NATCHEZ — Trinity Episcopal School athletic director and head football coach David King will leave the school at the end of the school year to take the positions of headmaster and head football coach at Adams County Christian School, according to an e-mail sent Monday addressed “To the Trinity Family” from Trinity’s Acting Headmaster the Rev. Brandt Dick.

Dick said via phone Monday that discussion of King’s future at Trinity has been ongoing for a few weeks, and Monday Trinity announced that his departure was official.

“I think it finally became official over this weekend,” Dick said. “(King) spoke with the team today.”

ACCS officials would not confirm Monday that King had been hired.

In the e-mail, Dick says the opportunity to fill the roles of both headmaster and football coach was not something that Trinity could offer King.

“Trinity has always fielded highly competitive athletic teams, and we view sports as one of the three critical pillars of a college preparatory education. However, in our model, the positions of headmaster and head football coach represent very distinct areas of responsibility, and consequently will never be held by the same person,” Dick said in the e-mail.

King spent 14 seasons as Trinity’s head coach and won four state championships.

In the same e-mail that announced King’s departure, Dick also introduces Ryan Porter as the new athletic director and head football coach for the Saints.

“We hired Ryan Porter, who’s been at the school, to take us forward from this point,” Dick said.

Porter, who is from Winnfield, La., worked as Trinity’s offensive line coach this past season, and Dick said Porter’s familiarity with the Trinity players was one of the key reasons he was promoted to head coach.

“He already has a rapport with the students,” Dick said. “It’s that rapport with the students that’s most important. What we’re there for is for well-rounded individuals. We want to teach the whole student, and we felt he could do that.”

Porter started as an offensive guard for three seasons at Northwestern State University.

Porter worked as an assistant coach for Winnfield High School and was Trinity’s offensive line coach last season under King.

Dick said in the e-mail that Porter would start implementing a new strength-training program Wednesday.

Dick said King will stay with Trinity until the end of this school year, and King will continue to coach the Trinity basketball team, which is currently in the MAIS Class-AA Tournament and will face Marshall Academy at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday in the first round,

ACCS school board member Bryant Murray would not comment on King’s status with ACCS and other members of the ACCS school board were unavailable for comment.

King would not comment.