Kenard Lang steps down at Jones to take Wekiva head coaching job

Kenard Lang resigned as Jones High’s head football coach Tuesday to take over the vacant Wekiva High head-coaching position.

Lang said on Wednesday that he was offered and had accepted the Wekiva job.

“It’s an opportunity to do something else, to do something different,” Lang said. “I enjoyed it [at Jones]. I love it here. The people are great, the kids are great, there’s phenomenal community support. I just was looking for a little change.”

Lang, 37, said that he has already begun his tenure at Wekiva.

“It’s a larger program and I want to build it, make it successful,” Lang said. “It has great community support with its ties around the area in Apopka and on borderline of Pine Hills.”

An Evans graduate who played in the NFL from 1997-06, Lang took over at Jones in 2008. The Tigers had fallen on hard times prior to Lang’s arrival,  including going 1-9 in 2007.  

Lang accumulated a 30-25 record in five seasons at Jones,  guiding the Tigers to four playoff appearances. Jones went 7-5 this past season, falling to Cocoa in the Class 4A regional finals.

Wekiva, part of the Class 8A classification, went 1-9 this past season. The Mustangs were previously led by Ty Parker, who went 18-43 in six seasons at the school.

Lang also cited Wekiva principal Elise Gruber as a reason for taking the wekiva job.

"Kenard is a perfect fit for Wekiva," Gruber said. "Not only does he have experience with our community, being raised in it, he also has a diverse background. He brings a lot of experience to the program. I was impressed with his integrity and personality and his ability to connect with athletes. And he has a pretty good record since 2008. We’re looking forward to him doing the same thing at Wekiva."

Gruber said Lang will begin meeting players on Friday. 

Lang will remain on Jones’ faculty until the end of the semester before joining Wekiva’s staff. 


(orlandosentinel.com)