Flathead High School’s head football coach Kyle Samson announced Thursday that he is leaving the program to join the coaching staff at Montana Tech in Butte.

Samson plans to join the Oredigger coaching staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“It has been a dream of mine to be a head football coach at the college level and this is an opportunity that can help me reach my goal,” Samson said in a message sent to Flathead players and parents on Thursday. “Although this job is a step to fulfill my dream, it was an extremely difficult decision for us to leave the amazing people and family here at Flathead.”

“I want to thank you for all you have done for me and my family here at Flathead and trusting me to lead your amazing sons. It has been a great honor to be the head football coach here at Flathead and something that I am very proud of.”

Samson led the Braves the last five years, reaching the AA state title game last fall for the first time since 2000. Flathead also made the playoffs three out of the last five seasons. Samson also called the offense and coached the quarterbacks at Flathead.

“I am excited to welcome coach Samson, his wife Brooke and their family to Montana Tech and the city of Butte,” said Montana Tech head coach Chuck Morrell in a media release. “Kyle has done a tremendous job as the head football coach at Flathead, bringing that program into the top tier of the AA ranks here the last few years.”

Samson coached in the Frontier Conference previously when he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for seven seasons at Montana State Northern from 2007-14.

“When searching for a new offensive coordinator, I was looking for three things: Energy, leadership, and a fit schematically with what I want to see our offense accomplish,” Morrell said. “Coach Samson easily checked off all those boxes and as an added bonus has some tremendous internal ties to the state of Montana that will help us continue to bolster our successful in-state recruiting efforts.”

Samson replaces Pete Sterbick on the Tech staff. Sterbick has taken a similar position at the Colorado School of Mines after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for five seasons.