New Canterbury football coach Tommy Bohanon sees bright future
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Tommy Bohanon always thought coaching high school football would be part of his future.
That future is now.
Canterbury recently introduced the 35-year-old former NFL fullback as its new head coach. Bohanon replaces Vince Camarca, who moved into an administration role at the school.
Bohanon, who served as Canterbury’s offensive coordinator last season, his first as an assistant coach, said the experience excited him about the program’s potential and the role he could play in helping the Cougars reach it.
“I wanted to be somewhere that I could truly come in and help build something,” said Bohanon, a 2009 graduate of North Fort Myers High School. “It was kind of that right place, right time moment.”
Canterbury, which reinstituted 11-man football in 2013, finished 6-6 last season as a member of the Sunshine State Athletic Association. Bohanon, the program’s eighth different head coach during that span, said his primary goal is to work to ensure his players’ success both on and off the field.
“Obviously, at the high school level, it’s much more than just football; it’s character development,” he said. “It’s learning to do things the right way and make sure that these kids you know aren’t just successful on the football field, but they’re successful in life, and that’s really what high school football is all about.”
Bohanon spent five seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers following a standout collegiate career at Wake Forest. He said his coaching philosophy is heavily influenced by two mentors: former Jets head coach Rex Ryan and Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe.
“Those guys, they really did listen to players and always had their best interests at heart,” he said. “Personally, my style is going to fall somewhere between them because Rex Ryan was very loud and boisterous in the media while Jim Grobe was pretty quiet and reserved.”
On the field, Bohanon said he envisions a bright future for Canterbury football.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” he said. “We have senior-heavy offensive and defensive lines coming up but overall we’re still a young team. If we can truly create that competitive atmosphere starting in the spring and carry that all the way through the fall, I think we have a shot at doing some special things.”
SWFL high school head football coaching openings
Four area high schools are still looking to secure new head football coaches for the upcoming season.
Fort Myers is seeking a successor for longtime coach Sam Sirianni Jr., who announced his retirement after 24 seasons as head coach of the Green Wave. He finished with an overall record of 175-81 (.684), the second-most wins for any Lee County high school coach, trailing only his father Sam Sirianni Sr. (244). The school has yet to begin its search, according to athletic director Steve Cato.
Lely fired head coach Ben Hammer in December after three seasons and a 20-14 record. The Trojans won two district championships under Hammer, who said he was told the school was “moving in a different direction.”
East Lee County parted ways with Steve Howard after one season. The Jaguars went 0-10 in his only season, the seventh winless campaign in the program’s 20-year history.
Gateway announced recently that Charlie Powell would not be returning for a third season with the Eagles. In a message to the school community, principal Neketa Watson and athletic director Ernest Adamo said the decision “does not negate the tremendous respect we have for Coach Powell, nor does it negate the positive impact he has made.” Gateway went 3-17 in the past two years under Powell’s direction
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Tommy Bohanon named new Canterbury High School football coach
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