In four years as baseball coach, he guided Maple Grove to a state title (in 1992).

He will be inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments at Maple Grove next month.