Eugene promoted to head coach

Flanagan has promoted assistant Michael Eugene to head football coach.

Eugene, who has led the junior varsity team and been a linebackers coach and defensive assistant on varsity, takes the reins for the Falcons after Al Lang, a longtime coach in Broward County, stepped down after one season.

“He’s a young guy, energetic. He knows the system. He was there with Bush. He was there with Stanford Samuels,” Flanagan athletic director Al Guzzo said of Eugene. “The optimism is just to right the ship again. We had an off year last year — just to get back on track and get to winning ways again. No expectations about going to state or anything. It’s just get back on track right now.”

Eugene becomes the fourth coach in as many seasons at Flanagan.

Before Lang, Stanford Samuels Jr. spent one year at the helm after getting promoted to head coach from his previous defensive coordinator position under Devin Bush for the 2015 Class 8A state championship team.

Flanagan went 1-9 under Lang last season after several players from earlier teams either graduated or transferred out. In 2016 under Samuels, the Falcons were 9-3, won District 12-8A and reached regional semifinals where they fell to Deerfield Beach.

The school won its only state title in 2015, finishing 12-2 and capping the season with a 26-7 victory over Kissimmee Osceola in the championship game.

Eugene is a Broward local as a Miramar graduate.

dfurones@sunsentinel .com, @DavidFurones_