Taylor steps down as Charlotte High football coach after 2 seasons
PUNTA GORDA — Wade Taylor has stepped down after two seasons as head coach of the Charlotte High football team.
"I'm 55. It was time to get out," Taylor said. "Sometimes you get tired of doing things. It seems like a good time. I did this all my own."
The Tarpons went 5-5 this past season and lost to Naples High, 37-0, in the first round of the playoffs.
In 2020, Charlotte went 7-4. It reached the region semifinal, defeating Lehigh Acres East Lee County, 51-0, in the first round before losing to Naples Palmetto Ridge, 28-6.
"It was a tough two years," Taylor said. "We did what we could and got after it the best we could."
Previously an assistant coach, Taylor took over for long-time Charlotte coach Binky Waldrop.
"He stepped in at the most difficult time, after Binky and with COVID," Charlotte director of athletics Brian Nolan said. "Coaching football at Charlotte High is 24/7, 365. It's a very hard job. Expectations are high."
Nolan plans to have a new head coach in place by the middle of January.
"We'll find someone to continue the tradition of excellence," Nolan said. "Someone who will put the type of values we demand at Charlotte High as his own."
Dennis Maffezzoli is the deputy sports editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and chief reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune and HTpreps covering Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Taylor steps down as Charlotte High football coach after 2 seasons
