I could be wrong but I would think in 3A most coaches can live with the hand they are dealt from year to year because the competition isn't as tough as it can be in some districts in 4A. In 3A, the community probably supports their athletic programs a bit better win or lose as they are an important social event on a regular basis. In 4A it seems that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Either the community is behind a winning program and the coach gets what he wants in that process due to an abundance of resources or you don't have the resources and the community has a harder time getting behind a losing program and there's always plenty of other things to do on a Friday night in a metropolitan area.
In my opinion, 4A coaches in communities with few resources sometimes find that they aren't going to make any headway and are smarter for taking the path that these coaches have and can continue enjoying the coaching process vs hanging on in a losing program/community where the dividing line of success is much more dramatic.
I'm curious and I know many who frequent this site could offer some insight; What programs in 4A are always on the borderline where they could pop up and compete at a high level for a year or two and then disappear for a few years and then pop back up again? We always hear about the programs that are on both ends of the spectrum but the middle seems to never get any attention.