Mike Granato wrestled with the decision for several weeks.
On Monday afternoon, Granato informed West Orange football players that he’d accepted an assistant coaching position at Coffee High School in Douglas, Georgia, a town of less than 12,000 residents nestled nearly 70 miles north of the Florida border.
The move comes with a salary increase and reunites Granato with long-time friend and mentor Mike Coe.
“Everybody knows kind of the obvious answer,” Granato said of the reasoning. “It’s an opportunity to financially have a better life for my wife and kids and to spend more time with them. It’s an opportunity for growth all the way around.”
Granato walks away from a program that was in disarray when he arrived two years ago. The former Edgewater, Apopka, Seminole and Winter Park assistant made strides while helping the Warriors to a 17-6 record and a large-class regional final appearance last fall.
“Having the opportunity to become head football coach at West Orange was a dream come true. It’s been an absolute honor,” Granato said. “All I ever wanted to do when I started [coaching] in 2007 was to be a part of the group [of head coaches] around here and be able to be in meetings and at all-star games with those guys and just sit and talk with them.”
Granato’s relationship with Coe dates to his time as linebackers and defensive backs coach on state runner-up teams at Madison County in 2011 and 2012.
Coe guided Madison County to four FHSAA Class 1A state championships during his 12 seasons as head coach. He accepted the Coffee High job last month.
“He’s a family member to me and the closest thing to a big brother I’ve ever had,” Granato said. “He made me a much better football coach when I was younger. He’s always held me accountable and kind of showed me the way to not only being a football coach, but with how to take care of a family.”
The opening at West Orange means 16 of the 67 football teams in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake and southwest Volusia counties will have new head coaches for the 2022 season.
Canh Bui, a sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, was promoted to replace Kevin Scarbrough as head coach at First Academy-Leesburg in November.
Eric Olson recently stepped down as head coach at Windermere High after one season in exchange for an assistant coaching position at Apopka. The Blue Darters finished 8A state runners-up in 2021.
Windermere, in search of its sixth coach since the school opened in 2017, joins West Orange, St. Cloud, Tavares and Deltona Trinity Christian with head coaching vacancies.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at [email protected].
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