Doug Robertson was ecstatic when he found a job teaching social studies at Michigan City.

Then he learned a budget deficit had eliminated his new position.

For a year, the former Bishop Noll girls basketball coach had been living his dream: teaching and working as an assistant coach for the sectional champion Wolves.

The rug that was pulled out from under him has woven a different thread. Robertson has his chance as a coach again, thanks to an opening he filled recently at Covenant Christian.

"The last couple of months have been up and down, looking for a teaching job, looking for a coaching job, and nothing seems to have come about," Robertson said. "When I saw this open, I remembered how much I liked playing against them in the past, knowing about them and the potential to grow on a great season."

Robertson has been coaching the varsity wide receivers and the junior varsity football team at Michigan City. The schedules will overlap should the Wolves win their first sectional game; the first football sectional is on Oct. 19 and the girls basketball season opens Oct. 22.

Covenant Christian was 13-9 last season, its second winning season in its short four-year history. It won five in a row at one stretch and returns eight players.

It's almost like Robertson hit the small school lottery.

"The success that Covenant Christian has had with volleyball and soccer has been great. It's like that little hidden treasure in Northwest Indiana," Robertson said. "Not a lot of people know about Covenant Christian, but they've had success and hopefully we can continue that so people start to recognize what they are."

In Robertson, the Knights may have found their own rough diamond. After a 35-73 five-year career at Bishop Noll, he took a year and soaked up every bit of knowledge he could from a larger program, playing in the Duneland Athletic Conference and winning a sectional title. Now he belongs to a team that is entering its fourth season in the IHSAA.

Taking over a team late into the year is nothing new for Robertson; he did the same when he joined Noll. The ambition and organization to head two teams at the same time is what coaches expect out of their players: to be a student and an athlete. It makes him a better leader-by-example.

"They don't have a lot of games early in the season, which will help us down the line; we'll be able to grow as a team," Robertson said. "I've got an idea of what I'm looking at I'm looking forward to this season. I've always been one of those go-go-go people, and I'll always find a way to make it work."

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach her at hillary.smith@nwi.com.