By DENNIS MAHONEY dmahoney@pioneerlocal.com

This is the soccer team Marx Succes has been waiting for.

That’s what makes it so difficult for him to turn the Evanston Township High School girls program over to someone else, even if only on an interim basis.

Succes announced Tuesday that he will temporarily step down as head girls coach at Evanston Township High School for the 2010 spring season to aid in the relief effort in Haiti following last week’s devastating earthquake.

Succes has family in the ravaged country and his religious roots run even deeper. His first order of business will be to help relocate young girls from an orphanage run by his church, the Faith Temple Church of God and Christ.

The orphanage, which houses 40 girls, was destroyed in the earthquake, fortunately without loss of life.

In his absence, Succes said JV girls coach/boys head coach Franz Calixte will run the program, assisted by Tasha Shepard.

"I’m stepping down for this season at least, because it wouldn’t be fair for the girls to have a coach coming in and out," said Success, who would have begun his 15th year at the helm. "The last thing I’d ever do is walk away from this team, because this is a team that I’ve been waiting for years, a team that could repeat what happened here (state championship) in 2002. But in lieu of what’s happened in Haiti, I’ll be traveling back and forth.

"The athletic department at Evanston has been very, very supportive and I’ve worked with Franz for a long time, so I feel good about having him step in. He knows the girls and the girls know him. He’s already met with our team captains, and I know they won’t miss a step.

"I only had one request for Franz and Tasha and that was when it comes time for the state finals, I get a pass to be down on the field. Notice that I said when -- not if."

Evanston Athletic Director Chris Livatino expects Succes, who also teaches PE at the school, to return for the 2011-12 season.

"He’s coming back next year," said Livatino. "This is a humanitarian effort that far outweighs what happens with one sports team. This is the most important thing for Marx right now, and we fully support him.

"This is a year for him to fulfill a deep obligation and to support the thousands and thousands -- specifically the young kids -- affected by what happened in Haiti."

Succes has done mission work overseas in the past but can’t imagine what tasks will lie ahead, or how long the rebuilding will take.

"The orphanage was badly damaged, so our first priority will be relocating those girls," he said. "We may have to look at bringing back some of them to the United States and starting some kind of adoption program.

"We’ll also help set up food distribution and look at repairing the damaged schools (approximately 150) the church has down there. We’ll do whatever it takes."