Lake Placid Football Coach Resigns

Tim Grant resigned as Lake Placid High School's head football coach on Friday, three weeks before the start of football camp, and after just one year on the sidelines for Lake Placid.

LPHS Principal Michael Haley said Grant cited "personal reasons" for his departure, noting that Grant lived outside the county and that driving back and forth to Lake Placid had created an economic hardship for his family.

Still, Haley said, Grant's resignation was "out of the blue."

"I don't blame people for personal reasons," Haley said. "The timing wasn't good, but people have to do what people have to do, and I understand that."

LP athletic director Cindy Rivers said Grant cited economic concerns, and that he'd be returning to his former school, Fort Meade High School, to accept a position.

Rivers said she was completely caught off guard by the news.

"There is plenty of shock on our end by the news that Coach Grant has decided to leave," Rivers said. "It's a real disappointment for the kids and something that was unforeseen."

Players were told about Grant's resignation by assistant and junior varsity coaches late last week, and a team meeting was held on Saturday.

"I have great coaches here who have picked up the slack and are carrying on as if we had a head coach," Haley said, noting that two assistant coach positions must also be filled before the start of camp.

With his departure, Grant also leaves an opening for a physical education teacher that will likely be filled by the new head coach.

Haley said the process for finding a new coach has begun, and that an advertisement should be placed by today.

"Obviously, we'd like to make a hire as soon as possible," Haley said. "We'll put an advertisement out there, see who applies and make a decision as quickly as possible."

Repeated calls to Grant were not returned on Monday.

In his only year as Lake Placid head coach, Grant led the Green Dragons to a 2-8 record. Lake Placid was shut out four times and has won just nine games in seven years.

Former LP defensive coach Zep Augustine said he was stunned when he heard the news.

"It's kind of weird for him to leave on such short notice like that," Augustine said. "This puts the school in a tight spot in having to find a coach so quickly."

Augustine, who was the Green Dragons' defensive back and receivers coach the previous two seasons, recently moved to Gainesville to return to school - a decision he said may have not been made if the coaching vacancy would've opened earlier in the summer.

"I would definitely think long and hard about putting my name in to become the head coach," Augustine said. "But I'm established back up in Gainesville, and I feel that it's best for me to step away from the Green Dragon football program right now."

This sudden departure puts Lake Placid in unfamiliar territory, since it now has just three weeks before the Aug. 4 beginning of football training camp.

To find a coach in that kind of time frame will be a challenge, Rivers said.

"We're pushed for time to get a quality coach in time for the upcoming football season," Rivers said. "We're hoping we get lucky and find someone that'll be an asset to the high school. We've had to do our fair share of searching for coaches, but this really puts us under the gun to speed up the process."

Haley said losing their coach so close to the season is something the football team can grow from.

"Football and sports in general are a big thing in Highlands County," he said. "We have a great bunch of students, and they'll overcome challenges ahead of them, as will faculty and staff."

Still, Rivers said, the task ahead is daunting.

"This happened so fast that we don't even have a list of candidates," Rivers said. "We're open to talking with anyone who puts their name in the hat."