J.R. Alcantar could hold on for only so long.

With the Phoenix Union High School District starting the season late, then cutting it off after three games due to rising COVID-19 metrics, the Laveen Cesar Chavez football coach, seeing some of his key athletes leave for other schools, decided this week it was time to break ties.

He said he has resigned as head coach of the Champions.

Alcantar so far has seen five players, including defensive lineman Jacob Holmes (Chandler) and safety Tavian Dennis (Phoenix Desert Vista) transfer out following the three-game season.

Both players project to be major college prospects.

“Our kids are watching everyone else go,” Alcantar said. “And we’re not doing much but going to a park for 7-on-7. They want to be worked out. It’s hard justifying being a coach when you can only coach them eight weeks out of the year.”

The PXU prevented any organized team activities on campuses all last spring and for almost all of the summer and fall, until the district in October decided to start a late fall sports season.

But that lasted only three weeks.

“I kept telling the kids to stay, but I didn’t want to lie to the kids,” Alcantar said. “A lot of the boys were thinking of transferring and leaving. They’d rather sit five games (the AIA transfer rule makes players ineligible the first half of the season) than only play three. It was hard to argue that.”

Alcantar still wants to be a head coach at another district next season, but he feels “it might be too late in the game for that.”

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.