A couple of hours after his final 45-minute Thursday evening walkthrough, the Southwestern football coach could feel his time with the Trojans coming to an end.

“It was tough. It all really hit me (Thursday),” Caulcrick said. “The whole week has been tough. This is my last Monday, my last Tuesday, my last Wednesday night practice under the lights. All of that has been tough.

“(Thursday), specifically scripting your first eight (plays) like I did earlier in the day,” Caulcrick added. “This was the last time I’d be doing it. It’s really a surreal feeling. It’s sad.”

The fifth-year Trojans head coach told his team last Saturday morning that he was resigning because he had accepted a job with the National Football League/Zenith in Detroit to research and develop the safety of player equipment.

Tywon Wright, above, is their top rusher with 438 yards and six touchdowns. P-J photo by Jay Young

That was less than 12 hours after Southwestern beat Fredonia 42-0 in a Class C South matchup at the Orange Bowl. The win improved the Trojans to 4-0 overall, all of the wins coming in league contests. Caulcrick’s team has outscored its opponents 173-16 and is ranked No. 3 in Class C, according to the latest New York State Sportswriters Association rankings.

“The biggest thing, it’s not wins and losses, it’s being with these kids. Last year was my first full class that I had from freshmen through when they graduated,” Caulcrick said. “These guys here who were eighth-graders are seniors this year. It’s the memories and the team meetings we’ve had with so many different characters we’ve had on the team.”

But life forced Caulcrick to make a decision that he never wanted to make.

He’ll finish his Southwestern coaching career tonight at Charles A. Lawson Field when the Trojans host Class B3 Lackawanna for homecoming.

“I was just a kid coming back to his hometown area and was fortunate with this opportunity,” Caulcrick said when reflecting on his first season in 2015. “I learned to surround myself with good people after that first year. As the years went by, the coaches that were brought on made us successful.”

Southwestern head coach Jehuu Caulcrick, far right, will lead the Trojans onto the field for the final time tonight against Lackawanna at Charles A. Lawson Field. Caulcrick announced his resignation last week. P-J photos by Tim Frank

The Steelers bring a 3-1 record into tonight’s game, with wins over Tonawanda, Eden and Springville, and are an honorable mention choice in this week’s Class B state rankings. Their head coach is Adam Tardif, but several former Steelers stars are also on the staff, including Curtis Underwood. As a senior in 2006, Underwood ran for 2,124 yards and 20 touchdowns en route to being named the Connolly Cup award winner as the best player in Western New York. He was also a Class B First-Team all-state selection and went on to play collegiately at North Carolina State University.

“They are a good team. They are a fast-flowing team,” Caulcrick said. “We’re going to be challenged.”

Jeremi’yha Presley leads Lackawanna in rushing with 536 yards and a pair of touchdowns while quarterback De’Marion Johnson has run for 255 yards and three touchdowns. The Steelers haven’t thrown the ball much with two quarterbacks combining for 21 completions for 169 yards and two touchdowns.

“They have a young coaching staff there,” said Caulcrick, who will leave Saturday for Michigan and live out of a hotel until his new house is ready Oct. 20. ” … The kids are going to buy in. We are going to be in for a fight (tonight). We’ve prepared well all week long. We are looking to improve upon our season.”

Southwestern has been one of the most impressive teams in Section VI thus far this fall. Tywon Wright has run for 438 yards and six touchdowns while sophomore quarterback Aidan Kennedy has completed 29 passes for 613 yards and 11 touchdowns against just one interception. Kennedy’s favorite target has been Dom Certo, who has caught 10 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns.

“I’m not surprised with where we are right now. At Southwestern, these kids buy in. I don’t know what other schools do, but at Southwestern if you play football, you get two months off,” Caulcrick said. “November and December are off, but we are back to work in January four days a week in the weight room. We are putting time in during the morning, and all offseason we do stuff at different camps all over the place. It’s for the season. … When the season comes, it’s a lot easier to just review and pick out what we do best.”

Defensively, the Trojans unit led by defensive coordinator and soon-to-be interim head coach Jake Burkholder has shined. Cooper Pannes has four sacks and Conrad Thomas has three while Certo has three interceptions.

If all goes as planned, the Trojans will leave Charles A. Lawson Field 5-0 and in the more-than-capable hands of Burkholder when tonight is over.

“During the game it will be business as usual,” Caulcrick said. “After the game on the 50-yard line, addressing them for the last time as their head coach … that’s going to be very tough.”

That doesn’t mean Caulcrick will wash his hands clean of any involvement with the program.

“Friday nights will be very tough for me. I’m going to help out as much as I can. I’ll still be there to break down film and give my feedback,” he said. “Once the game is over, it becomes Jake’s team. The kids respect him and respond to him. The entire staff has a great wealth of football knowledge and get along well. I think they’ll be fine.”