Academy at the Lakes hires former Wesley Chapel coach
By Kyle LoJacono
Staff Writer
For the last 11 years John Castelamare has patrolled the sidelines for the Wesley Chapel High Wildcats. His school has changed, but the coach will still be leading the Wildcats in 2010.
“We are very excited to announce that John Castelamare will be coaching our football team this coming season,” said Academy at the Lakes Day athletic director Tom Haslam. “We are very excited to get a coach with the kind of reputation and record as coach Castelamare. We are a small school and we couldn’t have asked for a better coach.”
Castelamare, 60, was named the academy’s coach March 23. The academy’s mascot is also the Wildcats, so there will be little adjustment for the coach in that respect.
He started his coaching career in 1972 at Madison Junior High School in Tampa. He has also coached at Leto High and Ridgewood High before starting the football program at Wesley Chapel in 1999.
“I had the honor of coaching the first senior class at Ridgewood and starting football at Wesley Chapel,” Castelamare said. “I’ve spent the last 38 years coaching and I love ever single minute of it.”
Castelamare played high school football at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey where he won a state championship. He has yet to win a state title in Pasco County, but had two undefeated seasons, three district crowns and a 63-50 record while at Wesley Chapel. He also taught physical education.
The coach was available for the private school because Castelamare was not given an extension to the five-year Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP). The program gives teachers financial motivation to retire. The county can offer teachers extensions after the fifth year, but budget cuts have made that a less available option.
“I knew it was my fifth year in the DROP program and I saw that (the county) didn’t extend John Benedetto at Land O’ Lakes the year before,” said Castelamare. “I was hoping the economy would get better and that they might let me continue. Now I’m fully committed to Academy at the Lakes and can’t wait for us to start practicing.”
Benedetto coached the Gators for 32 years before he was forced to retire before last season. The two coaches cannot teach or coach at any public school.
Castelamare’s old school was not ready to see him go.
“That is something we can’t control because only the county can offer a coach an extension,” Wesley Chapel athletic director Steve Mumaw previously said. “We can’t even give our opinion to the county. Losing coach (Castelamare) was very hard for me because I was a (junior varsity) coach during his first year at the school.”
Wesley Chapel’s loss was the academy’s gain. The private school had been looking for a permanent football coach for a few years.
“Last year our baseball coach (Ben Drawdy) had to step in and coach football for us,” Haslam said. “The team was 5-4, but when we heard John was looking to stay in coaching we knew he was the guy.”
Castelamare will also teach physical education part time at the academy in edition to coaching. Haslam said if a full-time position opens at the school, Castelamare will be one of those considered for the spot.
The change from a public to the private school will be most noticeable in the number of players Castelamare will have on the team. Haslam said the academy currently has 109 high school students.
“I’m used to having 80 or so kids on the team and there won’t be half that number,” Castelamare said.
The academy had 11 players last season and has played six-man football for all but one year of the program. In 2007 it moved up to the traditional 11-man variety and went 1-9. The year before, the team won the a state title for six-man football.
“We’ll be having a meeting April 20 to see how many kids are interested in playing this year,” Castelamare said. “That will be important for us. The goal is to win and also get the program to 11-man football, so we need all the interested players to come to the meeting.”
That meeting is at 6 p.m. April 20 in the academy’s gymnasium.
“I know a lot of parents worry about the cost of sending kids to private schools, but they should look into it,” Castelamare said. “I graduated from a private and Academy at the Lakes offers help for people in financial needs. The academics are tough but people should get in touch with the school and see what it has to offer. Everyone that I’ve met at the school has been great.”
Castelamare said the team begins practice May 3 and will have some type of spring competition to finish the spring season. Haslam said he figured the team would have between 12 and 25 players this season.
“If we have at least 12 players we will try and have a road spring game May 20,” Castelamare said. “If not we’ll have an intra-squad practice with the offense playing the defense…I’m ready to get the pads on right now.”
