Warrenton Athletic Director Bobby Spoonster will be stepping down from his position this summer, he announced last week.

Spoonster has led the Warrenton Athletic Department since 2013, and is leaving to become a principal at Louisiana Middle School.

“I’ve tried to make every decision I’ve made in my career with my family in mind,” he said, adding that the ability to work closer to home was a major factor in the decision. “Early on in my career my goal was to be a college basketball coach, but five kids later that obviously changed. We made moves along the way from Clopton to Bowling Green to here, and now our kids are older and more involved in tons of things. And it’s been tough for my wife to try and get them everywhere they need to be while I’m not home most nights. It will be easier now for me to be around more, help her with things and see the kids do more things.”

Spoonster has hired seven varsity coaches during his tenure in Warrenton, as well as overseeing athletic projects that included the new gymnasium on the east side of the school that opened this year.

During his time, the Warrenton softball team won back-to-back Class 3 championships in 2015 and 2016.

On the hardwood, Spoonster hired girls basketball Head Coach Greg Williams in 2014.

Williams helped lead the girls program to its first ever district title in 2015 on its way to three straight district championships.

The girls track team has also experienced success, winning four straight GAC North championships while producing a state champion in 2016 — high jumper Lalita Andrews.

“It’s been awesome to sit back and see all the things the kids have been able to accomplish,” Spoonster said. “The last five years have obviously been really, really good to the school district. But it wasn’t possible without the dedication of our coaches, our kids, our parents and our community. My hat is off to them. They bought into a system of working hard and where being successful matters, and they’ve seen it.”

Spoonster’s last day is set for June 30.

And while there are multiple employees within the district expected to apply for the position, there are currently no candidates officially in the running.

Spoonster hopes the foundation the administration laid continues to produce successful teams in the future.

“We’re in the running to win a conference title in just about every sport year in and year out,” he said. “We’ve won a couple of state titles individually and as a team, and we’ve done things this school had never done before. My hat is off again to the players, coaches and their parents, and I was just happy to be a part of it.”