Former Braden River assistant coach Hodges introduced as Sarasota's head coach
SARASOTA
In the eyes of Spencer Hodges, he was where he should have been.
The Manatee High alum was an assistant coach at Braden River, working with the tight ends and running the strength and conditioning for a program fresh off making a fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
What Hodges didn’t know, however, was the administration over at Sarasota High had its eyes on him.
Sarasota named Hodges its new head football coach last week, and on Monday, the 29-year-old addressed about 50 of his players while inside the high school cafeteria.
Hodges didn’t apply for the Sailors job after Brian Ryals resigned last November. But according to Mark Aschenbrenner, Sarasota’s athletics director, Hodges name kept popping up while interviewing candidates.
“When we asked them what kind of staff they were going to bring in, his was the first name a couple of guys mentioned — ‘My offensive coordinator is going to be Spencer Hodges,’ ” Aschenbrenner said. “We got together and said, ‘Why aren’t we talking to Spencer Hodges?’ ”
Hodges met Sarasota’s administration last week and accepted the job Thursday.
“I wasn’t willing to take just anything,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to make a move. But Sarasota, they want to win, they want to do things the right way. That’s what I’m all about. They want to set things up where they want to win daily.”
Hodges was a starting offensive lineman on Manatee’s Class 5A state final four teams in 2005 and ’06 before going to play at Liberty University and Jacksonville University. He takes over a Sailors team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2013 and has seen myriad players transfer out of the program over the years, including Bryan Gagg, who played quarterback last year at Braden River.
“(Hodges) played under Coach (Joe) Kinnan, and there hasn’t been anybody better in the area for years,” Aschenbrenner said. “At Braden River, same thing — they developed a winning tradition there. We had that, we got a little away from that, and I think he’s the guy to bring it back.”
Hodges spoke to the team for about 10 minutes Monday, and made a point to tell the juniors who are going to be seniors next season that he wants to win as soon as possible.
“You guys deserve to win. We’ll build up. We’re not going to take a step back to go forward,” Hodges told them. “You guys have been through a lot, you deserve a winning season. I’m going to do the best I can, and your teammates are going to do the best they can, to make sure that happens for you guys.”
Hodges, who also coached at Jacksonville University and IMG Academy, and had a paid internship with Jacksonville’s Arena League team, told the team to meet at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday for conditioning.
Aschenbrenner acknowledged the search for a coach took longer than anticipated. But he is happy with the result.
“Everyone only had great things to say about him — the leadership qualities, the passion for the game,” he said. “There’s all the pieces we’ve been looking for.”