- April 16, 2024
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Jason Boltus has stepped down as the head coach of the Ocoee High football team after one season at the helm.
Boltus confirmed Monday that he resigned last week. He said the decision came because he and his wife intend on moving back to upstate New York, where they can be closer to family.
"That was the (only) reason — it was a hard decision with the kids and the program," Boltus said. "At the end of the day, I had to put family first. I want to be close to family and had some opportunities back home."
Boltus said the opportunities back home include a chance to become more involved with his father's company, Action Technical Services.
Boltus was formerly the offensive coordinator for the Knights in 2015 and 2016 under then-head coach Ben Bullock. During that span, the Ocoee football program had two of its strongest seasons since the school opened in 2005. Boltus was promoted to head coach after Bullock departed for the head coach job at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando.
The Knights' roster was rocked in the offseason by a wave of transfers and the graduation of several of its leaders from the 2016 team. Ocoee went 1-9 in 2017, but Boltus said that the Knights have several returning players with a lot of potential to return the program to the heights it achieved in 2016.
"Our record this season doesn’t show even close to what we have," Boltus said. "The young talent we have will be a force to reckon with."
Boltus, who also won an Arena Football championship this year as the quarterback for the Jacksonville Sharks, says his future in coaching is uncertain for the time being. He added that his experience of being the head coach at Ocoee was a fun one, and that he learned a lot.
"I enjoyed all the kids — as a head coach, you oversee all of the position groups as opposed to (just one)," Boltus said. "I enjoyed building a ton of relationships with all the kids. ... I learned a lot on how to delegate responsibilities. I like coaching, so it’s a bittersweet thing."
