Palmetto High head coach steps down
PALMETTO — For the second time in two seasons, Palmetto High is looking for a football coach.
Rashad West stepped down as head coach of the Tigers after one season.
“It was a tough decision but it was the right time and right decision for me,” West said. “It was kinda the right time for me with this.”
Palmetto went 5-5, losing three of four to end the season, and reached the playoffs as a sixth seed. The Tigers lost to Riverview 49-20 in the first round.
“Nothing happened,” West said after being hired on Feb. 13 of last year. “It was great. It was right for me.”
After coaching four seasons at Lakewood Ranch High, when the Mustangs went 20-17, West moved across Manatee County to Palmetto. He does not regret the move.
“Oh yeah. Met some great people. Worked with some great people. I don’t regret that at all,” West said.
He will remain teaching at Palmetto High, but assist with the transition of coaches.
“What I’m going to do in the immediate future is enjoy going home after school and being around my family,” West said.
Although he has not ruled out coaching in the future, West has some other avenues he wants to pursue.
“I have some things in the works that I don’t want to speak about right now, things I’m interested in doing and pursuing,” West said. “This is the right time to look into those things for myself and my family.
“The coaching part is on the backburner.”
As for Palmetto, Director of Athletics Bryan Wilkes named assistant coach Jim Webb as the football contact person through the spring. Webb will work with Butch Santcil, the girls flag football coach.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time,” Wilkes said.
Wilkes said he will post the head coaching position after spring practice.
“By that time coaches will know where they are. That would be the best time to approach it to find the right fit for our team,” Wilkes said.