Olympic Heights will begin spring football practice today with a new head coach.
Baz Alfred
Chris Kokell has stepped down after two seasons, he confirmed Monday. His longtime assistant, Baz Alfred, will take his place.
Kokell said he wasn’t able to devote as much time to the job as he would have liked. He will continue to teach at Olympic Heights.
“I wanted to make sure I was giving my most, and I wasn’t right now,” he said. “The team got better today.”
Kokell, who also has coached at Forest Hill, Pope John Paul and Boca Raton, took over a struggling Lions program in 2015.
Olympic Heights finished 1-9 his first year, but had a breakthrough season in 2016.
The Lions got off to a 4-0 start, and went on to finish 6-3. Olympic Heights placed fourth in tough District 13-7A.
Alfred has been a longtime assistant under Kokell. Athletic Director Cindy Lucia said she expects a smooth transition.
“He and (Kokell) worked so closely together, that at times it was really hard to tell who the head coach was and who wasn’t, because they interact so well,” Lucia said. “He was already doing a lot of duties that a head coach wouldn’t let an assistant do, because they have worked so well together.”
