With Princess Anne coming off its best performance of the season in a 34-6 victory over Kempsville, Jelani Fair has decided to step down abruptly as Head Football Coach of the Virginia Beach school.

After an 0-4 start to the 2018 campaign, Princess Anne won two of its past three games to improve to 2-5 overall and remain in the playoff hunt for Region 5A, beating Green Run 18-14 and losing close to Bayside by a count of 10-7.

"I've just got some personal matters and family issues that I need to take care of," Fair told VirginiaPreps.com.

"I talked to the guys and they took it pretty hard. It's just not a good situation all the way around. I told them to keep fighting and keep playing hard because they've worked all year and worked all summer. I felt like we had turned the corner and taken the right steps. I hope they continue to move forward."

Stepping in on an interim basis as Princess Anne's Head Football Coach will be William Brumage, who has been an assistant on Fair's coaching staff.

Fair became Princess Anne's Head Football Coach in 2015, taking over for Ray Gatlin, who went 4-58 in six seasons at the helm. During Gatlin's tenure, the Cavs snapped a 42-game losing streak.

In each of his first two seasons as Head Coach, Fair guided the Cavaliers to a 3-7 mark before breaking through with a 5-5 regular season finish last year and postseason appearance. Highlighting the 2017 campaign was the program's first win over rival Bayside in 12 years. They were beaten in the opening round of last year's playoffs by Nansemond River, 21-6.

Fair played his College Football at Norfolk State University, leading the Spartans in tackles and tackles for loss as a senior in 2000. Before becoming the Head Coach at Princess Anne, he was an assistant for a year with the Cavs. Fair also served as an assistant coach at Bayside for eight seasons, which included when the Marlins captured a regional title in 2010 and reached the State Semifinals.

Currently on their bye week, the Cavaliers boast a 19.86 power rating and sit in the No. 9 spot for the eight-team playoff field in Region 5A. Hampton and Norview are tied at No. 8 with a 20.33 rating, and with matchups on the horizon against winless First Colonial and 2-4 Kellam, another playoff trip is still within reach for Princess Anne.

But Fair won't be there to witness the final three games of the 2018 season for Princess Anne, and he's unsure of when or if he'll return to coaching in the future.

"Right now, it's debatable," replied Fair. "I just have to take care of some things personally, that's all."

Dear Princess Anne Football Families –

Thank you for your enthusiasm and support of our Princess Anne High School football program. I have been proud to watch our Cavaliers as they have been giving their all out on the field throughout this season.

I do need to make you aware of a change of leadership with our program. Earlier today, I accepted Coach Fair’s resignation as head coach of the football team. I understand this news may be personally upsetting to some of our students and families; however, I can assure you these decisions are made with only our team’s best interest in mind.

In his place, Coach William Brumage will serve as the interim coach for the rest of the season. In his role as assistant coach, he has been well-equipped to take over the head coaching duties. I have every confidence in his abilities to continue to lead our student-athletes on the field.

Thank you again for your continued support of our program and of Princess Anne High School.

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10 AM on ESPN Radio 94.1.